| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
Enda80
Preeminent Apostolic Prelate of the Discipleship of Jabootu
108 Posts |
 Posted - 04/03/2010 : 04:48:26 AM
|
http://monsterkidclassichorrorforum.yuku.com/topic/26844/t/Adventure-Films-Where-the-Main-Opponent-Does-Not-Die.html
many people think that the only adventure film protagonists who take lives include R-rated films starring reactionary Republicans. However, most film protagonists that I can think of take the lives of their opponents, or the main opponent otherwise dies at the end of the film, even in PG or PG-13 films. This does not automatically get one an R-rating. Nor, despite what some people think, does it make you a Republican, even though many people associate this with Republican reactionaries (who mostly have not had their films in theaters in the last ten years).
Examples: Indiana Jones (remember he cut the rope bridge), Luke Skywalker (blowing up the Deathstar), etc. I do not recall too many people accusing Mark Hammill of reactionary Republicanism.
Thus, in most adventure films, the main opponent dies. However, I can think of a few counterexamples where in a film the main opponent did not die.
Doc Savage (in fact, in prose, after his first few adventures, Doc Savage may have started the technical pacifist trend); brainwashes his main enemy into reforming
The Saint (1997), even though the prose version had no such qualms about taking a life, in this film, both main opponents live to stand trial
The Harry Potter films?
Masters of the Universe: We find out that Skeletor did not die in a post-credits scene (whether or not he counts as undead serves as another matter-this happens when you make a manque of Thulsa Doom)
Obviously, films based on comic strips and comic books generally (or at least one would expect them to) have protagonists who would generally refrain from taking lives, so Luthor has survived all live action Superman films he has appeared in since the 1970's. Similarly, Magneto has survived all live action X-Men films (did Mystique?) in which he appears.
Note that I do not count the original Star Wars trilogy as fitting in this deliberation, even though both a reformed Vader and the Emperor do not perish till the end of the last film, since those films serve as more of an integrated arc as opposed to just another pearl on a string, as some would say. Nor does the first TMNT live action film count, even though we retroactively find out in the next film that the Shredder did not in fact die.
|
|
|
Enda80
Preeminent Apostolic Prelate of the Discipleship of Jabootu
108 Posts |
Posted - 04/04/2010 : 06:34:32 AM
|
| On a related note, I notice that adventurers who usually do not take lives in their print forms often take lives in film versions. Near as I can tell, the Fantastic Four did not take lives in any live action film, but how strongly have other properties adhered to not taking lives in their film versions? |
 |
|
|
Neville
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
Spain
1590 Posts |
Posted - 04/04/2010 : 2:47:34 PM
|
That I find true. Batman does kill quite a lot of people in the movies, specially in the Tim Burton ones. I haven't read many Batman comics, but even in Frank Miller's "The Dark Knight Returns" he avoids killing several enemies, even if that means taking additional risks.
And I think Dick Tracy does kill people in the Warren Beatty movie, and not only the main villain, which is the usual cliché.
I've never considered the reasons beyond that, but I think it hasn't anything to do with politics, but rather with movie audiences expecting some kind of closure, rather than expecting the villains to escape Arkham Asylum or be paroled just in time for next week's issue. And nothing is as conclusive as a villain having an spectacular death. |
Edited by - Neville on 04/04/2010 2:52:56 PM |
|
|
|
RVHorror
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
532 Posts |
Posted - 04/04/2010 : 6:20:15 PM
|
I think in "Batman Forever" and "Batman and Robin" most of the main badguys survive. In fact, in the latter film, I don't think any of them die.
The idea that killing someone makes you a reactionary Republican seems kind of ridiculous. The Tom Savini remake of "Night of the Living Dead" has an absolutely mind-boggling case of someone being killed because it's the "polically correct" thing to do, and Romero's no right-winger. |
|
|
|
Enda80
Preeminent Apostolic Prelate of the Discipleship of Jabootu
108 Posts |
Posted - 04/05/2010 : 04:09:19 AM
|
quote:
Originally posted by Neville
That I find true. Batman does kill quite a lot of people in the movies, specially in the Tim Burton ones. I haven't read many Batman comics, but even in Frank Miller's "The Dark Knight Returns" he avoids killing several enemies, even if that means taking additional risks.
And I think Dick Tracy does kill people in the Warren Beatty movie, and not only the main villain, which is the usual cliché.
I've never considered the reasons beyond that, but I think it hasn't anything to do with politics, but rather with movie audiences expecting some kind of closure, rather than expecting the villains to escape Arkham Asylum or be paroled just in time for next week's issue. And nothing is as conclusive as a villain having an spectacular death.
Dick Tracy uses lethal force anyway in his comic strips, so his doing so in his film appearances does not matter. Contrary to common belief, Dick Tracy actually had few recurring foes. Most of this enemies such as Flattop did not return to fight him later but died in their first story. |
Edited by - Enda80 on 04/05/2010 04:10:44 AM |
|
|
|
Neville
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
Spain
1590 Posts |
Posted - 04/05/2010 : 08:52:15 AM
|
| Interesting. Then he is actually far more ruthless than Batman. |
|
|
|
Flangepart
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
2329 Posts |
Posted - 04/06/2010 : 07:43:29 AM
|
quote:
Originally posted by Neville
Interesting. Then he is actually far more ruthless than Batman.
Oh, quite.
He kept his tough guy reaction to violent crimminals all the way through, I think till near the end, comics wise anyhoo.
"Vulcans : The designated drivers of the universe."
"Hoody Hoo, i waste 'em with my cross bow!" Bob Herzog- KODT
|
|
|
|
Enda80
Preeminent Apostolic Prelate of the Discipleship of Jabootu
108 Posts |
|
|
Flangepart
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
2329 Posts |
Posted - 04/08/2010 : 07:27:48 AM
|
quote:
Originally posted by Enda80
http://www.gocomics.com/dicktracy/2010/03/27/
What end? The DT strip has continued. Just another year or two and the DT strip will have lasted 80 years.
Wow!
I sit corrected. Has Political Correctness invaded the thing, or has Tracy somehow evaded it?
"Vulcans : The designated drivers of the universe."
"Hoody Hoo, i waste 'em with my cross bow!" Bob Herzog- KODT
|
|
|
|
Enda80
Preeminent Apostolic Prelate of the Discipleship of Jabootu
108 Posts |
Posted - 04/10/2010 : 06:23:33 AM
|
Near as I can tell, Tracy still used lethal force regularly under Max Allan Collins. However, Collins left the strip in 1993, so I have no idea if later writers carried this forward.
In any event, Dick Tracy predated Action Comics#1 and the Phantom by a few years, so many genre tropes from those series the strip has not imitated. |
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
Forum Locked
Topic Locked