Lumbini Week 9

To Mr. Mundt,

Using an archetypal and religious approach to mythology to market Se7en is a good financial decision because the theme which this movie focuses on makes it unique from other movies and appeals to all audiences. This movie draws intensely from literature which show to be influenced by biblical mythology such as Paradise Lost, Dante’s Purgatory, and more to expound on the seven deadly sins which this movie uses as a motif. The serial killer, John Doe, puts people through judgement and punishment based on the sin they represent, thinking he is some sort of supreme power entitled to do this. This religious approach in the movie makes it distinctive from others because it hints to being a story of the gods (which most myths are), but still manages to be free from bias towards a specific religion. Therefore, you can advertise the movie as a film about judgment yet is still free from religious bias, making it attractive to all audiences. The archetype which this movie poses is also an attractive feature of the movie. The setting of the movie is never specified and lifestyle of the main characters are pretty basic. The serial killer’s name, in fact, is John Doe, a name given to the unidentifiable. This vagueness and lack of specificity makes the movie comes off as an archetype applicable to reality or other plot structures. This isolates the movie from others, since most are specific about their settings, characters, etc. It would be a good investment because it meshes the film’s plot with what viewers might experience themselves instead of isolating the movie from reality. Viewers will question whether the screenwriter intended the movie to be so vague to underscore the message that humanity can be put through judgement like in the story whether that is by a supreme power or not. A movie about the seven deadly sins may intimidate viewers who don’t have religious background, but even though this movie is influenced by biblical mythology, it doesn’t credit a specific religion for this. Additionally, it appeals to those who do have religious background and believe that humans are judged based on a dogma similar to the seven deadly sins, making it in total worthwhile to all audiences.