Just like James Bond and many other heroes in films, Indiana Jones has his own trademarks, which makes him the one and only Indiana Jones. These are things such as his scar on his chin, his bag on his right shoulder, his leather jacket and hat, but most of all his whip in which when he lassoes we know that something heroic or important is about to take place. Also another common, typical signal that is known in most of his films is that whenever the theme tune for Indiana Jones is heard we know that our beloved hero is going to be OK.
Indiana Jones’ mission is to always solve a mysterious, weird riddle or dangerous and outrageous expedition. Along with his quick mind and always seeming to hurt himself whenever something scary or bad is about to happen the quest, in which is always involved in every mission he does, or goal is to beat the baddy and let good appose evil and have the good to win. His mission, in a way, connects to how Lara Croft would do her mission in the fact that there is always some rare artifact to collect and keep from the villain. So why is it that we adore and cheer on this character?
The reason for this is the suspense and uniqueness or the plot and the hero himself. This means that because Indiana Jones is different and unpredictable the public will become fascinated and emotionally involved to the new way of seeing this hero in films. Before Indiana Jones everyone was used to the typical smart clean-cut hero, when they introduced Indiana Jones it was like a new generation of heroes and the way the way they went about their missions and quests. The third hero, or should I say heroin, I am going to look at is Lara Croft.
Lara Croft, from the film Tomb Raider, is unlike other heroes seen in films. Apart from being a female, Lara Croft is seen as the alpha-male to everyone around her. She is strong, slim and confident. All these qualities are usually for a male hero and that’s what makes Lara Croft stand out more than other heroes such as James Bond and Indiana Jones. Lara’s mission is always to collect some important, ancient artifact or to prevent havoc from happening with the evil villain getting hold of the artifact, a lot like the missions and quests in Indiana Jones.
Just like James Bond, in a way, Lara Croft is very well known for the clothes she wears and the brilliant gadgets and cars she owns, but her clothes are not all smart and glamorous they are very much like the type of clothes that Indiana Jones would wear (i. e. exploring clothes especially her shorts and combat gear). Also a big show with Lara Croft is her long, dark hair that is usually in a long, tight plait. We all admire Lara Croft not just for being a physically powerful woman, but also for her individuality and approach to life.
All men like her for this and women aspire to be her. Lara doesn’t have all these big gadgets or fancy suites to protect her and make her the ‘big show’, but she has her faith and guns to get her through whatever mission lies ahead. The fourth hero I am going to look at is not just known for her skill and bravery, but for being a very talented, heroic animal. Lassie the dog is legendary to the public eye when it comes to being a hero and has charmed children as well as adults for generations.
Lassie’s main audience however has always mainly been children due to the characteristics and the way the films have been publicized. Lassie has been seen in many films for over half a century and remains one of the best known, adored and imaginative heroin’s of all time. Eric Knight created the original novels. Lassie is known for her intelligence and selfless devotion to her masters. Also for her courage and tremendous amount of hard work for the community, which is unusual considering she’s a dog. One of Lassie’s major trademarks is the white blaze on her face.
This shows the audience that lassie is a unique animal apart from the fact that she can communicate with humans which makes her even more distinctive. Although Lassie isn’t classes as a normal hero it is still seen that the admiration for Lassie is very much appreciated and shown within society. The fifth and final hero I am going to look at is Superman. Superman unlike other heroes I’ve discussed is the typical hero with super powers and a funny looking costume. Superman’s mission is to prevent evil over taking the world.
A lot like all the other heroes missions except, once again, it is the typical way of showing a hero and villain comic or film. Everyone associates Superman with his x-ray vision and the way he quickly changes from human to Superman. This is very common with comic or animated heroes as they all seen to have some sort of secret identity with their friends and public and then all of a sudden become someone who everyone loves and knows (a lot like Peter Parker from Spiderman who has to keep a secret identity). Also one of few trademarks, which Superman has, is his position in which he does when he sets of flying.
The reason why people admire Superman is because all what he does is to do with being in a fantasy. It’s out of this world and unordinary so therefore more people are attracted to him and feel they have to watch it more. He is known for risking his life with extremely deadly chemicals and evil concoctions that, again, is very unreality like and interesting. Everyone will remember him for his well-built power and the one thing he’s always been ‘allergic’ to: kryptonite. The first villain I am going to talk about is the Child Catcher from the children’s musical ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”.
