And this got me thinking: What other movies use a tried and true formula to please viewers. And, after thinking about it for a few minutes, I realized that basically every movie does. But the first this that came into my head was my all time favorite movie, the Hangover. Now, if you haven't seen the Hangover yet, you need to put it at the top of your Netflix cue, because it rocks, but I'll summarize it for you anyway. Basically, four friends travel to Vegas for a bachelor party, where they have the time of their lives, only to wake up the next morning to find the groom to be is nowhere to be found. The rest of the movie is spent piecing together clues, bonding, and eventually finding their lost friend. In the end, they make it back to the wedding right before it starts and everyone is happy. The storyline, which is represented by a great start, a sharp decline, and then a gradual rise back to the top, is a clear redemptive story arc. And so even though the plot itself may have been something new, the storyline is nothing new. What are some other movies that follow the same archetype as Avatar or the Hangover? And what are some other story lines that come up over and over again in movies?
Monday, January 25, 2010
Graphs with Lines
At times during the year in class we have talked about archetypes in literature, looking at archetypal story lines such as the redemptive story arc, and other very simple plots which are represented in many different stories and ways. Today, the topic was revisited, except in the form of the movie Avatar, which consists of typical ideas such as the idea of another planet, humans trying to take over the natives, and then a white guy saving the natives by being the best fighter anyone has ever seen. The fact is, while it may be a great movie, James Cameron (or Jim, if you know him well) wasn't exactly the most creative when it comes to writing and producing his hit movie. Which, if you think about it, isn't exactly a surprise, because known archetypes are what sell. The white dude integrating into a foreign society and saving the world sells. If you don't believe me, the almost two billion dollars its made speaks for itself.
And this got me thinking: What other movies use a tried and true formula to please viewers. And, after thinking about it for a few minutes, I realized that basically every movie does. But the first this that came into my head was my all time favorite movie, the Hangover. Now, if you haven't seen the Hangover yet, you need to put it at the top of your Netflix cue, because it rocks, but I'll summarize it for you anyway. Basically, four friends travel to Vegas for a bachelor party, where they have the time of their lives, only to wake up the next morning to find the groom to be is nowhere to be found. The rest of the movie is spent piecing together clues, bonding, and eventually finding their lost friend. In the end, they make it back to the wedding right before it starts and everyone is happy. The storyline, which is represented by a great start, a sharp decline, and then a gradual rise back to the top, is a clear redemptive story arc. And so even though the plot itself may have been something new, the storyline is nothing new. What are some other movies that follow the same archetype as Avatar or the Hangover? And what are some other story lines that come up over and over again in movies?
And this got me thinking: What other movies use a tried and true formula to please viewers. And, after thinking about it for a few minutes, I realized that basically every movie does. But the first this that came into my head was my all time favorite movie, the Hangover. Now, if you haven't seen the Hangover yet, you need to put it at the top of your Netflix cue, because it rocks, but I'll summarize it for you anyway. Basically, four friends travel to Vegas for a bachelor party, where they have the time of their lives, only to wake up the next morning to find the groom to be is nowhere to be found. The rest of the movie is spent piecing together clues, bonding, and eventually finding their lost friend. In the end, they make it back to the wedding right before it starts and everyone is happy. The storyline, which is represented by a great start, a sharp decline, and then a gradual rise back to the top, is a clear redemptive story arc. And so even though the plot itself may have been something new, the storyline is nothing new. What are some other movies that follow the same archetype as Avatar or the Hangover? And what are some other story lines that come up over and over again in movies?
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