I enjoy a lot of different things. In some cases though I enjoy the idea of something more than the actual implementation of it. For me I can see the potential of an idea and how for me it's fallen short of what it could have been. With things like movies and books the ultimate purpose is to make money. Sure it's also to tell a story, but without money being made it's unlikely anyone would be able to maintain telling them for very long. So I've decided to write down some of the things I wish had been done with various ideas out there. If you're not a fan of movies or comic books most of this entry will seem fairly pointless to you (it may seem pointless even if you do like those things), but it's my site and I get to decide what I randomly write about. With that, let's begin:
Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker
When we were first introduced to Darth Vader we were shown evil personified. He was ruthless and powerful. Those around him were afraid of him because he had mythical abilities that allowed him to kill with a thought. As the story went on we learned that he was the tip of the sword for the Emperor, who may have been the only person more evil than Vader. In the end though we're shown that even the most lost soul has a chance at redemption. Granted Vader killed hundreds, probably thousands during his time as the Emperor's enforcer and a last minute attempt at salvation kind of mimics that of Christianity where as long as you ask for forgiveness then everything will be OK. The story of this character could have ended there, but instead we're thrown back in time so we can see what Vader was like before. Now when this is done it's generally a good idea to have a reason to show what someone was like before and how life turned them into a monster. With the prequels this was done with all the subtly of a sledgehammer through a plate glass window. Based on what Kenobi said in the very first film we got the impression that Anakin was a good person and was killed by Vader. At this point it hadn't really been established that Anakin and Vader were one person and that's fine. If you think about it they really should be considered two different people.
Instead of a whiny, reckless ingrate of a character, Anakin should have been more in line with what the young Kenobi was like. In addition to this Kenobi should have been more like Qui-Gon, a sort of loose cannon, who after a great failure becomes much more reserved and filled with guilt. Which means you could have done away completely with the actual Qui-Gon character as he wouldn't have been needed. So Anakin is young and inexperienced, but very powerful in the ways of the Force. By his very nature he is a good person who is trying to do the right thing. Incidentally there is no great prophecy about bringing balance to the Force. A single character doesn't need to be more mythical at every point in their life. This isn't Jesus we're talking about. Anakin should have been just a Jedi, granted a very good one, but nothing extra special about him that would have had the entire universe holding their breath to see what he did next. Kenobi tried his best to teach Anakin the ways of the Force in his own way, but it was Kenobi's recklessness that lead to situations where Anakin was ill-equipped to deal with the slow creep of the dark influence that was growing. There are points in everyone's life where we're given opportunities to do something selfish or just plain wrong. Our parents can only hope that they've taught us well enough that we make the right choice. It doesn't always happen and unfortunately for some once the wrong decision is made there is no recovery. Sometimes in life we're only given one chance to learn a lesson and if we fail then we only serve as warning to others. This is how it should have been with Anakin because unlike us he would have the added pressure of the dark side of the Force urging him along. I equate the usage of the dark side to be like a drug. Once it's used you're forever left with the knowledge of how it felt. Like a heroin user they're forever chasing that experience. Anakin being young and trained by someone who tended to cut corners only made him more likely to chase that feeling. It's true this could be seen as making Vader essentially a drug addict, but it would explain how the dark side took hold of his soul and twisted it so much that he ceased to exist as Anakin and become a creature who's only purpose was to travel further into the darkness.
Instead we were given a crybaby who was easily tricked into murdering children in some vague hope that he could stop those he loved from dying. It makes no sense because he killed or tried to kill everyone he cared about and the Emperor, who made the promise in the first place, never actually came through with his part of the deal. As far as we know they weren't spending their off hours reading books titled "Stopping Death: The Power In All of Us". No, they were busy crushing star systems and mind-choking people. At no point in all of what we are shown was it indicated that Anakin was stupid. Sure he was an idiot about most things, but surprisingly not dumb. So once he realized that he was duped into killing everything he cared about he should have taken out the Emperor. At some point during the twenty years he was wearing the mask he would have put two and two together. Besides at that point what's the worst thing that could happen if he failed? He was already burned and limbless. His wife was dead. His best friend was exiled and the Jedi order was completely destroyed. Vader became like a battered spouse who returned back his abuser because he couldn't break away. It kind of takes away the impact to the scourge of the universe.
Hellraiser
In the original Hellbound Heart novella we're shown the cenobites. They are these otherworldly creatures who blur the lines between pleasure and pain. In fact the whole point of the Lamentation Configuration is that it's found by those who seek the extreme in experience, good or bad. With the Hellraiser movie we're shown these mutilated humanoids who delight in torturing people for eternity. It's a horror movie so we're supposed to be horrified and all the blood and pain. There is a key element missing though and that's of pleasure. We've all laughed so hard it hurts. If you're lucky you've experienced such pleasure that it's bordered on painful. Hell in some cases a little pain just adds to the pleasure. Now take that concept and multiply it a million times to a point where pleasure and pain become a singular experience. I've heard of people who are suspended from hooks eventually transcend the pain and reach a whole other state. So it's possible to start on either spectrum and get to the other side. The thing is those people who are hanging from hooks in their flesh aren't torn apart because that's really just the pain side of things.
When we're young and we get our first taste of something sweet we want more of it. As we grow older our tongue's ability to perceive flavors diminishes so what was once sweet loses a little bit of its burst in our mouths. So we have to move onto something with a little more kick. Or to go into the gutter a bit, someone could pick up a magazine with pictures of naked people. Maybe that's all they need, but in some cases they take the next step. They want to see those naked people having sex. Then the sex gets more graphic. Sure the pictures of naked people are nice, but we've become desensitized to its impact and could need the more extreme images to achieve the same level of arousal as before. With those in the Hellraiser world they have spent a lifetime slowly ratcheting up what they need. They've seen and done everything in the worlds pleasure and pain. These creatures from another dimension would show a person a world where there is no in between. The experiences would last forever and given enough time a person would lose themselves to it completely. In the movie it's treated as hell because instead of lakes of fire people are flayed with hooks and knives endlessly. It's supposed to be this place of eternal torment and therefor might as well be hell. Instead it should have focused on how those who became trapped there no longer thought of themselves as trapped. They wanted and even needed those experiences. Plus the individuals who called the Cenobites weren't your every day person who drinks beer on the weekends and watches porn. These are the kind of people who have tasted human flesh. They've pushed their bodies to every limit they could think of. In a way this world has nothing left to offer them. The Cenobites would take them to the next level, whether they wanted to go or not. Hellraiser should be a story about the depths man goes to in order experience everything and not just another horror flick where a sadistic bad man slices people up so that we squirm in our seats at the sight of all that blood.
Spider-Man
I think it's pretty safe to assume everyone more or less knows the story of Spider-Man's origins. He's bit by a radioactive (or genetically modified) spider and gets spider-like abilities. At first he does what a lot of us would do and tries to use these new powers to get ahead. This quickly becomes a heavy-handed lesson on responsibility because in a moment of selfishness Peter Parker lets some random robber escape. Of course this being New York City that same exact robber makes his ways from Manhattan to Queens and just so happens to kill Peter's uncle. Oh if only he had used his powers for good then his Uncle Ben wouldn't have been shot. Driven by guilt Peter vows to never again be so irresponsible and makes it his mission to fight crime. Fast forward fifty years (yes it's been that long) and the character is still driven by that same event. Now each of us has moments in our lives that change us. There are choices we've made that we regret. Hopefully not too many of them result in the death of someone we care about, but still there are things that haunt us all. Let's face it though, few of us are defined by a single event. I'm not saying it's impossible, but our lives are a complex series of events that are constantly shaping us. Things that were once earth-shattering eventually fade and become just another memory. They are just another aspect of who we've become. It's not our only defining characteristic though, unless we choose to let it be.
Somehow though the writers of Spider-Man keep circling back over and over to the same general theme. No matter what great things may be for Spider-Man, he has to be knocked back down. It's all a variation on that first story where he's punished for not being a saint. I know it's a comic book, but it's a terrible message to be pushing onto people. Yes, he can stick to walls and has super strength. He's using the abilities that were given to him. Is that really any different from how each of us are born? People like to say "All men are created equal", but it's just not true. Some people are better at physical activities. Some people are smarter. Some people are born with money and opportunities. We take what we're given and make the most of our lives. You can't blame someone who has 160 IQ from going out and becoming rich by using their mind. Just like you can't blame someone for using their natural abilities in sports to make a living at playing a game. Now you might say that Peter was given his powers through an accident, but really that's how each of us gets our own abilities. We didn't get to chose to be smart or strong or a sexual dynamo. It was given to us. So why are readers constantly shown that any time something good happens to Spider-Man that it must be immediately followed up with him being shoved back to where he started?
The reason readers liked the character is that he felt somewhat real. They could relate to how a regular guy dealt with sudden power. We all like to believe that if we had his powers that we would suddenly be able to do so much more with our lives. The comic showed that while the powers were great, they also brought their own unique problems with them. Peter had all the same kinds of problems we had at his age, but he also had to worry about balancing his secret life with his normal one. The secret identity is a staple for the super hero genre. There is a constant struggle to hide who they are from everyone. They don't tell their friends because it could put them in danger. They don't tell their enemies for the same reason. So the main character is hiding from everyone. Some writers decide to get it out of the way and move onto other types of stories. They may gloss over the fact that the rich billionaire dresses up in a cape and prowls the city at night and no one seems to notice the bags under his eyes in the day. Or they may just come right out and reveal who they are. The main argument for a secret identity is that if an enemy ever found out they could attack a loved one. Yes that could happen, but police and government officials operate without secret identities. There is an element of danger from those who would be desperate enough to attack family. It doesn't stop police from doing their job though. Not every criminal is going to kill an FBI agent's family if given the opportunity so why would every super criminal automatically go attack Aunt May's house if they figured out Peter Parker is Spider-Man?
In a bold move Marvel actually had Peter Parker reveal himself to the world as Spider-Man. Sure he was attacked and general mayhem ensued, but no more than was expected for Spider-Man, who already was hounded by perpetual bad luck. At the time it seemed like an interesting new direction for the character. Like with many things in the comic book world, it was short-lived. Not only did they reverse his reveal to the general public, they made sure no one anywhere knew who he was. The genie was back in the bottle and the character was right back to where he was before. It's an endless loop of worrying about Aunt May, trying to sell pictures of Spider-Man, and hiding his secret identity. The writers keep returning to these basic ideas because they feel that by doing so it keeps the character accessible to readers both old and new. The thing is that Spider-Man is basically Archie. He never grows beyond his original incarnation and it's no surprise that most readers eventually grow tired of this predictable trend and go off to read something else, safe in the knowledge that they could not read a Spider-Man comic for years without really missing all that much. Imagine if television or movies were like that. By the end of the story you're right back at the beginning, meaning everything in between was pointless. It's an episode of Gilligan's Island, but in comic book form.
