Sympathetic Monsters/Villains

Neville · July 30, 2009, 04:01:47 PM

He isn't exactly a decent person, but whenever I catch "Under Siege" on TV I think Krill (Gary Busey) deserved better. After all, his main issue is that he hates Steven Seagal, something I can understand, and he proves to be quite a competent officer, he almost manages to repair the submarine before the good guys blow it up.

JaseSF · July 30, 2009, 04:40:29 PM

Warning Potential SPOILERS here.

It seems to me that most villains have sympathetic qualities to them...Dracula is cursed to live well beyond what he wants to, The Wolf Man turns into an uncontrollable menace terrorizing and killing every full moon, Jason was a victim who drowned and returns to terrorize those he deems similar to those neglectful kids who let him die so horrribly, most creatures and giant monsters just want to be left alone...some of my favourite more sympathetic monsters:

The Wolf Man -Larry Talbot is king of the crop here in my opinion. Basically a good guy cursed to bring doom and despair not only to himself but all those around him it seems.

Nosferatu - be it the original Max Shreck take or Klaus Kiniski, this vampire deep down just really wants to move on.

The Ymir and King Kong - two giants who never asked to be unleashed upon an unsuspecting world

Monster Jungle X-Ray · July 31, 2009, 01:22:39 AM

Lyle Talbot for sure, I am very interested to see how his pathos plays out in the new film of The Wolfman.

Frankenstein's Monster - " We belong dead." Here's a guy made up of various parts of the dead that never asked to be brought to life. Also when the average response you get when you meet new people is torches, and pitchforks then your social life is bound to be very limited.

frank · July 31, 2009, 01:33:25 AM

Quote from: Monster Jungle X-Ray on July 31, 2009, 01:22:39 AM
Lyle Talbot for sure, I am very interested to see how his pathos plays out in the new film of The Wolfman.

Frankenstein's Monster - " We belong dead." Here's a guy made up of various parts of the dead that never asked to be brought to life. Also when the average response you get when you meet new people is torches, and pitchforks then your social life is bound to be very limited.

Speaking of pichfork-crowds everywhere, here's a good one at that topic:

http://www.thepaincomics.com/weekly030903a.htm

The Burgomaster · July 31, 2009, 08:59:06 AM

* THE AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN - Nice guy turned into a monster by a bomb blast . . . and forced to wear a diaper.

* THE INCREDIBLE MELTING MAN - Same as above. Nice guy turned into a dripping monster . . . minus the diaper.

* Michael Landon's werewolf in I WAS A TEENAGE WEREWOLF - Troubled teen turned into a monster by an unscrupulous scientist.

* Duncan Marsh, the werewolf in the 1956 movie THE WEREWOLF - Middle-class family man turned into a howling beast.

Rev. Powell · July 31, 2009, 11:01:21 AM

I think Frankenstein's monster is probably the most sympathetic... he's not even evil, just misunderstood and hated.

The "sympathetic vampire" was a twist on the legend that began very early in movie history with Gloria Holden trying to break free from the curse in DRACULA'S DAUGHTER in 1936 (I didn't find Max Schreck too sympathetic).

Kubrick tries to make Alex, one of the most evil characters in film, sympathetic in A CLOCKWORK ORANGE. (Similar to the trick done with Humbert in Nabokov's LOLITA---I haven't seen Kubrick's version

but I assume he takes the same angle).

p1zl3 · July 31, 2009, 03:57:52 PM

I think Carl Stargher (Vincent D'Onofrio) from "The Cell" is a perfect example. He's the byproduct of religious fanaticism, verbal/sexual/physical abuse, neglect, and ultimately abandonment, which is horrifically depicted from the eyes of an innocent child throughout the film. If I had a family unit like that, I'de kidnap and plasticize girls also!!! Hell, my family is pretty great and I still need 60mg of Prozac daily to survive em'...

Allhallowsday · July 31, 2009, 05:06:30 PM

I think the bugs in STARSHIP TROOPERS are sympathetic; it seemed to me that the filmmakers subtly, but persistently, suggested that human kind was brutally encroaching on the bug world. I think when NEIL PATRICK HARRIS announces that the injured "brain bug" is "afraid" it's pitiful.

p1zl3 · July 31, 2009, 05:55:39 PM

Quote from: Allhallowsday on July 31, 2009, 05:06:30 PM
I think the bugs in STARSHIP TROOPERS are sympathetic; it seemed to me that the filmmakers subtly, but persistently, suggested that human kind was brutally encroaching on the bug world. I think when NEIL PATRICK HARRIS announces that the injured "brain bug" is "afraid" it's pitiful.

LoL, I remember reading somewhere that the premise of the film was based on where humanity would be "if Nazis had won the 2nd world war". I guess that explains the need for mass galaxy-wide expansion and domination (or why Rico, a south American native, has blond-hair and blue eyes)...

...even with that slant on the film; I still didn't sympathize with those damn bugs!

Mr. DS · July 31, 2009, 07:34:52 PM

Pumpkinhead in part 2.

Derf · July 31, 2009, 07:42:34 PM

I think that Mighty Joe Young should be up there alongside the Ymir and King Kong. He was happy in his jungle until he was kidnapped and made into a sideshow freak. And he did everything he did to protect his love.

I'll also throw in the Big D from Legend. Sure he was evil incarnate, but he tried to kill Tom Cruise, so I gotta give him some credit.

metalmonster · August 02, 2009, 05:49:46 PM

DR. Jekyll
In Most Portrayals He Is A Nice Guy Who Slowly Becomes Addicted To His Serum And Can't Help His Evil Nature When It Takes Over

FRANKENSTEIN
In Most Interpretations He Is Alone , Scared And Confused About What He Is And Why He's In This World

ANGEL
The Most Evil Vampire Who Ever Lived , Cursed By A Gypsy To Have A Soul And A Conscience , He Lives Sharing His Body With His Evil Vampire Spirit......The Character Had A Great Backstory But They Never Let The Character Live Up To His Potential

ANAKIN SKYWALKER / DARTH VADER
He Starts Out As A Young Boy Who Would Never Hurt Anyone , And He Is Manipulated And Lied To And Corrupted By The Emperor , He Believes He Was Betrayed By Obiwan And The Confrontation Leaves Him Without Arms And Legs And Severely Burned , He Is Given Mechanical Limbs , And A Respiration Suit To Continue His Warped Sense Of Rightiousness

SANDMAN
He Uses His Mutant Powers To Rob Banks , But Only To Pay For The Medical Bills Of His Dying Daughter , He Is The One Who Shot Peter Parker's Grandfather By Accident And He Lives With It On His Conscience

NORMAN BATES
An Abusive Childhood Has Left Him With A Dual Nature , One Is A Shy Hotel Clerk , And The Other Is A Psychotic Transvestite With A Compulsion To Kill

metalmonster · August 02, 2009, 05:54:53 PM

Just Thought Of A Few More

THE FOREST PRINCE from HELLBOY 2
He Sees The Humans Destroying All Of The Forestland , And Seeks To Join The Three Broken Pieces Of The Crown So He Can Conjure The Golden Army To Kill All Of Humanity

THE BEAST from BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF
The Beast Only Kills Because He Is Forced To By The Bad Guy

Caronte · August 04, 2009, 01:26:06 PM

the teddy bear and the baby in "demonic toys":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH6fokAYjMQ

BTM · August 05, 2009, 11:24:27 PM

Eli, the vampire from Let The Right One In. Eli's a killer, but she does it only because she has to to survive.