Teen Champions Villians

[lapsedgamer]

Re: Teen Champions Villians

 

Not to be a contrarian (tho' I probably am ) but in one of the scenes

from the extended release of the first X-Men movie, there is a scene where

Storm is leading a class discussion about how Christians were persecuted by

Rome...Till Constantine was converted and "became one of them..." Which

is, of course, the evil plot that Magneto has in store for the worlds leaders.

Just a little subtext and it wasn't in the original theatrical release but still.....

 

Ok. So I am a contrarian.

 

That said, your post makes some really solid points and I agree with you:

in most of the genre (Teen Champs), classes are held "off camera" and are

really only tangental to most of the storylines.....

 

-Carl-

Minor spoilage, but I figure everyone on this board has seen these movies before...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This same type of foreshadowing is used in the second movie in the series. When the kids are in the museum, Storm is talking about the Neandethals and the Cro-Magnons. The replacement of the older speacies by the newer through extinction was the major sub-plot of that movie. The writer on both those movies was actually pretty good. He put in little mofifs like that in both movies. My favorite:

 

In X-Men, Rogue is riding in Wolverine's truck and he asks her what her name is. She replies, "Rogue." He then asks her what her real name is, in that charming way only Logan can manage. She softens and answers Marie.

 

In X2, while everyone was on the X-Jet, Pyro is being seduced by the aura of Magneto. Mageneto asks for his name. He says John. Ian McKellan nails the delivery of the next line as he asks for the boy's real name. The answer is Pyro. At that moment you know he's going to the dark side.

 

I thought it was a great bit of writing showing the difference between the two camps. One group considers themselves to be human beings first, while the other is more proud of their mutant powers.

 

I like to think that the screenwriter must have set up in his mind early on and jealously guarded it until it made it to the screen. Little moments like that make or break genre movies. Without them you get stuff like Ghost Rider, or the third movie in that series for that matter.

[Remjin]

Re: Teen Champions Villians

 

He put in litle to mofifs like that in both movies.

 

I can't remember his name, but there was a totally different fellow who did the 3rd movie, as well as the writers. The guys from the first two moved on to do... uh... darn... Superman Returns, I think. I definitely liked the first two better, done much better, the 3rd was okay but hardly of the same caliber. *sigh* I was hoping for much better.

 

Maybe it was for Spiderman? Crud, I just can't remember.

 

And, just to say this, I really like the scene in Superman returns where the guy fires his pistol at Superman (what was he thinking?!) and you actually watch it hit Sup's eye, flatten, and drop... the moment where they both look down and watch it drop was just a great moment in that movie. Alas, the rest wasn't as exciting in some ways, but it was better than I had actually expected as a whole despite the various complaints of the critics.

 

And boy am I looking forward to Spiderman 3. It could be terrible, but I hope it isn't. I loved the scene with the subway/train deal in the 2nd movie. I know its hokey, but it just hit that nerd spot on me where I have feelings... stupid feelings... *scuff*

[transmetahuman]

Re: Teen Champions Villians

 

And boy am I looking forward to Spiderman 3. It could be terrible' date=' but I hope it isn't. I loved the scene with the subway/train deal in the 2nd movie. I know its hokey, but it just hit that nerd spot on me where I have feelings... stupid feelings... *scuff*[/quote']

Aw... I just watched that on TV last night, and I'll happily admit that (like always) my eyes got pretty wet during that scene. And a few others. Best superhero movie, ever.

[Gideon]

Re: Teen Champions Villians

 

Spence: You are absolutely right. I did partially miss your point.

 

Now I do like the short scene in the class room sometimes, but the curriculum can't really be the focus of the scene. The only exception would be if has something to do with the overarching plot (like learing about the civil war and then figuring out that the ghost that poltergiest haunting the town library is a civil war soldier) and the lesson lends some hints to how to defeat the current villian.

 

Homeroom, lunch, Gym, and study hall can all be RPd through to some extent, because they are not the same kind of classes as English, Math or Science. But for the most part school should be a backdrop, a place to meet, and the time spent there should not be time in class (unless your substitute teacher is a supervillain).

[clsage]

Re: Teen Champions Villians

 

But for the most part school should be a backdrop, a place to meet, and the time spent there should not be time in class (unless your substitute teacher is a supervillain).

 

For a sort of fun spin on this idea (the villain in a position of authority) take

a gander at (and yes, I know I'm opening a can of worms here.... )

Power Rangers: Dino Thunder (based on the sentai series "Bakuryuu Sentai

Abaranger"), in which the new principal at the high school is actually the

"human form" of the primary villains' chief lieutenant, Elsa.

 

My $.02. YMMV.

 

-Carl-

[jkwleisemann]

Re: Teen Champions Villians

 

On the subject of authority figure as super-villain... one of these days I should post Dr. Black, Professor White, and Mr. Grey, the principal for one of my Teen Champions games.

 

Basically, Professor White and Dr. Black were both very, very powerful mentalists (supervillain and superhero, respectively) who had 'killed' each other in mental combat. With their bodies dead, their spirits went off to find a suitable host... and they both found the same host, Mr. Grey, a high school principal who had one particular mental ability.

 

Mental/Power Defense up the proverbial Whazoo.

 

At any rate, Mr. Grey ended up becoming the battlefield for the two of them, who spent their time with subtle machinations either trying to defend Grey's mind and maintain the stalemate (Dr. Black) or to distract Grey long enough that he could take over (Professor White).

 

These machinations ended up involving both sides of the hero/villain divide in the school - Dr. Black (and Mr. Grey) ran the semi-official school for heroes, and Professor White provided training and resources for the more disturbed, villainy-inclined members of the student body (well, okay, the more villainy-inclined ones... disturbed, not so much. The villains were generally more stable than the heroes in that one....)

 

Personally, I loved the building suspicions that the heroes were having about their principal, since they didn't *know* he was their benefactor, and there were hints that he was the guy backing the villains... since, of course, he was.

[Niles]

Re: Teen Champions Villians

 

I think I'm more bittee because I'm more a fan of the author(s) who originally wrote the story.

 

You mean Thomas Hughes?

[Kirby]

Re: Teen Champions Villians

 

You mean Thomas Hughes?

Hmm, maybe it's a different book or something, but reading that entry, I just don't see the Harry Potter story at all.

[Niles]

Re: Teen Champions Villians

 

The first true school story may have been Tom Brown's Schooldays' date=' which was followed by innumerable Victorian era imitations, and magazine series. The Harry Potter series of novels has spectacularly revived some of the generic conventions. These include the idea that the action should be described, almost exclusively, from the pupils' viewpoint.[/quote']Clearer?

[Spence]

Re: Teen Champions Villians

 

Spence: You are absolutely right. I did partially miss your point.

 

More of a "my fault" than anything on your part. I get carried away plunking at the keyboard and wind up not being clear

 

Now I do like the short scene in the class room sometimes, but the curriculum can't really be the focus of the scene. The only exception would be if has something to do with the overarching plot (like learing about the civil war and then figuring out that the ghost that poltergiest haunting the town library is a civil war soldier) and the lesson lends some hints to how to defeat the current villian.

 

Homeroom, lunch, Gym, and study hall can all be RPd through to some extent, because they are not the same kind of classes as English, Math or Science. But for the most part school should be a backdrop, a place to meet, and the time spent there should not be time in class (unless your substitute teacher is a supervillain).

 

While I know that some people have rabid uninformed kneejerk spasms at the mere mention of the word “anime” (along the same lines as if I would rip out my TV and destroy my DVD player because the movie “SAW” is “proof” that “all movies are garbage”, condemning an entire media because of a narrow selection of “samples”. But that is another rant ). If you can get them there are several decent anime that concern “teens” possessing “powers” while in school. Full Metal Panic and Shingu: Secret of the Stellar Wars are two that are great examples of this. Some of the episodes revolve around school activities, but most do not.

 

For a sort of fun spin on this idea (the villain in a position of authority) take

a gander at (and yes, I know I'm opening a can of worms here.... )

Power Rangers: Dino Thunder (based on the sentai series "Bakuryuu Sentai

Abaranger"), in which the new principal at the high school is actually the

"human form" of the primary villains' chief lieutenant, Elsa.

 

I wouldn’t have picked Power Rangers as an example myself . But there are many anime that can be much better examples. Remember PR (the Americanized version) is a “live action” kids show aimed at the young and pre-teen ages. The same target audience as Puff the Magic Dragon years ago, if you can remember that far back . But is a valid example of one way to handle it.

[Kirby]

Re: Teen Champions Villians

 

Clearer?

No. While it may be the same writing style/perspective, I don't see where Rowling ripped off his story.

[Supreme Serpent]

Re: Teen Champions Villians

 

No. While it may be the same writing style/perspective' date=' I don't see where Rowling ripped off his story.[/quote']

 

But he's British! And young! And male! How much clearer does it have to be?

[Remjin]

Re: Teen Champions Villians

 

Hahaha... well, while I did actually read a Hughes novel or two, it was another couple of authors. I read them in gradeschool, I believe, and cannot remember the names of them, honestly, or I would have said that from the beginning. The theme of kids in schools is certainly not a new one, but neither is magic school and being a witch/warlock/sorcerer in that field.

 

I think Lloyd Alexander wrote one, I cannot honestly remember the other. I went through books like a banshee as a kid. Heck, I waded through the Arthurian tales in old english (gaelic english?) at one point... but, if naught else, refer to the defunct Hariet the Witch television show from Nickelodean not too far past (didn't watch it, but it had same premise though differing problems). I wish I could remember... but, in any case...

 

Let me also reiterate that Rowlings has done what many have done in the past: taken a basic premise or story idea and revived it in a new form. I am not accusing her of plageurism at all. In fact, I'm probably just being a jerk because the other author's story somehow struck me as a better iteration.... and that author probably also got the story from somewhere else for all I know. The sudden flare of interest and accolade for originality and all that just got my jaw clenched, as does just about anything where celebrities try to be the authority on anything. That is why I apologized, I just kneejerked, and it wasn't appropriate. Its not like Rowlings went around talking about how great she was or anything. =)

[Niles]

Re: Teen Champions Villians

 

No. While it may be the same writing style/perspective' date=' I don't see where Rowling ripped off his story.[/quote']

 

I don't see where she ripped of anyone else either, which is why Remjin's comment confused me.

Sure there are clear influences, but it's not like the Shanara books or anything.

[lapsedgamer]

Re: Teen Champions Villians

 

I don't see where she ripped of anyone else either, which is why Remjin's comment confused me.

Sure there are clear influences, but it's not like the Shanara books or anything.

 

I've always thought that Harry Potter was composed of equal parts Tolkien, Roald Dahl and Ursula K. LeGuin. I don't know if you call it "ripping off" so much as referring back to influences. I just don't like her stuff is as good as that of the people who came before her. Is she adding something to the genre, or is she just cashing in? Everyone steals a little.

[Kirby]

Re: Teen Champions Villians

 

Equal parts Tolkien? Wow, never considered that a possibility. I see her characters taking a lot from mythology (namely monsters), such as Harry, Ron, and Hermione taking after King Arthur, Lancelot, and Gueniverre (sp?), as well as Dumbledore referencing Merlin.

 

Anyway, the fact that she got thousands of children not just interested, but motivated to read, as well as having an abundance of adults returning to reading, I'd say she's done a lot of good there.

[SKJAM!]

Re: Teen Champions Villians

 

New anime series to grab ideas from: Kamichu. Shy junior high student Yurie wakes up one morning to discover she's become a kami ("god" in the dub.) She doesn't know what kind of kami, but everyone with the right senses can tell she's potentially very powerful. With the help of her friends (the pushy shrine maiden and the pessimistic/realistic girl) Yurie is working to become the best kami she can be.

 

It's basically a magical girl series, with the twist being a lack of secrecy. Everyone in the village (and later, pretty much everyone in Japan) is aware that Yurie is a kami, and they calmly accept this fact and treat her pretty much the same way they always did.

 

The early episodes don't have villains as such, unless you count the Prime Minister of Japan.

[Kirby]

Re: Teen Champions Villians

 

New anime series to grab ideas from....

Say no more.