I have been doing some thinking about how good and evil is shown in movies and gaming. What I would like to know is how you feel these should be shown: simply or complex?
By simple good and evil, I am referring to the archetypal hero vs. villain storyline, the brave knight against the monstrous dragon, the brave army commando vs. the vile, cruel terrorists. In these cases we are shown who we should be cheering for, who we should be identifying with, and it is very entertaining. The problem with this is the characters are so one dimensional and unrealistic.
In real life (as far as I am aware), good and evil are based entirely on one's moral values and understanding. This is what I mean by complex good and evil. Big questions of moral and ethical dilemmas, like in King Kong. Was the monster the giant ape who destroyeed the city, or were the real monsters the men who took him from his natural habitat to begin with? Or war films, where one side is typically shown to be justified in their actions despite the fact that both sides are violentally killing each other. Should these films be altered to give a fair interpretation from both sides of the fence, or would this diminish their entertainment value?
I am not biased, I really want to know what people want to see more of in movies. Do you prefer simple, entertaining, good guy fights bad guy movies, or more complex, philosophical and thought provoking films where neither side is right or wrong?
By simple good and evil, I am referring to the archetypal hero vs. villain storyline, the brave knight against the monstrous dragon, the brave army commando vs. the vile, cruel terrorists. In these cases we are shown who we should be cheering for, who we should be identifying with, and it is very entertaining. The problem with this is the characters are so one dimensional and unrealistic.
In real life (as far as I am aware), good and evil are based entirely on one's moral values and understanding. This is what I mean by complex good and evil. Big questions of moral and ethical dilemmas, like in King Kong. Was the monster the giant ape who destroyeed the city, or were the real monsters the men who took him from his natural habitat to begin with? Or war films, where one side is typically shown to be justified in their actions despite the fact that both sides are violentally killing each other. Should these films be altered to give a fair interpretation from both sides of the fence, or would this diminish their entertainment value?
I am not biased, I really want to know what people want to see more of in movies. Do you prefer simple, entertaining, good guy fights bad guy movies, or more complex, philosophical and thought provoking films where neither side is right or wrong?
