Semiotic

Ironman

Is Tony Stark is count as celebrity? I tried to analyse Tony Stark based from Daniel's Lecture of Celebrity.

What he does?
He is a famous man as the Owner of Stark Industry, but after he mentioned to the public that he is Iron man, he became more famous.

Skill?
Smart, Playboy, Billionaire, Philanthropist, Superhuman (Ironman)

Institutional Support?
S.H.I..E.L.D

form group/ dynasty/ couple?
AVENGERS with Thor, Hulk, Captain America, Hawkeye, Black Widow

Network?
Colonel James Rhodey

Power over people?
In Ironman 3, when MARVEL changes his story not as in the comic book, the Mandarin is just an actor playing a terrorist role, they get negative response from the fans.

• Powerful but not famous : Captain America in The Avengers (2012), when he gave 2 policeman an order to do something, they did not directly did it, but only after they saw Captain America beat the alien, they started to do what he said

Bibliography

Ironman. 2008. film. Directed by Jon Favreau. USA: Paramount Pictures.

Ironman 2. 2010. film. Directed by Jon Favreau. USA: Paramount Pictures.

The Avengers. 2012. film. Directed by Joss Whedon. USA : Marvel Studios.

The Father

From all the superheroes movies reference that i have mention in this blog, some of them have a significant similarities. They has characters that act as "Parents" role that really affect the characteristic of the superhero, whether direct or indirect. Here i list down some characters that have a "Parents" role in their story.

• Peter Parker aka Spiderman - Uncle Ben Parker
• Bruce Wayne aka Batman - Thomas Wayne
• Tony Stark aka Ironman - Howard Stark
• Kal El/ Clark Kent aka Superman - Jor El

Their parents give them the humanity value for them direct or indirect, that they will realise it during the development of their characters. As the Freud theory of personality, Superego hold the moral standard and ideals that provide us guidelines to make judgement, our sense of right and wrong which are acquire from our parents. So the role of "Parents" characters here are to give our superheroes the humanity value for them to do the right things, become a superhero. Usually, these "Parents" characters usually has been death to give a more tragic impact to our superheroes' personalities such as Spiderman and Batman.

Bibliography

Batman Begins. 2005. film. Directed by Christopher Nolan. USA: Warner Bros.

Ironman. 2008. film. Directed by Jon Favreau. USA: Paramount Pictures.
Spiderman. 2002. film. Directed by Sam Raimi. USA: Columbia Pictures Corporation.

Man of Steel. 2013. film. Directed by Zack Snyder. USA: Warner Bros.

The Bad Blue Brilliant Strikes Back!

Another analysis on Megamind (2010). I think that in this movie, there is a message that wanted to be delivered. It is about a debate that has been talked about over years. The debate about "Nature vs Nurture". Is someone's behaviour is from their environment or from their nature? John Watson believed that human is 100% on the side of nurture ( environmental). If based on John Watson's believed, Megamind who was raised in the prison by the criminals might not turns out to be a Superhero in the end of the movie compare to Metroman who was raised by a wealthy family. In fact, his dark side is actually appeared because in the class, no one wanted to be his friends, and i assume it is because of his appearance which is looks like alien, rather than Metroman who is really human like with a super strength.

Megamind was trying to be fit in to his friends, he was not a bad guy at the first. During that time he mentioned that he was confused about his destiny. His father talked about his destiny when he was a baby and about to launch to earth, so it was interrupted, his rocket has been launched before his father could finished his sentence. So, by assuming his own experience as he never and always failed to be a good guy, he will be a bad guy instead, with his Minion fighting agains Metroman. But at the end of the movie as he turned to be the Superhero of the Metro City, i think that it has a message about the John Watson's theory, that actually our behaviour is not based only from our environment. In the movie it also shows how Titan who were raised by the Space Dad end up be the Villain in the end of the movie. So based on this two example from the movie, I think that it based on the mixture of our natural behaviour and our environment, that interact in ourself and produce our own behaviour.

Bibliography 

Kwasni, J. 2012. Megamind : Was John Watson Right? [online] Available at:<http://reelthinking.wordpress.com/2012/01/05/megamind-was-john-watson-right/> [Accessed at 5 August 2013] 

Lewis, D. 2000. The Nature Versus Nuture Debate [online] Available at: <http://www.coedu.usf.edu/agents/dlewis/publications/naturevsnurture.htm> [Accessed at 5 August 2013]
Megamind. 2010. film. Directed by Tom McGrath. USA: DreamWorks Animation.

Arkham Asylum

Batman's enemies, same like Batman, they experiencing some tragedy like batman as well. But not like Batman, they felt like they need to get pay back from the world. Batman make a difference choice, bring justice to Gotham city so that no one will experiencing the experienced that he has gone through.

Batman's villains are actually the mirror image of the Batman itself.

• Penguin (Batman Returns, 1992) : He was the mayor of Gotham city, he is represent the power / authority. If Bruce Wayne had gone wrong, he could be like him.
• Two face (The Dark Knight, 2008) : When batman become a tragic villain. In The Dark Knight, he was the white knight, the justice when he still be Harvey Dent. He symbolise the Justice of the Batman itself, which will choose to do good or bad with a flip of coin which make him feel responsible with his coin's result.
• Riddler (Batman Forever, 1995) : Riddler cannot commit any crime without leaving any traces. A symbol of narcissism. Wanted himself to be exposed
• Scarecrow (Batman Begins, 2005) : He use fear as his power to get everything he wants. He is the symbol of the fear itself that Bruce has gone through.
• Joker (The Dark Knight, 2008) : Batman's nemesis that is very hard to understand. He cannot be negotiated, or payed, or compromised like Batman. He is simply the opposite character of Batman himself as villain version. Batman has a background story, a reason how and why he become Batman, but Joker has no certain background story and motives. In The Dark Knight (2007) he did not seek for money or fame or power, he just simply wanna watch the world burn. Yin has yang, Batman has Joker.

Bibliography

Batman Begins. 2005. film. Directed by Christopher Nolan. USA: Warner Bros.

Batman Forever. 1995. film. Directed by Joel Schumacher. USA: Warner Bros.

Batman Return. 1992. film. Directed by Tim Burton. USA: Warner Bros.

Batman Unmasked: The Psychology of The Dark Knight. 2008. documentary. Written by Steven Smith. USA: Warner Bros.

The Dark Knight. 2008. film. Directed by Christopher Nolan. USA: Warner Bros.