There are thousands of movies, TV shows, and books about revenge. Heck, there’s even a show called Revenge. It’s almost as if the world cannot get enough revenge. But what’s the point of showing all the disemboweling, fight scenes, shoot outs, and intense one-liners? Well obviously, they’re cool. I mean, who doesn’t want to see Liam Neeson kill everyone he comes in contact with, right? But, let’s take step back, and move beyond all the cool (hopefully) digital effects. During a revenge movie, or afterwards, I believe that the audience has to take a second to pause and think about what is making the characters seek revenge. It could be something as simple as, person A killed person B’s child and now person B simply must go kill ALL of person’s A’s family. On the other hand, there could be a more complex network of reasons, maybe stemming back years, or even generations. By thinking about the motive(s) for revenge, the audience is able to learn what makes this character tick. This could work particularly well if the character is someone who is the polar opposite of the viewer. The viewer not only gains a new perspective on that single character, but also on themselves, their values and morals.
Digging even deeper, does the overwhelming presence of revenge in media provide a reflection on human nature itself? If so, are humans bad or good? Is revenge justice or is it just being mean? What parts of revenge do we, as humans actually enjoy? Is it the intense action scene or all the planning that is done beforehand? These are the types of questions that the representation of revenge in media urges people to ponder on. And as I come to a close I urge you to think to yourself, is the appeal of revenge seeing Liam Neeson knock some heads or is it perhaps something much deeper? What does that say about me, society, and humanity? And that’s the point of representing revenge.
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AuthorA freelance writer who hasn't done anything of mentionable significance. Archives
May 2017
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