Binary Opposites

The Amazing Spider-man and the Harry Potter franchise

In both Harry Potter and The Amazing Spiderman franchises, the binary opposites, the protagonists and antagonists, hold specific values that reinforce their role.

Firstly, Voldemort’s role as an antagonist is exceedingly stereotypical in regard to the mise-en-scene, soundtrack, editing and camera work. The black clothing and evil actions empower darkness upon the world. His followers also wear similar clothing. This, among other factors, present Voldemort as the epitome of evil. It is ironic however, that most tyrannical characters don’t kill other people but rather, their disciples commit the crime for them.

Thus, most characters in the movie refer to Voldemort as ‘the dark lord’ or ‘he who shall not be named’. Harry goes against this rule by addressing Voldemort by his real name emphasising his heroic traits of bravery. He is not afraid to confront this demonic being.

Furthermore, it can be argued that Harry is an atypical character as he doesn’t appeal to the female gaze. He is not a muscular figure who attracts many women. It is his courage and intellect that appeal to the audience. On the other hand, Harry will go to extreme lengths to protect society and those that he loves. This includes letting Voldemort kill him in the last film. This self- sacrificing element embodies a heroic character as they exceed to sizeable lengths for the greater good. Despite their pain and injuries, they succumb to the need of others.

The motif of snakes is prevalent within the films. Voldemort and Harry can both speak the language of a snake and Voldemort has specific features of a snake. The connotations of a snake include: deceit, deviousness and poisonous, all of which describe Voldemort.

The extreme low-key lighting in the final two films reflect the ruin and desolation Voldemort has caused. It also represents the lack of hope and survival for the human race. Once the dark lord has been deafened, light it restored both physically and metaphorically.

The various low angle shots of Voldemort highlight his superiority and despotism. The dominant reading allows the audience to view him as a powerful and sadistic character. The only hope that follows is Harry which once again portrays his heroic image. 

All eight films conform to Todorov’s thesis; Voldemort being the disequilibrium and Harry being the saviour to restore equilibrium in society.

In The Amazing Spider-man, both the antagonist and protagonist show stereotypical and atypical characteristics.

Spider-man, played by Andrew Garfield, is athletic and appeals to the female gaze all of which are factors of a stereotypical hero. He skills able him to do things ‘normal’ civilians can’t emphasising his heroism. The element of self-sacrifice is once again prevalent in spider-man’s character as he is prepared to die for his friends, family and society in general. Despite being injured in the last battle, he does his best to triumph over Dr. Curt Connors.

However, it is unusual for the audience to see the hero gaining his attributes in the movie. We usually associate heroism to be a natural factor that a person is born with. Once Peter Parker was bitten by the spider, it could be argued that he felt obliged to help society as he had been given the power to.  This idea is also reinforced into the antagonist. During the beginning of the movie, Dr. Curt Connors was seen as an alliance to Peter but an enemy at the end. His deformity provoked a deal of psychological pressure and caused him to endure lethal substances that transformed him into an immense lizard. Empathy is therefore created towards the antagonist which is atypical. He has both a good and evil nature.

To conclude, the binary opposites are clearly reinforced due to their stereotypical attributes.