Ready Player One
This story is about the city of Columbus in 2045. The planet has been overrun by disease, war, and resource depletion. Everyone who has survived has given up on thinking about how to improve the world. At the beginning of the film, many people in the buildings that the protagonist passes are using VR equipment. Here, a virtual social world called ‘ THE OASIS’ enriches the pleasures of life. This virtual world does not restrict wealth, power, gender, or ethnicity. The virtual world helps people to do whatever they want in the ‘OASIS’ and to satisfy all human wishes to the maximum. Our protagonist, Wade, lives in a dirty old block of flats and has a character weakness in real life. He lost his parents when he was a child. In the real-life that he was inferiority, weak, unsociable.
The game’s developer left a will: Whoever manages to find the three eggs hidden by the developer in the OASIS will be awarded shares in the company and control of the “OASIS.” It’s an exciting story set-up, with quests being issued in the middle of the story for the protagonist to complete.
The egg’s great lure attracts many players, including the ambitious IOI, whose villain used to work for the game’s founder’s game company. But the villain was too greedy and was only interested in getting money out of the game. So the villain left the game founder and set up his own game, IOI, Inc. The villain tried to turn “OASIS” into his money empire by looking for eggs.
Since then, people have been searching for clues with great enthusiasm. But it wasn’t until five years later that the first clue appeared. The first egg in the virtual world appeared as a level game, with a car racing through a complicated route to the finish line. But no one ever gets through, and a giant gorilla stops all the trespassers before they reach the finish line. Our protagonist is also involved in the search for the egg. Over and over again, the protagonist looks at the different records in the library. After viewing a file that he has seen more than a thousand times, he is about to leave the library when the film file’s words suddenly inspire him. The scenario also leads the viewer to recognize the protagonist’s character, intelligence, and bravery strengths. It is possible to go ‘bankrupt’ if people lose their equipment in the game due to death. In the past, the protagonist’s life has not been about taking risks and doing dangerous things. For the first time, the protagonist breaks out of his inferior and cowardly personality, and bravely tries a new way of doing things. At the starting point, he drives the car backward. Luckily he succeeded. He also went from being a nobody to the top of the leaderboard. Everyone in the virtual world knew his name. Of course, the villains were now taking notice of the protagonist. After Wade manages to get the key to the first egg, he also helps his friends get through the game. The audience also recognizes the protagonist’s serious and brave character traits through his references and brave attempts at adventure in the story. We also learn that Wade genuinely loves OASIS’s virtual world and that he has great respect for the game’s developers.
Wade started to explore the second clue and found the corresponding information in the resource library. Wade and Samantha looked at the information and kept thinking that the second egg game should be related to the game developer’s regrets. So Wade and Samantha decided to explore the OASIS section of the game together. In this section, Wade encountered his first setback when he failed to consider the dangers of the virtual world and revealed his real name and Samantha’s confession directly in the game. Such behavior leads IOI to investigate all the information that Wade has in the real world by name. As viewers, we are also aware that the protagonist is still very immature at this point. However, he is tempted by the IOI’s money and does not sell the keys to the egg game for money. The IOI company begins to create danger for Wade both in real life and in the virtual world. In the virtual world, IOI sends many assassins after Wade. But in his real life, an explosion caused by IOI costs Wade’s aunt’s life and forces Wade to leave his peaceful life. He was overworking and dying in the real world from the oppression of IOI. In this situation, Wade begins to think about how he can help the real world beyond winning and losing in the game world and changes his mindset from living only in the virtual world to combining real life and virtual life. Create a better life for people in the real world. Working together with his partners, Wade was given the key to the second egg game.
Wade discovered that it’s not about winning or losing. It’s about having fun. Wade is given the third key to unlock the egg, but the real-world IOI mob is after Wade and his pals. Through the live stream of the game, Wade enlisted real-world players’ help and succeeded in getting the egg key. In the virtual world, the protagonist and his righteous companions also fight against the villains. The protagonist becomes more confident and brave, and he gains the recognition of his partners. When the villain loses the war, he is captured by the police and taken away. At the end of the story, Wade becomes the owner of OASIS. He closes the virtual world on Tuesdays and Thursdays to help people feel emotions, reality, and the present in real life.
Maleficent
The story is an adaptation of the traditional fairy tale “Sleeping Beauty.” In the traditional story of Sleeping Beauty, the evil fairy curses the Princess and, on her 16th birthday, she falls asleep with a spindle pricking her finger. Only the kiss of true love can awaken the Princess. The prince finds her in the depths of the castle against all odds. After the prince has kissed the Princess, she wakes up. A happy ending in the traditional sense. This film reverses the traditional story. The wicked fairy’s kiss awakens the Princess.
In this film, the evil fairy is not an evil presence at the beginning of the story: Maleficent is a young fairy who has good intentions for the world. But after she is tricked by a human (the king) and has her wings stolen, she becomes desperate and hates humans. In revenge for the king’s betrayal, Maleficent cursed the king’s daughter. On the Princess’s 16th birthday, a spindle pierces her finger, and she falls asleep. In the past, only true love’s kiss could awaken the Princess. It seems that Maleficent left a way for the Princess to lift the curse. At that time, Maleficent, having experienced humanity’s betrayal, did not believe that true love existed. So Maleficent though it was impossible to save the Princess.
The king ordered all the spinning wheels in the country to be burnt, and the three good fairies to take the Princess, who was still a baby, to live in a deserted place and bring her back to the kingdom when she was 16 years old. But the three fairies had no idea how to take care of a baby, and when Maleficent found out where they lived, he discovered that the Princess’s life wasn’t so good. Maleficent, who had been prepared to bully the Princess, began to take care of her in secret: Maleficent often complained about the Princess, but it was Maleficent who took care of her the most. Although Maleficent tries to avoid contact with the Princess, the Princess can feel that the fairy is taking care of her. In one encounter, the Princess calls Maleficent her fairy godmother. At this point, Maleficent feels the Princess’s kindness and begins to think of ways to lift the curse she has put on her. The audience learns that Maleficent wasn’t born evil. She has been hurt and has become seemingly vicious, but she is still a good fairy deep down. Unfortunately, there is no way to break the curse. Initially, Maleficent’s weakness was since her goodness led her to believe in humans, and she was hurt. But Maleficent started to trust humans again. This behavior is no longer a weakness but a switch for her. She can let go of her hatred and turn on the new life.
The princess soon grew to 16 and met a prince in the forest. Maleficent doesn’t like Prince very much because she still doesn’t believe that there are real feelings in the world. But she hoped that the Prince could untie the curse of the princess. At this time, the princess discovers the identity of maleficent as an evil fairy. The princess of the curse falls back into the fall of the temptation of the castle. Maleficent quickly found the Prince and took it to the princess. Everyone expected the Prince to untie the princess’s curse, but the princess did not wake up. Maleficent felt guilty for cursing the princess. She realized that she had been trapped in resentment and revenge. In the life of the princess and maleficent, the maleficent’s kindness is awakened. When maleficent kisses the princess on the forehead and is ready to leave, the princess wakes up.
Maleficent has a mother like love for the princess. This love is also true love. This is what the story wants to show us. There are many kinds of true love in the world. At the end of the story, Maleficent takes back the stolen wings from the castle. This scene is one of the most exciting scenes in the movie. In war, the evil fairy is not a symbol of evil. This also subverts the traditional sense that heroes must be perfectly good people. Maleficent has a bad temper and has made mistakes in the past. But her kindness helped her realize that she had to let go of her hatred and start a new life.
In this new interpretation of the story, audiences shift the princess’s main perspective to the evil fairy. Starting with Maleficent’s childhood, the story takes a look at Maleficent’s upbringing and the reasons for her twisted personality. It also reveals that Maleficent’s humanity is still intact, that goodness still exists and that the character is multi-layered. From good to evil, and from evil to kindness again, there is a complete transformation process. Before her successful redemption, the character’s selfishness harmed many people and the world. The redemption makes a change in Maleficent’s heart. The heart of true love, which can change the world, forms the entire film’s theme.
Hotel Transylvania
Traditionally, vampires do not have good feelings. Usually, the role of the vampire is to represent the forces of darkness. Hotel Transylvania tells the story of Dracula, a vampire who is the main character in this film. Dracula hates the humans who took his beloved wife away from him and vowed to protect his daughter from them.
Dracula set up the Motel for Monsters in a mysterious place. Dracula did not give up taking care of his daughter to the outside world to persecute the humans. He chose a safe place to care for his daughter. Dracula’s daughter falls in love with the human. Dracula was hostile to the boy because he is human. But Dracula didn’t harm him. After Dracula tells the boy why he hates humans, he wishes the human can leave his daughter. At this point, Dracula was still repulsed by humans, but his heart had been changed. During his time with the human boy, he recognized the boy’s love for his daughter. When Dracula saw that his daughter was sad because she knew the human boy had left. Dracula left the safety of the Monster Inn and set off for the human world to find the human boy and bring him back to the hotel. In his new surroundings, Dracula realizes that the human world has changed and no longer rejects monsters as they did in the past time. Dracula has always feared that humans would harm his daughter. When Dracula sees the human world’s beauty and goodness, he is not as confused and scared as he once was. I think this may be the reason why Dracula truly embraces the human world. By the end of the film, Dracula’s daughter and the human boy are living happily ever after, and Dracula’s heart has become happy too.
Dracula’s mistrust and dislike of humans are due to the damage done to his family by them. All of Dracula’s actions are aimed at protecting his daughter from harm. He is stubborn because he has always taken care of his daughter in his way, without really thinking about what’s she wants. But Dracula is also kind. When he realizes his daughter is grieving because of his stubbornness. Dracula starts to reconsider what is best for her.
The structure of story
Ready Player One
1. Dull life
2. A thrilling adventure
3. Unexpected success
4. The appearance of danger and temptation
5. Loss of valuable people and things in life
6. Fight against evil forces with the help of friends
7. Defeat the forces of evil
8. Happy endings
Maleficent
1. The joys of childhood
2. Deceived and betrayed by the king, and loses her precious wings.
3. Cursed by the king’s daughter after beginning to hate the human world.
4. In the course of her stay with the princess, the goodness within is reawakened.
5.The princess falls asleep under the influence of the curse. She begins to regret and reflect on herself.
6. The king’s daughter is saved by the protagonist when hope is dying.
7. Reclaim her precious wings and defeat the true forces of evil.
8. A happy and joyous ending.
Hotel Transylvania
1. Dracula is raising his daughter on his own.
2. To protect his daughter from the humans, Dracula sets up the safe Monsters’ Motel.
3. Humans intrude into the Motel. The monsters and the human boy begin a period of fun and happy time.
4.The human boy and Dracula’s daughter fall in love. Dracula is not impressed by their relationship.
5.Dracula discovers the identity of the Human Boy. The human boy learns about Dracula’s past when he lost his wife to a human.
6.Dracula’s daughter and Dracula have a falling out.
7.Dracula realizes that his stubbornness has caused his daughter to be separated from his beloved. Dracula bravely leaves the hotel and seeks the boy’s forgiveness after finding him in the human world.
8.Dracula’s daughter and the human boy start a happy life.
Similar Structure
The story of CARC’s theories is followed in all of the story plots. A new change arises in the mundane everyday life. Under the influence of the changes, a contradiction arises in the present phase of life. The characters in the story need to resolve the entire conflict. In resolving the conflict, the characters overcome the difficulties and gain friendship, affection, love, etc. In the end, good people gain happiness. Also, the good people are rewarded with a happy ending.
The three films have a similar narrative structure and are all suitable for children’s looking. The structure of the story itself is not particularly complex. Children can quickly understand the content of the stories and the behavior of the characters while watching them. The characters themselves grow differently in each of the three films. The central design of Ready Player One is a sense of responsibility. The central design of Maleficent and Hotel Transylvania is the love of family. As well as having a pleasant viewing experience, the audience can also perceive positive emotions in the films.
Comparison and Contrast
In each of the three films shared in this BLOG, different tasks or personal encounters lead to changes in the protagonist’s personality or perceptions. Fortunately, these changes help the protagonists to become braver, kinder, and more responsible.
In terms of characterization, the protagonists of Maleficent and Hotel Transylvania are not decent characters. However, these protagonists still have a good heart. Therefore, at the end of the story, the protagonists realize their mistakes in the past and try to change their problems.
The protagonist of Ready Player One is immature as a teenager at the beginning of the story. But he doesn’t shy away from the dangerous adventure. And it is his repeated efforts that lead him to victory in the end. As the character changes from immaturity to responsibility, the character grows up as well.