Figuring out 1408?
I've been going over 1408 in my mind ever since watching the thing. I've probably turned it into a much better movie than it deserves to be (I left the theater disappointed with the film). Is 1408 anything more than a guy thrown into a room that makes scary noises? It could be. Here's what I've been thinking:
The room itself isn't evil. The room merely gives everyone who stays inside it the chance to face their demons. We know that Mike's father was abusive and the room shows Mike his dad and his dad says something like, "What you are, I was, what I am you will be." He's warning Mike that if he keeps going down this path of irresponsibility and cynicism, he is doomed to turn into the same jerk as his father.
The room then shows Mike his daughter. It's clear he didn't handle her death well, if at all, essentially acting as though it didn't happen. The room then gives him another chance to hold his daughter. To remember her as she was. And then it takes her away from him again, this time in hopes that he will finally face up to the death and move on without that gigantic fucking chip on his shoulder that he's been carrying since she was taken from him the first time.
We know Mike needed that, as he tells Samuel L. Jackson that he'd love nothing more than to find a ghost and to know there is something more than the life he is living. He wants to know there's an afterlife. The room shows him this afterlife.
The room gives him an hour to grow up. Like it says in Shawshank Redemption, "Get busy livin, or get busy dyin'." Obviously more people slept in that room than the ones who died there. The people who slept in that room and lived chose to confront their pasts and move on. The ones who couldn't chose to die. Mike chose to face his fears and move on. He "defeated" the room, thereby defeating the weaknesses he had that prevented him from living up to his full potential.
Again at the end of the movie Sam Jackson confirms this by saying he did a good job. I think he knew what Mike was getting himself into and didn't think that someone as cynical as Mike would ever get out of that room alive. But he did and that's why Jackson complemented him.
Oh well, I guess it doesn't matter anyway. The movie still pretty much sucked.
--Alex Sandell
The room itself isn't evil. The room merely gives everyone who stays inside it the chance to face their demons. We know that Mike's father was abusive and the room shows Mike his dad and his dad says something like, "What you are, I was, what I am you will be." He's warning Mike that if he keeps going down this path of irresponsibility and cynicism, he is doomed to turn into the same jerk as his father.
The room then shows Mike his daughter. It's clear he didn't handle her death well, if at all, essentially acting as though it didn't happen. The room then gives him another chance to hold his daughter. To remember her as she was. And then it takes her away from him again, this time in hopes that he will finally face up to the death and move on without that gigantic fucking chip on his shoulder that he's been carrying since she was taken from him the first time.
We know Mike needed that, as he tells Samuel L. Jackson that he'd love nothing more than to find a ghost and to know there is something more than the life he is living. He wants to know there's an afterlife. The room shows him this afterlife.
The room gives him an hour to grow up. Like it says in Shawshank Redemption, "Get busy livin, or get busy dyin'." Obviously more people slept in that room than the ones who died there. The people who slept in that room and lived chose to confront their pasts and move on. The ones who couldn't chose to die. Mike chose to face his fears and move on. He "defeated" the room, thereby defeating the weaknesses he had that prevented him from living up to his full potential.
Again at the end of the movie Sam Jackson confirms this by saying he did a good job. I think he knew what Mike was getting himself into and didn't think that someone as cynical as Mike would ever get out of that room alive. But he did and that's why Jackson complemented him.
Oh well, I guess it doesn't matter anyway. The movie still pretty much sucked.
--Alex Sandell
Labels: 1408, explaining 1408, Samuel L. Jackson, Stephen King, theories
5 Comments:
Interesting theory but I don't think the movie was that deep. Thanks for making it a better movie though. Now I don't feel quite as robbed as I did. The other thing that made it worth price of admission was John Cusack's performance. What did you think of that?
Good performance.
I think the way this movie breaks down is like this:
Olin is God (or an agent thereof)
The room is evil and kills people by showing them their demons and worst fears over and over until they off themselves.
Enslin has a TON of baggage he takes with him everywhere he goes.
- He attempts to hold on to his past (he still surfs)
- He had an abusive father (the book he wrote)
- He is estranged from his wife, but doesn't truly want to be (the convo on the laptop)
- His daughter died painfully after a long bout with illness
- He has no faith to speak of (he wants confirmation of an afterlife)
Sometimes something evil can be used for the purposes of good. As such, Olin (after going through all the theatrics with Enslin, thus making Enslin dead sure he wants to go into the room) allows Mike to go into 1408 and face his demons/fears.
Initally, Mike tries over and over to escape the room, to no avail. This culminates in him calling his wife on the laptop to come help him (the room allowed this because it always wants more victims). After Mike goes through everything the room can throw at him (his dad, the ghosts, freezing him, allowing him to think he's escaped and finally throwing Katy's death in his face), he realizes that he's been a prisoner of his demons and fears and finds the strength to break free of their hold over him (shown by Olin showing up in the fridge and making Mike reaffirm to himself that he wants to live well). He then realizes what will happen if his wife comes into the room and tries to stop her. The laptop "malfunctions" and invites her to come up, then smiles evilly at Mike. Mike ultimately realizes that in order to save his wife, he must make the ultimate sacrifice and destroy himself AND the room, which he does through fire (even if he doesn't destroy the room, he at least prevents her from ever getting inside it.) At that point, when Mike becomes willing to trade his life for hers (sound like any prominent religious figures you know of?), the room's power over him is broken, and the firemen rescue him.
Olin congratulates him on being the first to face his demons and escape the power of the room, and allows him to keep the tape recorder with Katy's voice. Mike's reminder of what he learned in the room and his proof that there is, in fact, an afterlife to look forward to.
If you've never had the opportunity to read any Stephen King, do so, and you will quickly see that redemption through suffering is a repeated motif in King's books.
Excellent analysis jfreak.
I don't think 1408 sucked at all. Firstly, Cusack is excellent, and at certain points in the film I found my emotions mirroring his own (proven by our similar facial expressions!).
On a 'deeper' level, I find the movie very thought provoking. Consider for a moment the possibility that Cusack's character, at the end of the film, has NOT escaped 1408. He is doomed to the grimmest eternal occurence of all, at the whim of some evil force.
But I think jfreak's interpretation is correct. Most obviously, because towards the end of the film, for example when Cusack's wife is heading to the hotel, he is not in shot. This suggests that the events are 'really' happening, not just in Cusack/1408's world.
Seems the room put him through Hell but in the end gave him what he craved: evidence of the afterlife. I personally think that is actually a very worthy thing to desire (although becoming a paranormal investigator is perhaps a stupid way of going about it). However, where to place Samuel L Jackson I'm not sure. I mean... he is a real guy who runs a real hotel, yes? Hm, maybe the world the film is set in kind of breaks down once Cusack gets his proof, but the film is already over then so it hardly matters.
Also I think this film is a great inspiration to us to hold on to our sanity no matter what outrages life throws in our face. We should never lose sight of the idea that maybe there is a point to it all, despite how horrific it can all seem sometimes.
Great film. And yes, I just got home from the cinema. :D
this movie is about more than just an evil hotel room-his demons are killing him, his exsistence is nothing more than a living hell and the room (aka:Satan) is slapping all this in his face. It is provoking him and his fears with his past and lack of faith to just end his misery; to kill himself. It wants to drive him over the edge to kill himself so the evil /satan can win. Katy would be stuck in that hell and not being able to pass through to the afterlife because her dad was selfish and couldn't let her go. He beats hell though by letting go believing, fighting for life , and bringing God back into his spirit by risking his own life to save another.
Post a Comment
<< Home