COUNTLESS FILMS are being released even at this very moment. With the increasing number of films, more people than ever, especially those in their twenties*, are watching movies. As there are many different genres of movie, there are also different kinds of characters. Some win the audience’s favor, while others raise eyebrows. In this month’s Voice on Campus, The Yonsei Annals asked Yonseians about their favorite movie characters and their reasons.

 

   “Deadpool” from Deadpool: Recently, I watched Deadpool for the second time and I was extremely engaged in his sarcastic way of speech. There's even a Deadpool’s “guide to sarcasm” online, as his rhetoric is extremely powerful and humorous. He never remains still even when facing a crisis. Overcoming an accident that ruined his face for life with humor, Deadpool becomes the one and only, so-called craziest hero that exists in Marvel’s myriad list of superheroes. Personally, one of the hardest things to tolerate when watching any superhero movie is that you have to bear with the rather flat characters that are portrayed as “heroic”, “powerful”, and “cool”. In this movie, I found myself having more fun with this so-called “hero” because this perky and carefree guy was totally different from the typical heroes that I’ve seen previously. Deadpool proves that not all heroes are benevolent and that they can utilize their power to achieve personal needs. The character is frank and candid, possessing traits that no other superhero exhibited; this earned my support.

 

   “Curtis Everett” from Snowpiercer: The movie is generally about heading towards the engine which is the core of a train where each compartment represents different social classes from high to low. As the leader of the rebellion that arose in the last compartment, he encounters situations where he has to make tough decisions. For example, there is a scene where Curtis has to determine whether he will save his beloved younger brother or continue moving on with others. In this kind of situation, most people including myself would choose the former option, but Curtis makes a painful decision to abandon his brother in order to save more people. This image left a deep impression on me. Moreover, we can notice the change in his attitude: in the beginning, he takes the life of another to survive, yet eventually sacrifices himself for the future generation in the end. I strongly believe that this sets an example of the veritable human growth.

 

   “Alan Turing” from The Imitation Game: To tell the conclusion first, Alan Turing is a genius mathematician who deciphers a code that changes every 24 hours, and consequently saves 14 million lives by helping the Allied Forces sink German submarines. To put an end to World War Ⅱ, Turing is put into a codebreaking team under a classified project. I was especially drawn to the way Turing was absorbed in the task which he and his teammates had to solve. He literally always agonizes over the problem. On top of that, Turing and his best friend make a promise to solve a highly complicated mathematical problem at the age of 15 but unfortunately, his friend dies of tuberculosis 2 years later. As Turing desperately wants to preserve the knowledge that his friend had on his brain for posterity, Turing buries himself in the study of artificial intelligence for his entire life. I am sure that his reflection of driving towards his life goals would give a lesson to people these days who just live day to day without a resolute goal.

 

   “Leslie Burke” from Bridge to Terabithia: The movie is about a girl named Leslie creating a mythical world solely by her imagination and traveling the place with her friend Jesse. This might sound a little awkward, but I give full play to my imagination when I am on a journey. I believe this peculiar hobby of mine developed from my youth experience of watching this movie. One particular memorable scene is when Jesse says, “You must have inherited the power of imagination from your father,” and Leslie argues, “I am me, not my father.” What she said really touched my heart as I was going through a stormy period of adolescence and had many worries about self-formation at that time. Her strong self-attachment and ability of creating a world full of fantasy by imagination left an indelible impression on me.

 

   “Harley Quinn” from Suicide Squad: As a psychiatrist, Harley meets Joker in a counseling session and immediately falls in love with him. Giving up the wealth and fame that she could gain as a doctor, she does whatever her lover wants her to do including illegal activities. Throughout the movie, I kept asking myself “Will I be able to love somebody without considering anything else like she does?” I could gain vicarious satisfaction through this movie, as her philosophy of love was completely different from mine; I usually become a coward in the face of love. The most impressive scene was when Harley says “Yes” to both of Joker’s questions - “Can you die for me?” and “Can you live for me?” - and then dashes into a room full of dangerous chemicals. I couldn’t do anything but just look at her in admiration with my mouth wide open. Although a villain, I do not think that anyone could ever hate her.

 

   “Cha Tae-sik” from The Man from Nowhere: After a misfortunate accident that took his wife’s life away, Tae-sik makes a living by running a pawnshop. He blocks communication with other people except for a little girl who lives next door. Both are outcasts from society; they spend a lot of time together and become friends. When the girl is kidnapped by a criminal organization, I was deeply impressed by Tae-sik who sacrifices himself in order to rescue the girl. Also, watching villains die in a painful way was a total piquant sauce as I always welcome didactic stories. Incidents regarding child abuse have recently increased but punishments are still too lenient to prevent future crimes. Watching Tae-sik punish criminals involved in crime against children, I was completely immersed in his role and it satisfied my expectations of how criminals should be punished in reality.