Movie Subgenres: Heroes Disguised as Villains and Vice Versa

Heroes disguised as villains and villains disguised as heroes make for a very interesting movie. It keeps the audiences attention to continually second guess what is actually happening. This not only creates an ideal suspense, but it builds curiosity once the movie is over. Which in my mind leads to more business matters such as websites with documentaries, behind the scenes, trailers, and blogging everywhere which produces more income and buzz for the movie itself even long after it has been in theaters.

One of the greatest characters of all time that some believe to be a villain and others a hero is Robin Hood. The man hid in the forest stealing money from the rich and giving it to the poor. In some people's mind that would make him a bad guy because he was stealing and it was not his money to give away no matter how noble the gesture. Others would overlook the matter of theft thinking he was a good citizen trying to protect the poor from the taxation laws that were handed down by the sheriff of Nottingham for his own control of the peasants and additional gains for himself.

The beginning of Robin Hood started as far back as the late 13th century through different stories which basically spoke of any outlaw or fugitive. Then the first film was introduced in 1938 (The Adventures of Robin Hood) winning three Oscars. Now this would not normally be a big deal right now, but the fact that if you do a google search on Robin Hood Fan Sites 522,000 searches come up. Seems there are still fans everywhere, especially children who have seen the 1973 animation of Robin Hood and fascination of helping someone and using a bow and arrow set.

Another great character throughout the movie industry of all-time is Anakin Skywalker from Star Wars. When the world was first introduced to him, he was better known as Darth Vader, but as the years went on and the popularity for the George Lucas films increased the buzz was staring him right in the face. So the prequels were made to the originals that would give you a better understanding of how Anakin became to be Darth Vader. The first prequel shows Anakin as a young boy with extra special abilities that are far beyond what anyone knows. Then as the second prequel comes around it shows Anakin as a teenager that succumbs to his fear and anger from the death of his mother.

After realizing that he shouldn't feel that way as a Jedi, the movie brushes into part III where he becomes eventually the worst villain in sci-fi movies. Now you could like him for the good things he did in the beginning of the story, or you could dislike him for what he would eventually become as a character. I find it interesting that people still like him as a villain because of his certain powers in the movie that he can possess that is far greater then any of the jedi. However, the buzz is creating again wondering what would have happened if he would have controlled his feelings and not let them control him for many things would have changed throughout the Star Wars movies. You can find 1.4 million searches under Star Wars Fan Sites which George Lucas said these were his final Star Wars films but there are more to be made within the next five years simply because the fans want more.

Then we can take the shape of a more recent film in "V for Vendetta". The film is intriguing because it is a combination of the first two movies we discussed and a few more. A character like Robin Hood's where many centuries ago he fought parliament to give the people what they deserved and relinquish the control it had on the people. Then the movie moves forward to a gentlemen in a similar situation that wants to change society and how they lived because of what parliament put him through. Some believe him to be the villain as he goes and murders everyone that has caused his anguish in the past, but at the same time he is freeing the people from basically slavery within. Others believe it is a notion to show how George W. Bush is trying to control the population and in the meantime take care of his own agendas that may or may not be what is best for the people, and for that he is made out as a hero by some.

Regardless of how you think of any villain or hero, stories that end with questions always seem to create that everlasting impression that there is more than meets the eye. Deciding on who you choose to cheer for may be established by the things going on in your own personal life that parts of the movie may reflect on occasionally. Essentially because the villain or hero doesn't have to be about a character, it could be about a situation and how you would deal with it compared to how the character in the movie did. The best example I can give for that is the situation Will Smith was in during the movie Pursuit of Happiness where he took his son, and was sleeping in the subway restroom because there wasn't anywhere else to go. Although he was doing what he had to do, the situation itself was bad and made him look like both a "good guy" and a "bad guy" at the same time. Leaves room for thought, doesn't it?