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Viking Barry
Lieutenant
USA
32 Posts |
 Posted - February 12 2005 : 3:51:21 PM
 
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Hello Folks:
I was watching "The Barbarians"(1987), with David and John Paul, today on video tape. And I, can not believed how stupid the plot-point is. The whole movie center around the bad king and his evil priestess trying get processes of a certain magical stone. It seems that precious jewel can bestowed on it’s owner, the power to create peace and happiness within one’s tribe or village. It meant that the people are so bloody happy and content with their new lives of spiritual fulfillment that they will become circus performers down the line and travel the open road entertaining various settlements and royalty along the way. Now why would the bad king want this jewel for himself? Dose he has hidden desires to be a clown and performed tricks of illusion before large crowds of people. He is sick and tried of forcing his subjects to bend to his will by torturing or taxing them to death? It is time for a career change by doing his face in silly clown make-up? He now tires to get them to love him because he is now funny, and therefore his evil rule can not be taken seriously anyway? Look in Sword and sandal fantasy stories, magical stones are supposed to bring you unlimited power and great amount of wealth. So the bad king and his evil priestess want to rule the world through force and terror and certain not through laugher and merriment. If Dr. Doom. or even Lex Luther, should ever found out about him he will be thrown out of the supervillain union by now.
Sign:
Barry Fletcher
e4107773@yahoo.com
One of The Combat-Happy Joes of Easy Company
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Mr. Paradox
Most Empty of Emotions
USA
687 Posts |
Posted - February 13 2005 : 08:20:21 AM
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That's not even mentioning why the stone has the name it does...
Not exactly a movie, but there was a really dumb plot-point in the video game Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. Okay, everyone's been dragged into a video game world, and the main character tries to get a friend to help him find a way out. She turns him down. Why? Because... in the real world, her hair's white, not the red it is in the video game world, and she hates getting mocked about it.
...okay, granted she's a kid, but WHAT? |
"I hit rock bottom/and then I fell in a hole/and then I fell through the floor of that hole some more..." |
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The Master
Now! With Realistic Shh-ing Action!
USA
1186 Posts |
Posted - February 15 2005 : 3:53:19 PM
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Possible spoilers
Yeah, and why didn't Aeris just turn around and kick Sephiroth's be-hind? I mean, Sephy was like reeealy weak, and Aeris (in my party anyway) was a kick-ass magic user. What was with that whole dagger of Xian thing, anyway? I mean what's the point of becoming a dragon if you have to die first? What actually (if anything) happened in Chrono Cross? Why did the guy from the second Tombraider movie really want a box that could end all life on earth?
Most plots from all media have holes you could sail an aircraft carrier through. I was just reading Jabootu's nuggets about the superfriends, and this is nowhere more evident than in cartoons. |
"Let me guess, my theories appall you, my heresies outrage you, I never answer letters, and you don't like my tie."
"The Constitution is a radical document... it is the job of the Government to rein in people's rights." -President Bill Clinton |
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Viking Barry
Lieutenant
USA
32 Posts |
Posted - February 15 2005 : 6:58:51 PM
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quote:
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Originally posted by GalahadPC
I'm wondering something here... if a bad guy wants to find some magic gizmo so he can use it to bring peace and happiness, does he still qualify for "bad guy" status? Is this some wierd twist on villainy that I'm just not getting?
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Hello Folks:
Well, does he want it so that he can use it or is so he can destroy it?
Well, it never mentions or even implied that the power of the magical ruby supposed to do for the bad king, liked increase his foul hold on his poor, helpless kingdom. All the evil priestess said that his kingdom is in the great unrest so it is time to go out and find the ruby. Now according to the prologue narration who even owned the ruby would given the gifts of great joy and joyful laugher. So the entire village becomes travailing circus performers. The ruby enables a person to become great musicians, jugglers, and story-tellers. So we are lead to believe that villain despite his harsh exterior, deep down inside, he just wants to be love. I mean should have the evil priestess warn His-Majesty that possesses this ruby is not such a great deal, after all. Usually, in these heroic fantasy styories, the magic stone gives his owner great power like rising the dead, creates an enviable army of metal warrior, or use a key to great wealth beyond measure. You know things one needs to run a successful empire for a couple of thousand years. Remember one king trades his great mountain gold for the ruby so his beloved subjects can be happy. Boys and girls, can anyone say it is time for a reign change. Oh thank, great king, for turning me into a circus clown. Oh, great fun to be had, by forever wandering on the open road of life without getting a perament chance to settle down to raise a family and farmed a piece of land. No wonder, this movies only lasted three days and nights at the local theaters in Los Angles, Califoria.
Even if he wants to use it, he's taking it away from people who already benefit from it, so they would probably suffer from the loss.
Yes, the circus performers lose their way and are force into destitution. So they sat around and wait for someone to find the magical stone again so they can get back on their feet and performed for small adoring crowds. Gee, folks! Even heard of getting a life and going out on your own and finding work. So now you are free people with no monachy to lead you. Even heard of the right of free people to governed themsleves. That is what usually happens in the genre, is that the people get a leader who is noble, wise, and good of heart. Now that the quuen is dead, you-folks can now elected a one. Forget about bloodlines, and the right of succession.
Plus a magical device that makes people happy would be the perfect accessory for a tyrant. Quintuple their taxes? They're happy! Have them build monuments dedicated to your eternal glory? They're happy! Kill them for mouthing off? Well, they're dead, but the survivors are happy!
Except the mythical stone guaranteed the owner and his tribe the right to travel the open road and entertained the masses along the way. Besides, the bad king should never tax the poor for they have to no money. A ruler should normally go after the merchant class or the nobility who lot of money from exploited the peasantry. The poor class are the farmers who’s crop and labor created food and bottomless resources for royality. It was not until Alfred the Great who used the poor to created a standing army. However, the nobility still made up the officer class. A good ruler used the church to kept the masses happy and content. Rebel starts from the noble class and is funded by merchant class. I still can not understand why rebellions in the sword and sandal genre always seems to come from below. Somehow, the poor has weapon and the ability to used them.
BM: I should have mentioned this at the beginning. I solve my problems with violence.
Speaking of which, since this flim take place in the Age of The Sword, the barbarian twin brothers are often shown using their fists to ward off swords and spears. Look, just because your body is loaded with muscles upon muscles and you have the powerful strength to lifted huge bouilders and tossed them at your enemies, dose not mean you have the same kind of invulnerable as D.C. Comics’ Superman or Marvel Comics’ Thor for that matter. So put armor ar at least magical chain over that powerfully-built, extremely hung body of yours.
Also, rule number for bad king with evil sorceress/ priestress. Always made sure she has great ability to used magic against your enemies. Throughout the entire film she shown using only one spell. She used it to put the twin heroes in cobwebs. Later on, she is totally powerless aginst a giant serpent which devouted her and the main henchman of the bad king.
Rule two of maintaining power is for the king, himself, has to be an expert sowrdsman and have a very effective army around him. The king should always pay his men well so that when encountering a hideous beast on the road, they will go off and fight it for you. What good is the army if it always running away from twenty foot length serpents?
Rule three is when taking on two heroes while you are on horseback and the others on foot, you should use it to your advantages. You not pull out a small crossbow to take out two guys. Chances are such a weapon would malfunction at crucial times during deadly combat. It doses do not paid to be sitting on horse waiting around to be used as human target practice. You should be charging your horse at the two men, with broadsword wielding archway of death about you.
Question, most of the cirus performers were killed off at the beginingng of the movies. Later on, when not-so-bad -girl return to the normanic cirus she finds the tribes has grow three folds. Now, wait-a-minute, the bad king capture what was left of the cirus after he and his men vicously attacked it. Only a handfull was left alive. The performers taken back to his castle and the beatiful women of the captived tribs were giving over to his men. The rest were made prisoners. How the blank the ciruc performers made it to the hidden part of the forbiddened forest alive and with more people than they started out with. Would someone please explain that trick to me.
Why does the tribe of circus performers have a queen in the first place? Look her subjects numbered in the low thirties to be generous at least. To be a ruler, one needs to have a kingdom, many, many subjects, and a large army. The woman has neither. Who die and made her queen? Her only duty is to safe-guard the magic stone from harm so that her pope can continue to travel on the open road in safety.
Sign:
Barry Fletcher
e4107773@yahoo.com
One of The Combat-Happy Joes of Easy Company
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