I'm glad there is such a wonderful lady from Canada among us. I mean, Canada is a great country, Canadians are definitely cool, ladies are generally hot and Mad Max fans are the best. Snowy is all of this!
I agree with Snowy's opinions on the villains. About BUBBA... well, I think he's really the prototype/emblem of those ones who destroyed civilization in the background, those ones who destroyed it all for good... he's not a Marauder, not at all. He's vicious in a hidden way. Probably, politicians in Max's world were just like Bubba. That's my theory. Bubba is dangerous as hell. When you see Aunty Entity (villain?) or Humungus or Toecutter or Wez or Ironbar Bassey you still know what you're expecting for... they're predictable. Kind of.
I agree with you about Bubba. He was dangerous, but diplomatic, & sometimes alarmingly polite. He's a perfect politician. I think he's by far the coolest & most interesting villain in the MM series.
Bubba is actually placed in the same, small, incredible category where Aunty Entity actually lives. I mean, they're not really villains in the "proper" way... on the other hand, they are hard adversaries because they really believe in what they're doin', in a sort of religious way. That's the reason they're truly dangerous. Aunty and Bubba are damn frightening because they believe in what they do, and what they do isn't so viable with our values...
Now back on to those villians. I know, I'm just like you Uncle, always analyzing characters. But I can't help it. I'm a wanna-be writer, so studying people is what I enjoy doing.
I like what Road Rash had to say He was dangerous, but diplomatic, & sometimes alarmingly polite. Which is so true regarding what Bubba is all about and made him the most lethal of all the villians.
And what Uncle said, proves that point. When you see Aunty Entity (villain?) or Humungus or Toecutter or Wez or Ironbar Bassey you still know what you're expecting for... they're predictable. Very true. Bubba is the sorta fella you can never figure out. If you were stuck on that white line nightmare, and Wez, Ironbar or the Toe Cutter came along, you'd run for your life, knowing darn well they were gonna kill you for a tank of gas. But if Bubba came along...You're primal instinct would warn you not to trust him. But since he's so polite, and diplomatic and has a soft spoken voice, you would give him the benefit of the doubt and shrug off your gut instinct. You'd silently tell yourself you're overreacting. And thanks to letting down your guard, good ole Bubba offs you and splits with your gas.
Okay, time to get back to work. Hope to read some more interesting posts on this topic.
Oh, and Uncle, ya lucky guy, ya live in Italy. Every book I write winds up with the characters running around Italy LOL. Always been fascinated with your country.
All good points, Snowy. I think it's a great challenge met when someone has created a likeable villain. Bubba Zanetti is one of the most likeable baddies I've ever seen.
As far as Bubba goes, I believe the term is 'psychopath'. Bubba is the prototypical mass murderer. The guy that seems like the boy next door, except he's a little quiet, and never smiles.
Wez is the Id in everybody. The boy from the backwoods raised without rules. Gone feral in a bad way. No discipline, short temper, prone to violence, not too smart either, just cunning.
Toecutter is the wannabe tragic caesar. He's smart, but delusional. Views himself as The Evil Emperor forced by society into a role of bad guy ruler. Relishes it, though...
Aunty is everywoman held back by the 'good old boys club' who takes advantage of the opportunities presented by a clean slate. See 'Working Girl'. Sigourney Weaver or Melanie Griffith? You decide... She had the ability to lead all along, never had the opportunity, and now makes the 'hard decisions' believing she's preserving society. Unfortunately, her model is the old society that got them into the situation in the first place.
Ironbar is the less than ideal henchman. Enforcer of the pack leader, as long as that suits his situation. Only loyalty is to himself. Attaches to the alpha for survival. No ideals, and a streak of cruelty brought on by a lack of love.
Humungous is the real mystery. Obviously well educated, he has given up on decency and cooperation and replaced it with a short sighted program of scavenging. Even when presented with a win-win situation, he chooses conflict. Perhaps ex-military gone mad? Emotion does not seem to sway him, but he becomes as single minded as a mad dog when he is crossed.
Nice ramblings, Mitch. I don't see Zanetti as a potential mass murderer though. I think he'd go for quality, not quantity. The mystique of Humungous is something I've always appreciated. The character reeks of battle-scarred history.
I loved everything Mitch said on the villains (especially on Toecutter), but I have to say:
"Aunty is everywoman held back by the 'good old boys club' who takes advantage of the opportunities presented by a clean slate. See 'Working Girl'. Sigourney Weaver or Melanie Griffith? You decide... She had the ability to lead all along, never had the opportunity, and now makes the 'hard decisions' believing she's preserving society. Unfortunately, her model is the old society that got them into the situation in the first place."
Mitch, Aunty was everything but a working girl, before the war. She lived a tragic life from the beginning. When she actually became what she's know for, when she became Aunty Entity, she had the ambition to create a new society. I don't think she took our society as model... she's not so crazy. I think she presumed WHAT things helped to minate our society, getting away all them in need to originate a more solid society, Bartertown. Unfortunately, she was wrong. The movie showed us society is an utopy. Community is a more palatable dream. Aunty created a society - Max destroyed the city driven by fate (he was't there to destroy it as we all know, just there in need to survive). Savannah re-created humanity as communion, co-operation, community. Max was the vehicle of destiny. That's the reason he turned to be a "classical" hero in the second half of Thunderdome. Plus, he redimeed himself in the second half because he didn't kill anyone in a conscious way. That's why violence was necessarely toned down in the second half of the movie. Max & company sucedeed, showing us there is always a better way to NOT kill someone, in the first place!
After all, Thunderdome is a fiable, a dark, post-apocalyptic fiable.
