MAKING A GREAT HERO

There are very few keys to making a great and memorable hero. Of course, it can be done in the traditional sense where he stands for truth, justice and is honorable in all things. Clark Kent in Smallville embodies all these characteristics and it makes for a great show. On the other hand, in today's world and for today's audience there is another way. Movies like Pitch Black show a hero character with a very different personality, and yet it still works.

Another recent movie presents a hero who, while not having the best or most honorable personality, is still very memorable. That movie is the comic book style action flick Jumper. Despite many bad reviews, I really enjoyed this film, and I believe I have figured out why. It's not because the hero is necessarily good. In fact, one reviewer describes him as, "...a jerk without one redeemable bone in his body." What makes this hero work for today's audience, which is surely a young audience, is that his power is something everyone would want to have.

Too many people who chose to hate the film, and it is certainly a choice how we react to external stimuli, allowed the character flaws of the hero, played by Hayden Christensen, to turn them against the movie. One reviewer even said that it had him rooting for the paper-thin, religious zealot, villain, even though he was an atheist. Now no movie is, of course, for everyone, but I think those who chose to be down on it may have missed something really cool that the movie presented. One reviewer, who I believe caught it, had this to say:

"All the things he does with his power is for himself, no one else. To me, the most meaningful scene in this film, is the few seconds when he watched the News of TV, saw a bunch of people get caught in flood, and then emotionlessly turned it off. He could have gone and saved those people, and become a stereo-type hero. But he didn't. He got superpower, he use it to enjoy life. It's that simple. But isn't it what we would all do, if we got his power?"

There is a freedom that is represented by what this character has. A freedom I believe most people long for in their own lives. I don't mean the specific acts of teleporting into a bank and robbing it. I am talking about a lifestyle. This lifestyle is portrayed so well in the movie that I suspect that those with whom is resonated like the film, and those who could not connect were unhappy with the presentation.

The anti-herioc character of Riddick, created by Vin Diesel and David Twohy in the movie Pitch Black, offers something similar. While his special ability has somewhat more limited use than that of the Jumper, I'm sure everyone remembers being afraid of the dark. It's very easy to connect to the idea of having the ability to see clearly in absolute darkness. Today we have electric lights enough to brightly illuminate any hour of the day, yet we still know how effective blackouts and power outages can be in horror movies. In that situation, one might recall a desire for the eyes of Riddick.

A character can stand for truth, justice, and honor with no special ability at all, and still be a very memorable lead. That's only one path to making a great hero, though. Sometimes, starting with a superpower that represents the greatest of wish fulfillment, or a doorway to wildest dreams, can lead to some great characters that audiences will never forget.

Tags: movies