I gave up subscribing to Netflix because the films just seem to have no emotional resonance to someone of my advanced age. I sometimes wonder whether a lot of today's filmmakers don't have that need, or their focus-grouped test views confirmed that their target audience doesn't want all that stuff which needs concentration and reflection. "Don't bore us-get to the chorus!". maybe it's the social media, attention-span thing again. Though that seems to be held responsible for so many ills in our societies that I am not sure.
There's a way to have a character remain unchanging, but then the arc of those around them should change, usually in a positive manner. Characters like James Bond and Jack Reacher do not really have an arc to speak of, but they influence the characters and world around them over the course of the story. But in general I agree that good protagonists must arc in an either heroic (Bilbo, Neo, Luke) or anti-heroic (walter white, don draper) direction.
Yes, the unchanging James Bond esque character is a convention unto themselves. But viewers experience them a bit better. I'm not sure most people identify with Bond so much as think they're badass.
The most heroic quality our heroes can show is the ability to pick themselves up, dust themselves off, & start again. When a character like Rey starts off as strong as she needs to be, she can never get knocked down, so she never needs to pick herself up again. We ordinary mortals can’t relate to a character who doesn’t struggle in the same way we do.
I gave up subscribing to Netflix because the films just seem to have no emotional resonance to someone of my advanced age. I sometimes wonder whether a lot of today's filmmakers don't have that need, or their focus-grouped test views confirmed that their target audience doesn't want all that stuff which needs concentration and reflection. "Don't bore us-get to the chorus!". maybe it's the social media, attention-span thing again. Though that seems to be held responsible for so many ills in our societies that I am not sure.
There's a way to have a character remain unchanging, but then the arc of those around them should change, usually in a positive manner. Characters like James Bond and Jack Reacher do not really have an arc to speak of, but they influence the characters and world around them over the course of the story. But in general I agree that good protagonists must arc in an either heroic (Bilbo, Neo, Luke) or anti-heroic (walter white, don draper) direction.
Yes, the unchanging James Bond esque character is a convention unto themselves. But viewers experience them a bit better. I'm not sure most people identify with Bond so much as think they're badass.
The most heroic quality our heroes can show is the ability to pick themselves up, dust themselves off, & start again. When a character like Rey starts off as strong as she needs to be, she can never get knocked down, so she never needs to pick herself up again. We ordinary mortals can’t relate to a character who doesn’t struggle in the same way we do.
Exactly.