"Everything we know about you guys is wrong." That may be the most memorable and defining quote of the film. This seventh entry will once again be a little Hiccup centered. Didn't we already deal with that? Well, yes in a way. Still, Hiccup is so central to the film that I feel this entry is legitimate. I will focus mostly on what kind of protagonist Hiccup is. Just like last entry talked about how HTTYD had a "parent versus teen" plot, this entry will talk about the other major plot crux, which is that Hiccup sees that everything the vikings know is wrong and he has to change the way they think.
This again seems to be another relatively common plot type. In a way it really is. There are many movies that display the hero as the one who has discovered the truth and now needs to convince the others of it. In these types of plots, the protagonist usually acts in one of two ways. He can be a cocky, self confident person who has seen the problems with his culture and is determined to expose them, or he can be a more humble, selfless hero. The first generally has the attitude of, "I'm right. You're all wrong, and you're gonna see in the end!" The second usually has thoughts more along this line, "Man, they are all so much better than me in so many ways. I wished once to be like them, but now I see they are wrong. I have to try and convince them even if there is no way they will listen to someone like me." The second is much more like Hiccup's attitude! I was very pleased with that. He did not attack the viking culture for the sake of being a revolutionary. He did not want to stir up trouble; he really just wanted to fit in, but then he discovered that fitting in made him do something that was clearly wrong! He is now at a crossroads. Will he stand alone and risk being mocked and rejected, or will he swallow his conscience and conform. Hiccup choses the first, and he does wind up changing everything the vikings believe.
So yet another reason I love the movie is that they handled the "everything my culture thinks is wrong" type plot in a very honorable and admirable way. Hiccup was a great protagonist. He was not self promoting; he was self sacrificing! He was a protagonist who thought he could never fit in and that deep down he was a disappointment to everyone, but then he discovers that he is a hero in his own way! At first he really wants to look heroic, then he gets the opportunity of a lifetime, then he sees the problem, then he gives up any hope of ever being admired, and finally through his sacrifice and courage, he proves that he truly is a great hero!
No comments:
Post a Comment