Characters changing from evil to good? E.g. the "Puppetmaster" series

[DaddyfromNaboo]

I just caught "Retro Puppetmaster" on TV, and since it was eons ago that I had seen the original "Puppetmaster", I looked the stories of the other parts of the series up.

While I can see the fan following for a Freddy Kruger or a Jason or any other monster character, I don´t see how the overall "morale" of characters can be changed within a series.

The Puppet master series looks like having turned the direction from "evil puppets" to "essentially good puppets". And while I can see the jumps they made within the PM timeline, I can´t see how they can change the "direction" of the puppet´s goals and morale?

I´ve noticed that in asian cinema, especially in japanese cinema, good and evil aren´t always clearly defined, and I must say I often like that approach. But when Killer puppets turn saviours, I must say, I can only shake my head. Or did I miss something?

Michael

 

[allosaur176]

I think Iwould place Riddick from Pitch Black into this catagory.. He went from Murderer to savior in one movie

 

[CB2001]

I think Iwould place Riddick from Pitch Black into this catagory.. He went from Murderer to savior in one movie

And that's in the first film alone. But technically, according to the novel adaptation, he was a good guy who tried to do the right thing, and when his employers found out, they pretty much destroyed his reputation and made him the "serial killer" that he was labeled as in the first film, with each act of self-defense he's performed against bounty hunters sent after him being labeled as "victims").

But for the Puppet Master films, they did not become good in Retro. I do believe they became "good" in Part 4.

 

[SSgt Burton]

Some that spring to mind...


The Terminator (explained as same model, new mission)

Darth Vader

HAL 9000 (although I wouldn't technically class him as "evil")


Kevin

 

[Wes R]

I tend to like when the line between good and evil are blurred because it's more realistic for the average person unless they're a psychopath or like superman.

 

[CB2001]

I tend to like when the line between good and evil are blurred because it's more realistic for the average person unless they're a psychopath or like superman.

I agree. But there are some characters that you can't really tell if they're good or bad. For example, Jigsaw from the Saw series. Though it's understandable that what he believed that near death experiences could help people face who and what they are and hopefully make them change, he did set up people to die. He believed he was trying to help them, but he got them killed. I think he realized that, in Part 3, that his legacy was nothing more than a bunch of dead bodies.

Hannibal Lector is another example that's hard to pin down, too. Looking at the films alone in the films timeline (Hannibal Rising, Red Dragon, Silence of the Lambs and then Hannibal), he starts off as being a victim of unfortunate events, eventually going vigilante to seek justice for his sister. After the realization of the truth, he then became nothing more than a monster. But then after a while, he somehow decided that the best victims were those who were rude/villains or performing what he considered "acts of public service." So, would be a monster because of what he does or does that make him a public servant for what he does? Hannibal Lector is a gray character, there is no true black or white with him.