Category: Representation

The Ultimate Villain

by jamesmckenzie

The Ultimate Villain

What makes The Joker such an “evil” villain?

-The Joker is impowered by his mortality, he does not fear death, he even embrases the prospect of death. When he realises Batman can not morally kill him, he uses it to his advantage.

-His phsycopathic tendancies help him from caring about physical and moral wants, I.e: money, fame or love.

-He is unpredictable, each move he makes does not make sense in relation together. Each individual crime is done to help him win the Soul of Gotham but is not predictable.

-There is no logic behind what the Joker does, he does not care what the effect is,”He just wants to watch the world burn.” The Joker is not looking for money, and he can not be reasoned with.

-He creates crime for no other reason than chaos, there is no structure or reason behind his crimes.

So why is he such a good antagonist?

-He is the exact counter-part to his protagonist, he has no special ability or super power he is just mad.

-He challenges Batman’s morals, he knows that Batman will never kill so he uses that against him.

-Batman grows wiser from his antics, with the help from Alfred Batman learns that there is no reasoning with the Joker.

-The Joker VS Batman story has no resolution, there is no final point. This is because he turned the whole city of Gotham against Batman, this could be seen as a win however the Joker was imprisoned.

-The Joker competes for the same prize as Batman does which adds competition, this increases the Jokers power against Batman because it’s not the stereotypical world domination but the Soul of Gotham.

 

 

 

 

 

Batman Genre Analysis and Representation

by jamesmckenzie

Batman Representation

“A darker hero for a darker time” is how Batman devolped as a charecter due to the war on terrorism, an important factor in American film making. This developed the iconic figure, a well known hero, into a crime fighting superhero that took justice into his own hands. This charecter development is what makes the Batman trilogy so different to other superhero films.

Using Siegfried Kracauer’s concept of film mirroring society at the time, we see how the impact of terror attacts like 9/11 has had on film. Films became a way for Americans to step away from their society and see an alternative, a society that faces the same threats but with an underlining messages. These alternative realities ranged from atmospheric referneces to replicating events, and pro-war themes. This gave Americans hope and a feeling of justice as film became a coping device for terrorism.

Batman Genre Analysis

Conforming to the Superhero Genre:

-Special vehicles and weaponry

-Secret lair

-Guy in the chair/The tech guy

-No parents/Sad origin story

-Super villain

-Secret identity/dual indetities

-Love interest

-city location

Suversions From the Superhero Genre:

-No sidekick

-No superpowers/supernatural elements

-Dark/gritty tone

-Corruption (theme)

-Runs away from danger

-Girl dies/Doesn’t chose him in the end

-Villain has no clear motive

-Superhero is not necessarily good

Conventions of Superheros

The Corpus →

The Repertoire of Elements↓

 Film1: Superman (1978) Donner Film 2: Spider-man (2002) Raimi Film 3: Wonder Woman (2017) Jenkins
Typical Locations New York, mythical places, big cities, urban location, usually America… or space. 
Characters / Groups Typical hero with ‘powers’, group of heroes in conflict, dead family members, orphans, extremists, antagonist, sidekick – tech guys, love interest – the damsel in distress
Conflicts & Themes Good overcoming evil, overcoming adversity, origin story, internal conflict, 
Filmic Technique Kaboom, CGI, big action sequences, cars chase, flashbacks, training montage, explosions, special effects, aerial shots, voiceovers, the costume reveal
Iconography /  Mise-en-Scene Cityscape, primary coloured superhero suits, vehicles, specific weapons, power prop, superpower, 
Shape of the story Opening action setting – origin story explained – characters introduced Superhero is put in challenging situations – their arch nemesis tries to destroy the world. Achilles heel is tested Superhero wins / saves the world – and the girl