Why are the characters we love most in films the villains? Think about this for a second. Think of a movie you have recently seen, and then think of your favorite character or even the one who mostly stood out and gave the best performance. If you thought of the villain, congratulations. But why is this so? What makes the villain the best performer and most memorable? Simply put, it just works that way.
Why did we love movies such as Die Hard or The Dark Knight? Simple. The villains. I guarantee you that those movie would not have been as well respected had Alan Rickman not played Hans Gruber or Heath Ledger played the Joker (respectively). This is also why these films are the best in their series. Don't get me wrong, Batman Begins was pretty decent. But Cillian Murphy wasn't really the right choice for a superhero movie villain. Not into Batman? Let's revisit Die Hard, or the most recent installment, Live Free or Die Hard. Now, don't get me wrong. I loved this movie. HOWEVER, it suffers from one simple flaw. Timothy Olyphant is nowhere NEAR as scary as Alan Rickman was, which brings me to my next point.
The next reason why villains are our favorites, is that the actors are selected very carefully for the roles. As I mentioned before, The Dark Knight would not have been nearly as good without Heath Ledger as the Joker. The directors take extra time. To move away from the two films we've been using, consider Cillian Murphy's performance in Red Eye. Murphy's performance was chilling, and made us fear his character. It takes talent to fill the roles and to make a scary villain, and he successfully pulls it off. The villain is scary, and the movie's plot line was very realistic, which didn't help audience's fears. If the director picks the wrong choice, the movie falls flat on its face. (Giselle in Taxi? John Tucker Must Die?) Okay so perhaps it's a little unfair to pick on movies that suck anyways, but you get the idea. Ian McKellen as Magneto in the X-men trilogy is an example of a sucky movie villain.
The costumes, makeup and cinematography also play a huge role for a villain. They have to look scary. Freddy Kruger for example, still gives me shivers. The makeup has to be fiendish, and evil. To give off a look that you don't ever want to get on this person's bad side. The lighting has to be ominous, as does the soundtrack. Don't believe me? Go rewatch a movie with your favorite villain, and I promise you, you'll never hear happy, joyful music on screen. In addition, the director must use certain techniques like low angles to make him seem very intimidating, as well as low key lighting to bring out dark shadows and contrasts.
The villain is a very important movie part. It's generally a favorite. We may root for the heroes on the outside, but secretly, we all know we root for the villains to have more screen time. If you've never looked at it this way, I guarantee that you now will. and if you have looked from this perspective before, you'll find a greater appreciation for the character of the villain.
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4 comments:
Matthew!!I would agree with most of your comments! Personally i think alan rickman plays the best villians!!! He is awesome!!
But i also thought Ian Mckellen was a good villain in the Xmen! I think you are totally wrong there!!
Another villian that i thought was horrible was in superman returns, i think Kevin spacy played the part or lex luthor! If he was a better villain i think the movie would of been a hundred times better!
I like your blog alot! nice job!
Even though costumes, makeup, and cinemetography help a ton with adding to the presence of a villan, some are even more frightening without it. Take for example Anthony Hopkins in The Silence of the Lambs. He had none of these used to his advantage and his portayal of Doctor Lector still gives me nightmares (not really, but you get the point). A great blog entry and keep up the good work. (Stop giving me that raped virgin look!)
I agree with you that villains help make movies that much more memorable. After all, the villains are what created the plot (usually), and gave the good guy a reason to be doing something, so the actor has to be good. I haven't seen x-men so I cant comment there, but I disagree with you about the actor who was the villain in Batman Begins, I thought he was pretty awesome. Heath Ledger was too in The Dark Knight.
I thought the things that you mentioned were very insightful. I never really thought the villian to be the best personally. I have always wanted to secretly be the hero lol. Anyways I really thought you knew what you were talking about and you really had a passion for what you were talking about. I believe that people like you are what make up the greatest movie critics. You don't typically take the side of what everyone else thinks but you dig deeper hoping that most people will relate. Which I believe you successfully did considering the other comments you have recieved. Anyways I thought you did an awesome job and I hope that you keep up the good work.
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