There was a reason I loved Captain Planet when I was a child, and it wasn’t because I’m super green peace. It wasn’t even because I wanted to be a super hero, although that helped. I loved Captain Planet for the pure evil of its villains. Every episode ended with the same basic confrontation.
Planeteers: You’re dumping toxic waste into the ecosystem! How could you do such a thing?
Me at Home: They must be trying to cut corners at some manufacturing plant somewhere! There could be billions on the line!
Villain: Fuck you Planeteers! I’m doing this for no apparent reason whatsoever other than the simple love of pollution! Yes, that’s right. I didn’t even set up my manufacturing concern to make money, I did it solely to generate pollution, so I could use that pollution to pollute the ecosystem. In fact, I prefer to pollute even when there is a cheaper more environmentally friendly alternative.
Me at Home: Fuck that is evil.
There was a movie I watched as a child that satisfied this same desire. It had villains so evil it was comedic. Then, when it had been demonstrated sufficiently that these were people beyond all redemption, they were destroyed. Destroyed in a truly satisfying way that can never be achieved in real life. That movie was the 1985 cult classic, The Toxic Avenger. I just found out you can watch it for free on Hulu, although you have to register since it’s rated R.
Now, for a beautiful song. My brother sent this to me the other day and I’ve been sending it to almost everyone I know… because Jesus Christ this thing is a tear-jerker. I have no idea what the video is supposed to represent, so just listen to the music.
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5 comments ↓
It’s scenes/excerpts from a German film called GoodBye Lenin, which is in German but has an English title and is about some sick coma-ridden mother tricking. No lie, wikipedia it. great song though.
Wow, BC. (And not just for the the weird Captain Planet love - I mean, really? Maybe I was just too old for it when it came out, but damn, that was some hokie shit.)
No: that *song*. Beautiful, haunting, irrevocably sad in some indefinable way… that\’s going to stay with me all day. Thanks for pointing me in its direction.
The video, for what its worth, seems to be taken directly from some German movie. Set in Russia, I think, probably in the late 80s/early 90s. There were some weird references to the Soviet space program that I didn\’t quite get, but the main thrust of the footage seemed to be of a son losing his mother. For which the music, I think, is quite appropriate.
I second your love of truly evil villains who ultimately get destroyed. None of this “understanding” the villain’s “motives” and “sympathizing” bullshit.
Your synopsis of Twilight is, coincidentally, my new attitude regarding vampires after reading the series.
we used to draw captain planet at Fil-Cartoons studio, a subsidiary of Hanna-Barbera here in the Philippines before it was taken over by Turner network. we did at least 5 episodes or so. I vividly remember those villain you are talking about because it is like painful to draw them with all the gestures and details in it.
Captain Planet\’s hair is so 80\’s–much like snake in Metal Gear Solid or McGyver in the TV series.
Nice Post!
@Mary
Thank you. And here I thought the Germans just wrote angry conquer music like Wagner.
@jp
Captain Planet had the exact same haircut as MacGyver. I think that may have been why I enjoyed him.
@Sara
You couldn’t handle Vampyre dick. It would tear you apart.
@Rom
Rom, you are very fancy. Why are you here? You are too fancy to be here. Anyhow, what’s new in the cartooning business lately?
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