Title: When a DEEP Character Pretends to be SHALLOW… (Hobie Brown)
Author: schnee
URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQ90GIuawAo
Date: 2023-08-06
Author’s Abstract/Description/Introduction
(NOTE: Apologies for the muted lines, got hit with a music claim AGAIN…)
You think I’m gonna describe the video? Come out of it…
A character who you – the protagonist & the viewer – start hating because he is so cool… But after a while you realize that yeah, he’s awesome and you actually can’t hate him despite the fact that he’s better than you in almost every sense (which makes you feel inferior)…
The thing is – I DIDN’T feel all of these while watching the movie (maybe because I’ve seen too many spoilers beforehand). Yeah, Hobie had that parody vibe, but I always thought that his parody is intentional. He’s the punk, after all. Why would one expect him to adhere to whatever forced standards of seriousness?
Yet this video makes something in my brain move. I didn’t have these feelings; nonetheless, I recognize them. I recognize the insecurity.
On personal level, can’t help but note the darker side of belonging as well – “no one who acts out of the line and no one who doesn’t belong” is allowed in the Spider-society, where every single person has to survive a trauma of losing a significant other. And how dare you say these sacrifices aren’t necessary? Either you comply or you get thrown away. Must be easy to be accepting when you accept only those who agree with you, y’know.
The main takeaway of this video from the media criticism standpoint is that depth isn’t about how many facts the audience knows about a character, it’s about presentation. And yeah, creators can put a lot of heart into intricate worlds and it’s incredibly tempting to show viewers EVERYTHING… But extremely detailed worldbuilding doesn’t necessarily compensate for boring dynamics between characters, and/or non-existent plot, and/or any other things that can break the viewer’s :suspension of disbelief. But more can be achieved with less, and five minutes of total screen time can give the audience a lot to think about.