Why Movie Villains Aren't What They Used To Be

Probably the most jarring instance of the villain’s perspective can be seen in Joker, where Arthur Fleck is treated with disdain by almost everyone he sees. Even with the title practically spoiling what Arthur would become, there’s something about him that almost makes you want to root for him as he makes his transformation into a monster.

Sure, it might not be the wisest for people to try to exact revenge on mean people by serving them up a bullet in the skull, but every little piece of screen time in this film seemed like it was destined for this conclusion. It would have been great to see these characters turn their luck around, but in the words of another great villain, some things are “inevitable.”

Some of the more recent stories are so well-paced that it’s sometimes hard to even nail down who the villain is by the movies’ end. For instance, a film like Marriage Story has no problem with keeping the audience engaged, but is there any real evil presence in the movie? Probably not.

It might be a hard film to watch at times, but the conflict at play doesn’t revolve around a single bad person but instead hangs like a cloud across these former lovers as they try their best to do right by their children while desperately trying to have a platonic relationship by the end.