The greatest stories, the ones that shape you and influence you that become iconic culturally. Those great

stories have at least one thing in common. The great ones all have very

pronounced themes. They're dealing with something, they're doing

something, they're not just telling a story for the sake of telling a story to get

from A to Z and make a couple bucks, they want to say something. You might not always agree with the

themes, but the stuff that makes a dent, sociadily or in your own mind, heart, psyche,

they always have these themes that maybe you don't catch on your first

pass, but when you think back on it, you're like, oh wow, look at the way the author introduced

that theme and then teased out those notes as we went along with the story. So much so that if I name

some of the great movie franchises of the last several decades, you are all going to come to

the same conclusions or conjure the same thematic images in your mind.

In fact, let's just do it.

Here we go.

I say a movie or a movie franchise.

You say the themes that are most pronounced. what you come up with part of a

champion right learn how to take a hit and get back up star Wars hope the spark of

rebellion standing up for what is right, even if it costs you.

Harry Potter, friendship, loyalty, right?

The Matrix.

Reality, truth, seeing things for what they actually are.

And then here's the Granddaddy of them all, the Lord of the Rings.

The allure and corrupting nature of power. The glory of men lost long ago but possibly restored humility purity beauty

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