The villain's final death: justice or just the script?
From Joffrey to John Doe: cinema chews over our hatred of villains and turns it into catharsis. These are the deaths audiences remember with a smile.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Villain deaths: the pleasure of watching the bad guy fall
How many times have you left a theater feeling the director robbed you of the death the villain deserved? Cinema, however, knows how to make amends: some villain deaths are celebrated by audiences like bachelor parties. John Doe in Seven dies, but his plan succeeds; Joffrey Baratheon, in Game of Thrones, dies and the world breathes a sigh of relief. The difference lies in the script.
Pure catharsis: when the villain had it coming
Joffrey's death is the perfect example: an adolescent psychopath who orchestrates the murder of Eddard Stark and delights in other people's suffering. His poisoning at the wedding is an execution with the whole audience watching. In the same orbit, the Colonel from War for the Planet of the Apes racks up two and a half hours of cruelty toward the apes until Caesar delivers a beating not even the most pacifist viewer could criticize. Los Santos Inocentes, with the young master Iván, adds class revenge: the scene where Azarías squeezes his master's neck is a social reckoning.
The uncomfortable death: the villain who wins by dying
Not all deaths are satisfying. John Doe, the killer in Seven, dies riddled with bullets, but his plan is fulfilled: Gwyneth Paltrow's head is inside a box. The viewer is left with the aftertaste of a defeat disguised as victory. And in The Passion of the Christ the death is not the villain's but the righteous man's: the catharsis turns uncomfortable. That's the point: cinema trains us to applaud only when the scales are balanced.
The next time a villain dies on screen, ask yourself whether it was justice or simply a scripted ending. Audiences prefer the former. Or so the box office says.
How many times have you left a theater feeling the director robbed you of the death the villain deserved? Cinema, however, knows how to make amends: some villain deaths are celebrated by audiences like bachelor parties. John Doe in Seven dies, but his plan succeeds; Joffrey Baratheon, in Game of Thrones, dies and the world breathes a sigh of relief. The difference lies in the script.
Pure catharsis: when the villain had it coming
Joffrey's death is the perfect example: an adolescent psychopath who orchestrates the murder of Eddard Stark and delights in other people's suffering. His poisoning at the wedding is an execution with the whole audience watching. In the same orbit, the Colonel from War for the Planet of the Apes racks up two and a half hours of cruelty toward the apes until Caesar delivers a beating not even the most pacifist viewer could criticize. Los Santos Inocentes, with the young master Iván, adds class revenge: the scene where Azarías squeezes his master's neck is a social reckoning.
The uncomfortable death: the villain who wins by dying
Not all deaths are satisfying. John Doe, the killer in Seven, dies riddled with bullets, but his plan is fulfilled: Gwyneth Paltrow's head is inside a box. The viewer is left with the aftertaste of a defeat disguised as victory. And in The Passion of the Christ the death is not the villain's but the righteous man's: the catharsis turns uncomfortable. That's the point: cinema trains us to applaud only when the scales are balanced.
The next time a villain dies on screen, ask yourself whether it was justice or simply a scripted ending. Audiences prefer the former. Or so the box office says.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (49 replies).
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