I’ve found a few stories where the menace is ended by the authorities stepping in.. Here are the two I remember, plus a spare: Jura Jr Jrer Erny ol Jvyyvnz Onegba (ynobe ynjf ner vzcebirq) naq Qnex Ybeq bs Qrexubyz ol Qvnan Jlaar Wbarf (gur rivy gbhevfz ohfvarff vf fuhg qbja). Cbr’f “Gur Cvg naq gur Craqhyhz” vf va n eryngrq pngrtbel—gur engvbanyvfg ureb whfg oneryl fgnlf nyvir hagvy uvf sevraqf fnir uvz.
Offhand, I think the premise that everything is corrupt (at least locally) came in with noir.
The climax of Shaun of the Dead ends with the surviving main characters rescued by the British Army.
The film version of The Mist has the U.S. Army fighting back the monsters that arrived with the titular mist… but they’re too late to save the main characters. Similarly, the monster in Cloverfield is indeed eventually taken down by the U.S. military as well—offscreen, after the fate of the main characters has already been determined.
And Lord of the Flies, of all things, also ends with the children being found and rescued just as things are at their worst… by, ironically enough, a military pilot who soon goes back to fighting a war.
I agree with Brin on that point.
I’ve found a few stories where the menace is ended by the authorities stepping in.. Here are the two I remember, plus a spare: Jura Jr Jrer Erny ol Jvyyvnz Onegba (ynobe ynjf ner vzcebirq) naq Qnex Ybeq bs Qrexubyz ol Qvnan Jlaar Wbarf (gur rivy gbhevfz ohfvarff vf fuhg qbja). Cbr’f “Gur Cvg naq gur Craqhyhz” vf va n eryngrq pngrtbel—gur engvbanyvfg ureb whfg oneryl fgnlf nyvir hagvy uvf sevraqf fnir uvz.
Offhand, I think the premise that everything is corrupt (at least locally) came in with noir.
Me too.
The climax of Shaun of the Dead ends with the surviving main characters rescued by the British Army.
The film version of The Mist has the U.S. Army fighting back the monsters that arrived with the titular mist… but they’re too late to save the main characters. Similarly, the monster in Cloverfield is indeed eventually taken down by the U.S. military as well—offscreen, after the fate of the main characters has already been determined.
And Lord of the Flies, of all things, also ends with the children being found and rescued just as things are at their worst… by, ironically enough, a military pilot who soon goes back to fighting a war.