Monomyth for Fast Five
Motion Pictures have been a part of our culture for many years. To the un-trained eye they are surprising and unpredictable, but according to Joseph Campbell’s monomyth, movies follow a set of certain stages, and it is almost guaranteed that every movie will follow these guidelines. To examine Joseph’s theory I watched the movie Fast Five, an action packed car racing film which followed the main character Dominic on his quest for freedom.
In the beginning of a movie, the hero must be given signs of an adventure; this is the call to adventure. In the first few scenes of Fast Five you see the main character Dominic hearing word that his sister is in great danger and also that the police are looking for him because of his recent illegal activity. These scenes foreshadow the coming of a new experience which sets the stage for the rest of the film. This new knowledge triggers adventure, which was the call to adventure.Supernatural Aid: when a hero receives something that will help him on his journey. You can see supernatural aid take place when Dominic obtains a super fast car that will not only help him escape from being captured and it will also get him to his sister who needs his help. If Dominic did not receive this car there would be no way for him to reach his goal and therefore the story would end there.
In Joseph’s second stage, he discusses the Road of Trials, which is a series of quests the character must go through. In the movie Dominic goes through many things before reaching his actual goal. Physically Dominic must defend himself in many battles with the police force that is trying to arrest him. These battles tested his endurance and strength. His absence of money required him to formulate plans to obtain the things he needed throughout his journey, these plans tested his mental strength and led him through many obstacles on his road to success, such as putting himself in life threatening situations like stealing from powerful drug leaders who then wanted to hurt him. These trials of his determination even though they were extremely hard led him to ultimate success on his quest.
According to Joseph’s Monomyth there is always a woman who tries to lead the hero away from his quest called the temptress. Throughout the entire film Dominic seems to always be concerned with what the female police officer assigned to capture him is thinking. In one specific scene, he breaks into her apartment and the woman officer tries to seduce him and make him surrender, this is like the definition of a temptress. Once the woman realizes she can not control Dominic or her sexual urges, she joins him in his quest to save his sister and find his freedom.
In the end of the film, Dominic reached his goal of saving his sister and he finally became free from the law, he visits his sister and wishes her well before he walks off into the free world and lives his life alone and in peace. This can be related to Joseph’s Freedom to live stage and Master of the Two Worlds where the hero removes all that ever held him back and even though he will never forget his experiences he is free to live the life he always wanted.
The movie Fast Five is just one example of how most motion picture films use Joseph Campbell’s Monomyth. Throughout the whole film Dominic’s journey to freedom and the road he took to get there gives examples of every stage in Joseph’s monomyth. Every popular blockbuster somehow follows this myth, and anyone who tries to break these rules will not have much success in the movie making industry.
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