The Ultimate Antagonists?
There are so many great fantasy villains in film, it would take all day to name
them all. I decided to provide a list, of my top 15, most memorable, make
believe, bad guys or girls, in movies. These 15 evil-doers, are listed in order,
from least to most memorable. They earn their spot, based on my opinion, of how
enjoyable they were to watch, while carrying out their dastardly deeds.
For your reading pleasure,
Here's the scumbags:
15) Don't think that just because he barely made the list, he's not that bad of
a guy. I'm talking about Paul Sarone (John Voight), (Angelina Jolie's Daddy),
the snake hunter. In 1997's, "Anaconda," he puts Danny Rich (Ice Cube),Terri
Flores (Jennifer Lopez), and inexcusably, her beautiful booty, not to mention
the rest of their film crew friends, in almost constant danger, of becoming
prey, for a prime specimen ,of the largest species of snake in the world. Paul
Sarone, comically leads this fun to watch, and very suspicious of his motives,
crew, on an adventure filled and terrifying journey through the Amazon rain
forest.
14) The next character, is a member, of a group of young friends, faced with
finding a way to earn money, keep their self respect intact, and earn the
respect of others. They want to eat good, have nice clothes, get the girls and
the respect and treatment of a person who can pay their bills. They want, the
"Juice,"1992. In a perilous atmosphere, with limited opportunities, they
experiment with crime. For most of the friends, including Q (Omar Epps), their
little experimental run, does not end the way they expect. For one of the
friends, Roland Bishop,(Tupac Shakur,) it is just the first step in obtaining
the juice that he craves.
13) Like many of the great bad guys, he's likable, he's interesting, he's cool,
the bosses' wife Mia (Uma Thurman), even thinks he's great, he's an exceptional
dancer, he just has that nasty habit of killing people. Maybe the people he
kills, deserve it? Well, maybe some of them. Maybe it's his job? Maybe he has a
bad case of Saturday night fever? Number thirteen, is of course, hit man,
Vincent Vega (John Travolta,) from 1994's, "Pulp Fiction." John Travolta was
nominated for an Oscar, for best actor in a leading role, for his portrayal of
this unusually antagonistic, protagonist, and professional killer.
12) If I include Vincent Vega, I have to include his partner in crime, Jules
Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson.) He's as likable as Vincent. He's as interesting.
He has a good sense of humor. He reads the Bible. He even delights in quoting
you the Bible, right before he busts a cap in your rear(I had to edit his famous phrase, because helium deleted my original article, I believe due to quoting Jules and his wallet accurately.) This is a man who will eat your Kahuna burger and slurp up the very last drop of your tasty beverage, to wash it down. You know he's one of the ultimate bad guys, because even his wallet says, "Bad Mother-F-worder," on it. Don't miss him in this film that won an
Oscar, for best writing, screenplay written directly for film, by Quentin
Tarantino and Roger Avery.
11) He's new to the neighborhood, he's fresh out of prison, and he's not wasting
any time making new friends. Bad guy number eleven is, Wes (Scott Glen), who
beats the snot out of Bud (John Travolta,this time the good guy,) in a fight at
the local bar and hangout. Then in an attempt to further be neighborly, he gives
Buds' new wife, Sissy (Debra Winger,) the sausage. As a further gesture of
goodwill, Wes breaks Bud's arm and Bud gets laid off at work, due to his injury.
The ladies, at first, enjoy Wes' muscles and bad boy attitude. They soon
realize, Wes may be a little more dangerous, than they can handle, in 1980's,
"Urban Cowboy."
10) This next evil doer, is not exactly a fantasy character. He takes advantage
of a disagreement between the United States and Canada, over who is to blame for
obscene entertainment materials, produced in Canada, and shown in American
theaters,that are, to the horror of adults, being mimicked by American children.
He escalates this situation, with the help of his infatuated, homo-sexual lover,
Satan, to the brink of a nuclear world war. This guy is so evil and abusive,
even Satan thinks he has gone to far, but is afraid to stand up to him. You
guessed it, I'm talking about, the tyrant and former leader of Iraq, Saddam
Hussein (voice by Matt Stone). In, "South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut,"
1999, the fate of the world rests on the shoulders of the foul mouthed, South
Park, Colorado, boys. Can they find a way to thwart Saddam's maniacal plan?
9) Number nine is the first woman to make the list, well sort of. This villain
is also interested in destroying the world. There's no doubt about it, that's
pretty bad. So I don't think you'll be disappointed that I included this evil
god, worshiped by the ancient Sumerians, known as Gozer the Destroyer (Slavitza
Jovan, voice provided by Paddi Edwards,) this high up, on the list. She (At
least she seemed, to usually like to take the form of a she,) gave the
entrepreneurial" Ghostbuster's", 1984, a seriously hard time, when she took the
form of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man and proceeded to destroy New York city. It
was a lot of fun watching all the great comic actors in this film, battle it
out, with this angry god, who is not a big fan of the human race.
8) He can't wait, to have you for dinner. He's one of the most deranged and
psychopathic killers, to ever eat a human liver with some fava beans, and a nice
keante. It's Hannibal,"the Cannibal," Lecter (first played by Brian Cox, then
Anthony Hopkins, then Gaspar Ulliel.) In, "The Silence of the Lambs," 1991,
Hannibal (played by Anthony Hopkins,) is in custody for his crimes and is
approached by F.B.I agent, Clarice Sterling (Jodi Foster.) She would like his
help, in tracking down a serial killer, currently on the loose. Dr. Lecter sort
of offers help, but seems to be more interested in playing with Clarice's head
and going out for something to eat.
7) His mother was a french prostitute, and when he was insolent as a child, he
was placed in a burlap sack and beaten with reeds. This man has a P.H.D in evil.
So, can we really blame Dr. Evil (Mike Myers,) for landing at number seven on
the villain list. He won't stop until he has achieved world domination. If
"Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery," (Mike Myers,) foils his evil plans, he doesn't think twice about cryogenic-ally freezing himself, along with his beloved cat, Mr.Bigglesworth, and launching himself into outer space, leaving his son, Scott Evil (Seth
Green,) without a father, and awaiting a time when he can be unfrozen by his
evil employees, and attempt another diabolical plan, at a future, more opportune
time.
6) It's not very nice to travel back in time and attempt to kill Sarah Connor
(Linda Hamilton,) a pregnant woman. That's why the killer cyborg, sent back in
time, by man's future enemy, the machines, earns number six on the list. The
model T-800, killer robot,(Arnold Schwarzzeneger, Governor of California,) is
one memorable bad guy. No matter how much you cry, plead, or beg for mercy, he
won't even flinch, when he tracks you down and kills you and then dryly makes a
funny comment, about how he just killed you, in 1984's,"Terminator."
5) This time, the machines really mean business. They're going to make sure they
kill John Connor (Edward Furlong.) John is the future leader, of the human
opposition to the machines, which dominate the Earth. This time, they send back
villain number five, on the list, the updated, T-1000 killer cyborg (Robert
Patrick,) to make sure John doesn't have much of a future. The future John,
sends back a primitive T-101 robot (Arnold Schwarzzenger,) to protect his
younger self. No matter how badly John, his mother Sarah (Linda Hamilton,) and
the T-101 cyborg damage the T-1000, his sophisticated design allows him to
regenerate. It seems, no matter how hard, or long they fight, it is inevitable,
that the emotionless, merciless, tireless,and relentless T-1000, will eventually
complete the mission he has been programmed for.
4) Here's another, rare example, of a woman making the most memorable villain
list. Just as for villain number nine, I again have to say, well sort of. I
don't want to give away the secrets of the movie, for those who have not seen
it. "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective," 1994, starring Jim Carrey, is a detective
mystery film. The villain in this one, is very memorable, and comical, as are
many other characters in the movie. You'll have to watch Ace, use his unorthodox
detective skills, If you haven't already, to track down the kidnapper of
Snowflake, the Miami Dolphin's mascot, and see who the number four villain of
all time is, at least on my list.
3) This is the first, and only villain, that I can say without a doubt, really
is a woman. She's way more cold and cruel than the T-800 or T-1000 Terminator
cyborgs. She loves her position, where she is in complete control, of the lives
of grown men, whom she loves to emasculate, which seems to be her only enjoyment
in life. She is the arch enemy of good natured wild man and tough guy, Randle P.
Mc Murphy (Jack Nicholson), and takes a special interest in derailing his
ingenious plan to serve his prison sentence on easy street, at her mental
center. Nurse Ratchet(Louise Fletcher,) is so irritating and evil and never
fails to insist that what she does is only for the best interest of her
patients, you will wish, "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest,"1979, was in 3-D, so
you could b-word slap the b-word out of her, which would take a whole lot of b-word
slapping. Jack Nicholson and Loise Fletcher both won Oscar's for their roles,
the film won three additional Oscars, and was nominated for four more. If you
haven't seen it, I strongly recommend renting it, the next chance you get.
2) The second to last villain, is a real pervert. He gets off by engaging in
some strange activities. If you're a young woman, it might lead you to decide to
be a little more cautious, while participating in the dating scene. If you're a
father, you might prefer never to let your daughter out of the house, after
seeing this movie. Considering that there might really be sickos, like Stuntman
Mike (Kurt Russell,) out there, who enjoy destroying human life, for sexual
gratification, as he very gorily and disgustingly does in the film,is disturbing
and terrifying.
After seeing what a monster he can be, it makes all following action scenes,
extremely tense and exciting. All the characters in this movie are interesting
and entertaining. It is often funny and action packed. "Death Proof," (Another
Quentin Tarantino film,) is a suspenseful, masterpiece, that makes you really
root for certain characters, (Not normally Stuntman Mike.)(In the case you find
yourself cheering him on, please head immediately to your nearest psychiatrist.)
This movie was shown as a double feature in the theaters with Robert
Rodriguez's," Planet Terror." " Planet Terror" has plenty of memorable villains
and is also a lot of fun to watch, if you can stomach it, but it didn't have one
individual villain, that stood out, like "Death Proof's," Stuntman Mike.
1) The most memorable villain of all time!
You know his theme song. He cut off his own son's hand. He killed his mentor. He
blew up his daughter's home planet with a laser ray, killing millions, while he
made her watch. He froze one of the coolest guys, from any solar system, in a
block of carbon. He can only survive by wearing a fear inducing life support
suit, that causes his every breath to sound terrifying and makes his voice,
deep, booming, and threatening. He is the most powerful master of the force, and
an expert fighter pilot. He's the real reason, the evil Intergalactic Empire
remains in power. This is a guy, who often kills more people before breakfast,
than most bad guys kill in their whole career. The most famous and unforgettable
villain in the known universe, is of course, the one, the only, the unparalleled
in bad deeds, Mr. Lord Darth Vader(David Prowse and voice by James Earl Jones.)
He made his supremely evil debut in, "Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope,"1977,
and has continued to terrorize the galaxies, in at least four of the last five
movies, he has appeared in since.
Also, receiving honorable mention...
Principal Ed Rooney (Jeffrey Jones)from "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," 1986. After
again being outsmarted by high school student Ferris, he says, "I'm going to
catch this kid and put a dent in his future. 15 years from now, when he looks
back on the ruin his life has become, he will remember...Edward Rooney.
The bad pirate guy, Deacon, (Dennis Hopper,) from "Water World,"1995. As it is
impossible to tell from the title, this movie is about a world of water. Deacon
has a silly glass eye and is the leader of the fearsome gang, the Smokers, who
are of course up to no good, in the flooded hood.
Paul Sarone (John Voight,) made the official list, but he couldn't have done it
without the the anaconda itself, from, "Anaconda."
Deputy U.S. Marshal, Samuel Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones.) He probably could also be
considered a hero, just not by Dr. Richard Kimble (Harrison Ford,) who became
the never resting prey of this relentless law enforcement officer. He would have
searched every residential house, coffee house, farm house, dog house,
international pancake house, doll house, smoke house, white house, whore house
and out house, if that's what it took to get his man, in "The Fugitive,"1993.
Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames,) the big, bad, gangster boss, who pays Vincent
Vega and Jules Winnfield, to do, the bad guy stuff, that they do, in "Pulp
Fiction."
The troll from Stephen Kings, "Cat's Eye," 1985. He likes to steal peoples
breath, while they are sleeping, and lets the family cat take the rap for it.
Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed the list.