Okay, first of all, GI Joe was honestly the most ridiculous movie ever (a submarine gets crushed by sinking ice. I mean, seriously?)- but it did have some important attributes of the hero's journey.
So instead of focusing on Duke's (the main character's) story, I want to talk about the Baroness/Anna. The catalyst starting her on "The Call To Adventure" is the death of her brother in Afghanistan, where he was supposed to be under the protection of her fiance,
Duke. This cuts off her two closest relationships, her brother and fiance. She joins up with the villain, James McCullen and his henchman, known simply as 'the Doctor' for mysterious reasons. (Also, she starts wearing skintight black leather suits, for reasons unknown). Then, she encounters her 'Road of Trials', when she is pitted against her former fiance, Duke, and deals with her lingering feelings for him. Finally, she enters "the Innermost Cave' (in this case a mental state) when it is revealed that the Doctor is actually the brother she thought died in Afghanistan, who for some reason decided it would be better to inject her with mind-altering nano-robots to turn her evil, instead of revealing he is alive. (Like I said, this movie isn't heavy on logic) At the end of the film, it is presumed she begins her "Reintegration into Society", happily reunited with Duke.
Anna also represents a common archetype in Greek mythology: The Temptress. These women, often evil, use their femininity to gain power over men, much like Catwoman from Batman or Megara in the Disney version of Hercules. Even Anna's clothes further the idea of this archetype- after all, when you first think of this role, you think black, tight clothes- symbolizing evil and seduction. This reminded me of the passage in the House on Mango Street entitled "Beautiful and Cruel". It seems Esperanza was referencing the role of the Temptress.
So instead of focusing on Duke's (the main character's) story, I want to talk about the Baroness/Anna. The catalyst starting her on "The Call To Adventure" is the death of her brother in Afghanistan, where he was supposed to be under the protection of her fiance,
Duke. This cuts off her two closest relationships, her brother and fiance. She joins up with the villain, James McCullen and his henchman, known simply as 'the Doctor' for mysterious reasons. (Also, she starts wearing skintight black leather suits, for reasons unknown). Then, she encounters her 'Road of Trials', when she is pitted against her former fiance, Duke, and deals with her lingering feelings for him. Finally, she enters "the Innermost Cave' (in this case a mental state) when it is revealed that the Doctor is actually the brother she thought died in Afghanistan, who for some reason decided it would be better to inject her with mind-altering nano-robots to turn her evil, instead of revealing he is alive. (Like I said, this movie isn't heavy on logic) At the end of the film, it is presumed she begins her "Reintegration into Society", happily reunited with Duke.Anna also represents a common archetype in Greek mythology: The Temptress. These women, often evil, use their femininity to gain power over men, much like Catwoman from Batman or Megara in the Disney version of Hercules. Even Anna's clothes further the idea of this archetype- after all, when you first think of this role, you think black, tight clothes- symbolizing evil and seduction. This reminded me of the passage in the House on Mango Street entitled "Beautiful and Cruel". It seems Esperanza was referencing the role of the Temptress.
When recognizing these aspects, it reminded me of something I discussed in my blog about the anti hero- that the hero's journey isn't just for heroes, but can be applied to many different kinds of characters. In this case, Anna is a villain for most of the movie, but because her behaviour is induced by outside forces, she doesn't seem to be a true villain. This begs the question of what classifies a hero- intent or behaviour, something I will do more thinking on and get back to you!
Questions:
- What to you classify Anna as? (Heroine, anti-heroine, villain etc.)
- What are some other examples of the Temptress in movies/books/TV ?
- What is more important to classify someone as a hero/villain- behaviour or intent?
- (Just for fun) Who do you identify with more, the Temptress or the Damsel in Distress?(I'll talk more about the Damsel in Distress in a later post)
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