Top 30 Villains: #'s 30-21

Well I am finally here, my 100th review since I started the blog. I am so surprised that I have gotten this far. I am the kind of person whenever I start a personal project of mine, I mostly end up quitting not even half way. For me personally, I am kind of proud that I have gotten this far in my blog. And since it is my 100th review, I thought to myself what can I talk about that can be worthy or big to commemorate. For the past few months, I have been pondering on what should I critique or discuss. Then I thought about what I personally loved about movies, almost more than anything. The heroes and villains of a movie, and more specifically the relationships they share. The conflict between a great hero and a great villain, in my opinion, is one of the strongest highlights whenever I watch a film. It is one of the elements I get a kick out of the most or gain a significant amount of entertainment. I love when a hero, the moral center and character who probably relates most to the audience, has to face someone who is his or her total opposite. The villain can be a great entertaining factor in a film. Sometimes their dark, unexpecting, suspenseful, scary, sympathetic, sometimes even funny, but most of all they are downright pure evil. We as a moviegoing audience nowadays love watching a great villain doing their evil deeds, and to commence this 100th review I will be counting down my top 30 favorite villains in film. And after I am finished with this list, I will move on to my favorite heroes. Makes sense enough. I picked these villains by all sorts of factors including which ones had great performances, were intimidating, which were written the most well, all that good stuff. So lets see what is lurking in the dark side of cinema and countdown the Top 30 Villains! 

#30

Lord Shen (Kung Fu Panda 2, played by Gary Oldman)

Probably a very surreal way to start off this list, let the first entry be a peacock! But do not let appearances deceive you with this bird. Lord Shen is a cunning, menacing, quick, and intelligent creature. This a character that only wanted glory and praise but ended up being feared instead, even by his own parents. He is the type of villain that does horrific things, thinking only they will bring him love and nobility. He was definitely a lost creature from the start. On top of that like most great villains, he shares wonderful tension with Po, our panda hero, whenever they are on screen together. This of course because without giving too much away, they do share a past together, a past that led to the fate of Po's family and even maybe his species. Gary Oldman, being a terrific actor as he already is, gives a chilling and deviously enjoyable performance for this villain. He has a soothing yet menacing voice that is perfect for a villain as slick and cunning as this. The animation on this thing is also very impressive. Whenever there are fight scenes with Shen involved, he moves very quick yet gracefully. It is quite beautiful too look at actually, even if he is trying to murder his opponent. Shen is definitely proof that beauty can sometimes be deceiving. Speaking of Gary Oldman, is there another villain that he played that might be slightly better than this one? Well...

#29

Norman Stansfield (The Professional, played by Gary Oldman) 

From one Oldman villain to another, where Shen was threatening, Norman Stansfield is twice as much! He is the definition of being unexpected. You do not know whether he is angry, frustrated, or calm. Actually I think, and I could be wrong, when he is most calm is when he seems to be very angry just to place an intimidating factor on his enemies, and whenever he is the most pissed off he seems very calm! In the story he mercilessly kills the family of our orphan heroine Mathilda, because her father was using some of the drugs Norman had him hide. He kills everyone, right down to Mathilda's little brother, which is the main reason she holds such a vendetta against him and wants to murder him. But even when she does encounter him face to face, her face is showing that she is tremendously terrified of him. This because his mere presence can mean this might be the last day you walk on this earth. Despite a good number of times he is calm, he can be threatening when he is loud and ranting. This includes whenever he takes a sniff of coke, and randomly fires his gun to remind everyone else in the room that he is top dog. This also another performance Gary Oldman gives his all into; this in turn is probably one of his best performances he has ever given. Norman Stansfield is truly a threat to everyone, and what do I mean by everyone? EEEEEEEVEEERRRRRRYYYYYYOOOOOOOOOOOOONE!!! 

#28

Biff Tannen (The Back to the Future Trilogy, played by Thomas F. Wilson)

 

I'm not a big fan of school bullies in movies. They tend to share the same boring stereotype of the jerk that picks on the lonely and awkward young protagonist. But the thanks to the way Biff is written, along with Thomas F. Wilson's energetic and charismatic performance, he is somehow a celebration of that stereotype, or in other words, a case where that stereotype is done right and is actually entertaining. Biff is a mean boss and he lets everyone around him know it! You can tell why an awkward guy like George McFly can be afraid of this guy. Even though a lot of Biff's delivery and performance is over the top, he can still somewhat come across as intimidating. On top of that, this just another one of those situations where a character evolves the more a film series goes on. For example, in the first Back to the Future, Biff is the tough and intimidating bully. But in the second movie after the Biff Tannen of 2015 learns about the time traveling DeLorean, he uses it to change history so that he can become a rich tyrannical overlord who rules Hill Valley, and on top of that is married to Marty's mom. He changes just from being the guy who steals your lunch money to a fierce power-hungry dictator. That's progress! And that is also one the reasons Biff makes it on this list. He's a villain that just got even more of a menacing, despicable, and bigger threat to Marty as the films went on!

 

 

 

#27

Khan Noonien Singh (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, played by Ricardo Montalban)

 

 

 

 

What makes Khan so great is the charismatic and chilling performance given by Ricardo Montalban. Every inflection, delivery, and expression is bone chilling. Villainy and everything that is sinister just oozes from his appearance and speeches. On top of that his rivalry with Captain Kirk is also what helps make this villain stand out. His pure dedication into killing Kirk and his crew is truly something interesting to be invested. He will  stop at nothing but will do anything in order to succeed in his devious deeds. Khan makes a formidable ego to go up against someone with an ego like Kirk. He clearly makes the perfect. And when there is a perfect match, there is perfect chemistry and Kirk and Khan share just that. Khan is truly an unique villain, whose ruthlessness is actually something to be admired.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#26
Scar (The Lion King, played by Jeremy Irons)

 

It seems weird that the villain from my all time favorite film only makes it at #26 on this list, you'd think he would be somewhere on the top 10 at least. Though I think there are twenty-five other villains that are better, this does not distract from the fact that Scar is an awesome villain, and one of the bests ever given to us by Disney! Scar is another one of those villains that is straight up sinister and doesn't care who knows about it! He's a devious planner, has a conniving tongue, and an gives off an eerie presence whenever he is around. He is the very definition of a rogue lion that is an outcast from the pride, does not follow the rules, does what he wants, and loves that way. And though nothing would please him more than to get his kingly brother and "little furball" of a nephew out of the way so he can become king, he also seems contempt at the position he started fro, knowing it makes a perfect spot in order to be unsuspicious and unsuspected. Also, nothing is more sinister than killing your own flesh and blood and then putting the blame and guilt on that victim's child. That is not cool! Every sinister and devious action Scar is taking part in, he enjoys every minute of it. Every scheme, killing, and dictating, he loves it all, and that's why I love him as a villain!

 

 

 

 

#25

Darth Vader (The Star Wars Trilogy, played by David Prowse, voiced by James Earl Jones)

 



 

YEP! Can't have a top villains list without having putting THIS GUY  on the list! Even if you have never watched the Star Wars movies, you KNOW who this guy is! But even though he only made it at #25, he is still an iconic villain. From James Earl Jones deep voice, to his eerie breathing sound effect, that iconic costume, and those famous four words he told Luke Skywalker in The Empire Strikes Back, makes this villain leave a huge impact on a lot of audiences.  Jones of course does a great job in voicing the character. His inflections and delivery perfectly match how Vader was written and how he was supposed to talk. But people forget to credit David Prowse as well.  Sure he is only in the costume, but still Vader's movements and gestures are all part of the performance. Vader's gestures sync beautifully with Jones' dialogue all thanks to Prowse. Both actors did a significant part in making this character leave a great impression on Star Wars fans everywhere. In scenes where he just walks into a room and that infamous "Imperial March" plays as a platoon of Stromtroopers march alongside him, you can truly feel the presence of the Dark Side. Now believe it or not, there is actually one other Star Wars villain who I think is a slightly better villain that Lord Vader. Who is he, why none other than the guy who practically created Vader in the first place...

 

 

 

(NO, not him. Though writing and directing the Star Wars prequels can technically be considered an act of villainy)

#24

The Emperor

(The Star Wars Saga, played by Ian McDiarmid)

Now here is the real villainous mastermind that lurks in the Star Wars universe. Not only through the original trilogy, but yes, the prequels as well. He does not trump Vader simply because he is in a higher position of power, but in many ways he is more diabolical and sinister. Even Vader does villainous things, there still a sense morality and humanity in him. You get none of that with the Emperor, he is simply pure evil and he enjoys every minute of it including the audience. He has this sinister and conniving tone in his speech that you are either entranced by or frightened by. Though he is very frail and old, his presence still sends shivers down everybody's spine, as they know he is one of the most powerful and deadly beings in the galaxy. He is the one that is responsible for the whole Empire taking over the galaxy and turning everything into a mess. This is the guy the Rebellion is truly trying to fight off. Vader is only a pawn compared to the Emperor. He will take any chance he receives in order to make his devious plans play in full motion. Sinister, dark, and creepy, The Emperor is the true definition of the Dark Side!

 

 

 

 

 

 

#23

Judge Doom (Who Framed Roger Rabbit, played by Christopher Lloyd)

 

In a movie that celebrates and glorifies good old classic childhood entertainment, it would only make sense to create a good old classic villain. Judge Doom may seem like the stereotypical Hollywood villain with his stern delivery and all black costume, but really that is the pure fun of his character. Also thanks to Christopher Lloyd's dynamic performance, Judge Doom is seen as the type of villain we wish we can have in most of our movies today. He has a dynamic yet intimidating appearance and the atmosphere suddenly grows eerie whenever he steps in the room. Plus the surprise to really what this character is makes him even more memorable. Judge Doom is a pure looney menace.

 

 

 

#22

Dracula (Dracula, played by Bela Lugosi)

 

 

Another genuine Hollywood gem, a true villain by every definition of the word. There have been many incarnations of Dracula after, some good, some forgettable, and some downright terrible. But none in my opinion compare to the actor who mastered the Count, Bela Lugosi. His voice, his expressions, his delivery, and his precense brings the character of the villainous Count Dracula to life. He has such a charming charisma but yet such devilish intentions, which you can argue is a very deadly combo. He can be convincing and charming, but he uses it to fuflfill his evil doings. He is a bad guy that absolutely no one can escape from, because he has everything set in plan and has you as his possession. He is practically unstoppable that way. Though he does have weaknesses like everybody else, but if you come unprepared, Dracula has you! And there is nothing scarier than an unavoidable villain lurking in the darkness!

 

 

 

#21

The Shark (Jaws)

 

Surreal choice I know, but when you really watch this movie you will notice that this shark has a very determined motive. As much as I am very respectful for animal rights activists and their beliefs, it really annoys me when they pan this movie for giving a "bad name" for sharks, and this film is the reason is why they are hunted so often to prevent attacks. But here's the thing, IT'S A MOVIE!! This is something not to take that seriously! It is a work of fiction! Therefore the writers have the right to create a character out of this shark. And that they do! What makes the shark an interesting villain is is pure devotion into devouring our main leads. He does everything from intimidating them, swimming around their boat, crushing their boat, faking them out, and even have their traps for the marine beast to backfire. You can see why he seems almost impossible to stop. Giving an animal as unpredictable as a shark a very defining and even terrifying trait for a character, I think is what's most impressive. All of that and more is why I believe the shark from Jaws, is a memorable cinematic villain.