The Continued Case for Retrying the UMECU
Nov. 22nd, 2017 08:22 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wingedbeastTo remind of the theme of the Cases I'm going with, the idea is that I think that there is artistic and entertainment value to be had in a Universal Monster Extended Cinematic Universe. Two previous attempts, Dracula Untold and The Mummy have failed at that attempt... largely on the basis that they just weren't good movies.
Last time, I worked with Dracula as a source material (though, arguably the idea can work with just about any vampire). The important point was to make sure that it was a good stand-alone movie. Elements could be expanded later, but there shouldn't be any effort to tease for future movies before we know there's a good movie in the first place.
We're going to keep with the stand-alone effort and, now, move from Dracula to another classic horror villain. The previous was large and powerful and impossible to fully defeat because it was so big. Let's focus a little smaller with this one, on the strange case of a young student of psychology, looking to become a doctor.
Did I over play the foreshadowing? I think so. Let's look at Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
First, an item of note. I have not read the book. I can't exactly ask people not to post spoilers as I've had ample opportunity. I have some general understanding, because references are everywhere. I'll first post my understanding and then invite people to correct me.
By my understanding, one Dr. Jekyll, seeking to understand and excise the evil from him, by accident creates an additional personality that is, at least according to the author, evil. Were I to actually work on the film, (and why would I, I have no experience in film-making whatsoever, but if anybody wants to give me a job...) I would feel it a requirement to read the book. But, for now, I'm working with the understanding that I have.
Using that as my basis, let's focus on the young student (or perhaps young professor if we really need him to be a doctor) of medicine (going into the field of psychology), one Mr. Jekyll. The soon-to-be-doctor has a particular interest and a particular background.
Part of his background comes out early in the movie. He goes to the same church he went to as a child. He is a believer (this never changes and his eventual other personality is a believer as well). He struggles with a difficulty forgiving and what, at this point, is only identified as "bad thoughts". He's certainly trying to correct himself, and that effort is encouraged by his pastor who tells him that both struggles may be difficult but both stopping those bad thoughts and forgiving are essential to being a good person.
This may even have spurred Mr. Jekyll's interest in biology, neuroscience, and psychology. In part, this taught him the dispiriting truth that his bad thoughts can't be cured through medication. Drugs have a myriad of valuable uses in psychology, but not his particular condition. And, putting them where they shouldn't be would only cause problems, not solve any.
In order to go farther, in the hopes of finally having victory over his own sins and demons, Mr. Jekyll goes online and contacts other sources. Most of them are readily debunked. But, there is one. A source similar to the source of the hero in the previous Case. This source tells Mr. Jekyll of some elements of the supernatural, and is able to give good information, testable information that holds true. It might have explanations in terms of methodological naturalism, but it's new information and a lead.
Again, still, no specificity as to what the bad thoughts are. Only that he can't stop them and he feels he must.
This new information, and regular communication with the source, allows him to produce a new therapy. It's certainly experimental. But, he's motivated, potentially even desperate to achieve this victory over himself. He tries and the result is Mr. Hyde.
Ideally, both Jekyll and Hyde can be played by the same actor, with subtle makeup and camera angles to look like he could be a different person. This is a challenge well beyond my skill, and perhaps entirely superfluous. But, something to keep in mind.
Mr. Hyde comes out. Of course the first time Mr. Hyde comes out, both we and Jekyll only see the aftermath. It includes violence and police asking questions of the neighborhood, looking for witnesses without clear indications of what exactly happened. Someone's in the hospital. (Possibly a minor character who has an established conflict with Jekyll by this time.)
The only direct communication Hyde gives him is a note with a message that will be repeated. "I was okay until you blamed me."
That will be the consequences of Hyde's first, chaotic and unplanned excursion into the world. Over subsequent excursions, Hyde shows the ability to act according to a long term plan. That plan includes the abduction of the pastor that Jekyll trusts so much. And, the line "I was okay until you blamed me."
By conferring with the source and using his own instincts and education, Jekyll develops a plan. Whatever Hyde's been doing and planning, he's been doing it with Jekyll's own brain. It's just a matter of accessing that information. That requires consciously choosing to think like Hyde. This way he can get closer, a bit at a time, with meditation and acting practices (basically, he play-acts out Hyde's movements and mannerisms).
Bit by bit, this brings the two minds closer together. At first, Jekyll is able to access bits and pieces of Hyde's memories and plans. In the climactic scene, Jekyll and Hyde are able to have a full on conversation for the first time. Hyde doesn't resist Jekyll's effort to find the abducted (and still alive) pastor, but does start the conversation with "I was okay until you blamed me."
The conclusion may or may not leave the pastor alive, but will have the same source of information intervene. (Ideally, because Jekyll invited them, knowing/feeling he would need to be contained.)
At the same time, Jekyll would realize that there is more than a little truth to what Hyde said. Hyde, despite Jekyll's thinking, was not a cancer upon the human soul but an essential element. The part may be amoral, but it isn't necessarily immoral. Hyde must be respected in order for healing to begin. At the same time, what's done is done. Jekyll and Hyde may be of the same soul and within the same brain, but there will always be that element of them as semi-separate personalities.
In an after-credits scene, we get the only point in the movie that is explicitly about the extended universe. Yes, the Jekyll/Hyde person has done wrong. And, yes, there has to be consequences. But, the same organization that was the source of information also does more and could use the help of a trained psychologist... particularly one with two unique and distinct perspectives.
Last time, I worked with Dracula as a source material (though, arguably the idea can work with just about any vampire). The important point was to make sure that it was a good stand-alone movie. Elements could be expanded later, but there shouldn't be any effort to tease for future movies before we know there's a good movie in the first place.
We're going to keep with the stand-alone effort and, now, move from Dracula to another classic horror villain. The previous was large and powerful and impossible to fully defeat because it was so big. Let's focus a little smaller with this one, on the strange case of a young student of psychology, looking to become a doctor.
Did I over play the foreshadowing? I think so. Let's look at Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
First, an item of note. I have not read the book. I can't exactly ask people not to post spoilers as I've had ample opportunity. I have some general understanding, because references are everywhere. I'll first post my understanding and then invite people to correct me.
By my understanding, one Dr. Jekyll, seeking to understand and excise the evil from him, by accident creates an additional personality that is, at least according to the author, evil. Were I to actually work on the film, (and why would I, I have no experience in film-making whatsoever, but if anybody wants to give me a job...) I would feel it a requirement to read the book. But, for now, I'm working with the understanding that I have.
Using that as my basis, let's focus on the young student (or perhaps young professor if we really need him to be a doctor) of medicine (going into the field of psychology), one Mr. Jekyll. The soon-to-be-doctor has a particular interest and a particular background.
Part of his background comes out early in the movie. He goes to the same church he went to as a child. He is a believer (this never changes and his eventual other personality is a believer as well). He struggles with a difficulty forgiving and what, at this point, is only identified as "bad thoughts". He's certainly trying to correct himself, and that effort is encouraged by his pastor who tells him that both struggles may be difficult but both stopping those bad thoughts and forgiving are essential to being a good person.
This may even have spurred Mr. Jekyll's interest in biology, neuroscience, and psychology. In part, this taught him the dispiriting truth that his bad thoughts can't be cured through medication. Drugs have a myriad of valuable uses in psychology, but not his particular condition. And, putting them where they shouldn't be would only cause problems, not solve any.
In order to go farther, in the hopes of finally having victory over his own sins and demons, Mr. Jekyll goes online and contacts other sources. Most of them are readily debunked. But, there is one. A source similar to the source of the hero in the previous Case. This source tells Mr. Jekyll of some elements of the supernatural, and is able to give good information, testable information that holds true. It might have explanations in terms of methodological naturalism, but it's new information and a lead.
Again, still, no specificity as to what the bad thoughts are. Only that he can't stop them and he feels he must.
This new information, and regular communication with the source, allows him to produce a new therapy. It's certainly experimental. But, he's motivated, potentially even desperate to achieve this victory over himself. He tries and the result is Mr. Hyde.
Ideally, both Jekyll and Hyde can be played by the same actor, with subtle makeup and camera angles to look like he could be a different person. This is a challenge well beyond my skill, and perhaps entirely superfluous. But, something to keep in mind.
Mr. Hyde comes out. Of course the first time Mr. Hyde comes out, both we and Jekyll only see the aftermath. It includes violence and police asking questions of the neighborhood, looking for witnesses without clear indications of what exactly happened. Someone's in the hospital. (Possibly a minor character who has an established conflict with Jekyll by this time.)
The only direct communication Hyde gives him is a note with a message that will be repeated. "I was okay until you blamed me."
That will be the consequences of Hyde's first, chaotic and unplanned excursion into the world. Over subsequent excursions, Hyde shows the ability to act according to a long term plan. That plan includes the abduction of the pastor that Jekyll trusts so much. And, the line "I was okay until you blamed me."
By conferring with the source and using his own instincts and education, Jekyll develops a plan. Whatever Hyde's been doing and planning, he's been doing it with Jekyll's own brain. It's just a matter of accessing that information. That requires consciously choosing to think like Hyde. This way he can get closer, a bit at a time, with meditation and acting practices (basically, he play-acts out Hyde's movements and mannerisms).
Bit by bit, this brings the two minds closer together. At first, Jekyll is able to access bits and pieces of Hyde's memories and plans. In the climactic scene, Jekyll and Hyde are able to have a full on conversation for the first time. Hyde doesn't resist Jekyll's effort to find the abducted (and still alive) pastor, but does start the conversation with "I was okay until you blamed me."
Jeckyll: You were never okay. You made me think horrible things.
Hyde: They aren't horrible.
Jekyll: You made me... that poor girl.
Hyde: You know, I actually agree, she was the wrong target. But, we were just children, we weren't going to get it perfect.
Jekyll: The wrong target? Is that all you think was wrong?
Hyde: We'd made the decision days before. We didn't know it was going to be her. But, do you remember that decision? Do you remember the act? Do you remember how good it felt to have someone be on our side? Even if it was just ourself?
Jekyll: ...
Hyde: We're in the same brain. I know you remember.
Jekyll: It was still wrong.
Hyde: Wrong target, nothing more. It was a moment of being able to protect our own soul from utter destruction. Nobody else was going to do it for us. Nobody else was on our side, especially not him.
*camera shows that they can see the pastor*
Hyde: He told you I was evil. He told you I was sin. I was mad. I was mad about what had been done to us. And, he told you that I wasn't allowed to exist, that any thoughts of anger or revenge were a violation of God's design. Well, God designed us to be angry about that. What else did we have but our anger?
Jekyll: Forgiveness. We had forgiveness.
Hyde: No! He had our forgiveness. They had our forgiveness. They demanded and commanded it from the first strike and we weren't even allowed to wait until they even said "sorry".
Hyde: I was protecting us. I was protecting a piece of our soul that they couldn't crush just because it occurred to them to crush it... And, you blamed me rather than them.
The conclusion may or may not leave the pastor alive, but will have the same source of information intervene. (Ideally, because Jekyll invited them, knowing/feeling he would need to be contained.)
At the same time, Jekyll would realize that there is more than a little truth to what Hyde said. Hyde, despite Jekyll's thinking, was not a cancer upon the human soul but an essential element. The part may be amoral, but it isn't necessarily immoral. Hyde must be respected in order for healing to begin. At the same time, what's done is done. Jekyll and Hyde may be of the same soul and within the same brain, but there will always be that element of them as semi-separate personalities.
In an after-credits scene, we get the only point in the movie that is explicitly about the extended universe. Yes, the Jekyll/Hyde person has done wrong. And, yes, there has to be consequences. But, the same organization that was the source of information also does more and could use the help of a trained psychologist... particularly one with two unique and distinct perspectives.
