BOO! HISS! Our volunteers pick their favourite movie baddies. (part 1)
What exactly is a baddie? It’s quite different from evil in film. Baddie implies fun, humour, and occasionally, misunderstandings, whereas evil denotes something far more sinister. We’re much more comfortable enjoying baddies and revelling in their eventual comeuppance.
Die Hard
When I think of a baddie, one unforgettable character comes straight to my mind. Yes, it’s from one of my favorite films—and for the record, it is a Christmas movie. Who could be funnier, more intelligent, cunning, and dapper than Hans Gruber in Die Hard? The late, great Alan Rickman, in my opinion, redefined what it means to be a “fun” baddie in cinema. Historically, villains were often portrayed with impairments, disfigurements, or were stereotyped as non-white or camp—I'm looking at you, James Bond creators. But Die Hard broke new ground, even introducing terrorism using digital technology.
Sorry, Hans, but no matter how impressive you are, I’m still rooting for John McClane. "Yippee-Ki-Yay, you..."
My Best Friend’s Wedding
Switching gears— remember 1997's My Best Friend’s Wedding? With America’s sweetheart Julia Roberts, no less? Her character, Julianne, is apparently past her prime at the age of 27 (I know!).
Realising far too late that she’s in love with her childhood best friend Michael, Julianne embarks on a mission to sabotage his wedding. Her efforts are relentless: pretending to support the bride while secretly scheming, exploiting Kimberly’s insecurities, and even forging a scandalous email to stir up trouble. To top it all off, she humiliates the ever-kind Kimberly, played by Cameron Diaz, with a cringe-worthy karaoke setup, confesses her love to Michael, and indulges in a dramatic chase scene that humiliates his fiancée on their wedding day. At first viewing on its release, it felt like we where meant to cheer for Julianne, but watching it again recently, I couldn’t help but think, why would anyone stay friends with her after that (as in the end of the film)? It left me thinking, Kimberly run for the hills, your new friend is an absolute MONSTER.
And let’s talk about baddies in general. Apart from superhero movies, you’d find them so prominent in almost every Disney film before the 2000s. Who knew Disney could traumatise so many kids globally? Thankfully, films like Frozen taught us the value of understanding complexity in characters like Elsa.
As for Disney baddies, there’s an overwhelming number to choose from: Shere Khan and Kaa in The Jungle Book, Smitty (the ultimate bully) in Dumbo, or Scar in The Lion King (yet again shown with a disfigurement—a disappointing trope). When it comes to my favorite, though, it’s a close call between two utterly unforgettable villains. Cruella de Vil from 101 Dalmatians - because who would dream of stealing and killing 15 adorable puppies? And there's Ursula from The Little Mermaid. But I have to choose Ursula. Not only does she own Poor Unfortunate Souls, the best song in the film, also she was inspired by the wickedly fantastic iconic performer Divine.
The Little Mermaid
Baddies may be scheming, cruel, or downright chaotic, but they undeniably bring flair and unforgettable drama to the films we love. Those were my top three, yet if you asked me tomorrow, you might get a completely different list. In fact, I’ve just remembered Lotso from Toy Story 3...
