Monday Morning Inspiration: The Magic of Mystery

J.J. Abrams understands (and explains) the power of the Mystery Box.

I haven’t checked the weekend box office, but I have little doubt that J.J. Abrams’ new Star Trek movie was a massive hit. Friends have raved to me about J.J. Abrams for years, but I’ve been a late, somewhat reluctant convert to the cult of J.J…I don’t watch Lost, didn’t get Alias and I haven’t seen enough of Felicity to truly appreciate it (I thought Regarding Henry and MI:3 were fine movies though).

I didn’t get seriously interested in checking out the man’s work until I saw the Cloverfield trailer and then again when Andrew Kramer mentioned on his blog that he was working on the opening titles for a cool new show called Fringe. That in turn led me to J.J.’s inspiring TED Talk about “the mystery box”, which drops some big clues about the “secret sauce” that makes his work so captivating to so many people. This month’s Wired Magazine includes an essay that further explores his thoughts on the power of mystery.

Thanks to the internet, these days the answer to almost every question is literally at our finger tips. As more and more becomes known to us I wonder, will the unknown – the “magic of mystery” – become even more compelling than ever?