7 Of The Greatest Character Arcs In Film and Televsion
One of the hallmarks of good storytelling is when characters are changed by the experiences they go through. This change can be for better or worse. It might seem like characters becoming better people would be more enjoyable to watch, but turning a character evil and making the audience care requires the same amount of skill.
Film and television handle character arcs in different ways. In a film, characters have less time to show a gradual transition, but the short time allows audiences to fully absorb the change as a whole. On the other hand, television makes the chnage seem more realistic as it takes a long period of time. Here’s a little mix of film and TV series with incredible character arcs that show the best of both worlds.
Michael Corleone from The Godfather
Not all characters change for the better, which is certainly the case for Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) in Francis Coppola’s 1972 film The Godfather. At the start of the film, he is a loveable war hero who wants nothing to do with his family’s illegal business, and at the end he takes his father’s place as the new Don of the business, only he’s far more ruthless. Near the end, where he becomes the godfather to his sister's child at the baptism ceremony, marks his final transformation. As he vows to the priest that he’s denounced satan, a montage of shots show his men murdering those in his opposition. Coppola used all his talent to show that The Godfather is really about a transition to evil. In the last shot, Michael’s girlfriend watches sadly as the door to his office closes, realising the man she once knew no longer exists.
👉 Watch The Godfather on Amazon Prime
👉 Buy The Godfather as DVD on Amazon
The Bride/Kiddo from Kill Bill Volume 1 and 2
Based on the killing spree Kiddo embarks on in the first film, it’s hard to imagine that the second installment would end with anything other than her completed quest for vengeance. Tarantino decided to end the film series with a character arc that humanises Kiddo. In Volume 1, she is defined by her thirst for revenge, which drives the plot forward with a series of ruthless and brutal murders. In Volume 2, she gains a self-awareness that allows her to forgive Bill and move on with her life with her daughter. Unlike many revenge films, Tarantino shows that a fixation on vengeance is never healthy.
👉 Watch Kill Bill: Volume 1 on Amazon Prime
👉 Buy Kill Bill: Volume 1 as DVD on Amazon
👉 Watch Kill Bill: Volume 2 on Amazon Prime
👉 Buy Kill Bill: Volume 2 as DVD on Amazon
Michael from The Good Place
What’s great about The Good Place is that it’s centred around the characters’ change for good. While exploring serious themes of morality and dealing with in depth character development, it’s also hilarious. Out of all the characters, Michael's development is the most extreme. We start off thinking he’s an angel, then realise he’s a demon posing as an angel, and finally, he realises who his friends really are and embraces compassion. Him sacrificing himself for the group really cements his change as the most extreme in the group.
👉 Watch The Good Place on Amazon Prime
👉 Buy The Good Place as DVD on Amazon
Walter White from Breaking Bad
Like The Godfather, Breaking Bad transforms a complete innocence to pure evil. The show's creator, Vince Gilligan, said his aim for the show was to “take Mr. Chips and turn him into Scarface”. Unlike the Godfather, Breaking Bad had the advantage of gradually revealing Walter White’s arc through five whole seasons. This offers a more realistic portrayal of a descent into evil, as Walter goes from an emasculated high school teacher and a family man to a ruthless drug kingpin who’d get his own family killed to get his way. We sympathise with him at the beginning due to his illness and financial problems, but towards the end of the series we realise he was never one to sympathise with.
👉 Watch Breaking Bad on Amazon Prime
👉 Buy Breaking Bad as DVD on Amazon
Sarah Connor from Terminator 1 and 2
As well as being an incredibly fun and thrilling action film, Terminator makes us care for Sarah Connor’s character growth. She starts off as completely unwilling to fufill her duty, but soon realises her obligation. As she fights through challenging obstacles she starts to show incredible strength and bravery.
👉 Watch Terminator 1 on Amazon Prime
👉 Buy Terminator 1 as DVD on Amazon
👉 Watch Terminator 2 on Amazon Prime
👉 Buy Terminator 2 as DVD on Amazon
Alexis Rose from Schitt’s Creek
Schitt’s Creek offers many redemption arcs for the formerly wealthy members of the Rose family, who were forced out of their glamorous lifestyle. The development of Alexis is arguably the most satisfying and heartfelt one. Like the other characters, when she first arrives at Schitt’s Creek she is appalled by the conditions, and interacts with the town in the most bratty and snooty ways. She even tries to get her wealthy boyfriend to rescue her from the town, but he quickly decides to abandon her. As the series progresses, she becomes more and more modest and mature, but her biggest achievement is the independence she gains. At the end of the series, she manages to leave the town, but only by her own hard work.
👉 Watch Schitt’s Creek on Amazon Prime
👉 Buy Schitt’s Creek as DVD on Amazon
Randle Murphy from One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest
One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest delivered the incredible arc of Randle “Mac” Murphy among heartbreaking circumstances. When he is first admitted to the psych ward, his characteristics are akin to sociopathy. His selfishness, violent tendencies, recalcitrance, and the fact that he’s a statutory rapist makes it near impossible to sympathise with him. The film manages to win over the audience's sympathy as he starts to use his rebelliousness against the unethical practices of the hospital enforced by Nurse Ratched. At first, it seems as if he does so for the fun of it, but gradually he becomes compassionate towards the patients and forms strong attachments to them. The lengths he goes to help the inmates leads him to become labotomised, marking his new found selflessness and empathy.
👉 Watch One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest on Amazon Prime
