I Miss My MTV: Intergalactic Choreo
The Backstreet Boys, "Larger Than Life" (1999)
One of my favorite science fiction tropes involves space travel that takes so long that passengers need to be put in suspended animation (see: Promometheus, Raised By Wolves). Who though that the Backstreet Boys would take this on in the critically underrated “Larger Than Life”? (I prefer bangers like this to the ooey gooey love songs).
The thing I love about boy band videos is that there is this push for egalitarian representation. Each boy (boy is realtive, I think one of them is at least 35 at this point). Each boy gets a scenario that says something about them, about who they are and what they represent. Even though we know who the hot one is (Nick) we still give the less cute, but more talented (Howie) an opportunity to shine. There was some thought put in this.
Notice how their pods are all labeled with their first names. Is this for the robot to remember them? Or is it meant for them to see when they wake up, to remind them of their own existence? No last names, their true identities are wiped, now only to fullfill their missions, which are....
Nick must teach the cyborgs how to dance, so they can perhaps one day feel the energy, making them sentient. They will then repopulate this colony ship.
Brian must master the art of airboarding through a tunnel, to defeat a hot girl as she throws glowing balls at him. Obviousyl an essential job.
A.J. is hooked up to hoses, obviously the ship repleneshing itself, showing us that it is humans, not technology, that is our ultimate demise.
Howie is..moonwalking in a blurry room? Unclear what that accomplishes. Maybe he’s just an intern.
Kevin seems to be the only one with an actual job- he's in the fighter plane shooting down enemies, protecting it from the precious cargo and sweet grooves inside the ship.
But suddenly...the ship goes zero gravity, everything stops, and finally...it reaches its destiny. A full group choreo group moment, something that is required by law for every Backstreet Video, also ready and packaged for the MTV Music VIdeo Awards performance. (The fun starts at 3:30).
Now the mission complete, the ship powers down, its five human vessels returning to sleep for the next thousand years when the cycle repeats. Nature is healing.