- yesterday
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00Oh boy, guess what day it is. It's Villain Analysis Day, the day where I analyze and decrypt just what makes a great villain work, or sometimes why a bad villain fails.
00:11Today we are looking at a very overlooked villain, Commander Tiberius Lyle Rourke, or just Rourke as I'll be calling him most of the time.
00:20Coming to us from one of my favorite underrated Disney movies, Atlantis The Lost Empire.
00:25I chose Rourke because I felt that he is a villain who has managed to stay relevant in his themes, if not become more potent in them over time.
00:33Rourke is essentially a greedy businessman who works as a mercenary. He is dangerous, but also intelligent.
00:40And he often reminds me of the types of corrupt individuals who find themselves in positions of power in the real world.
00:46And, well, with that being said, why don't we jump into this analysis?
00:49One of the first things I like about Rourke is how he pretty much never loses his cool.
00:53He always has an air about him, a feeling of being in control.
00:58It makes him come off as more appealing to those around him.
01:01Rourke has got to where he is because he is smart, and he knows how to play the game of business and politics.
01:07His only true mission is to gain even more power and influence.
01:11And his main way to do so is by winning people over.
01:14By showing them how smart, charming, and cool-headed his attitude is.
01:19Rourke is also a highly intelligent villain.
01:21He nearly gets away with his plan, not through plot convenience, but through genuine clever and devious tactics.
01:29One of my favorite scenes with Rourke is when he discovers the hidden location of the heart of Atlantis.
01:33Now, this scene could have easily just been a super typical villain bullies a good guy into telling him their secret or else type of scene.
01:42And at first, that's how it starts.
01:45But instead of taking the typical route, Rourke doesn't have to bully the king of Atlantis into telling him where the heart is.
01:51He actually figures it out on his own.
01:53The heart of Atlantis lies in the eyes of her king.
02:01This is it! We're in!
02:03And I absolutely love this.
02:05Rourke is also very careful.
02:07He never makes a move until he is certain his plans will work.
02:11Like how he always makes Milo and the others go through the caves first.
02:15That way, if something goes wrong, he won't be the one getting the brunt of the damage.
02:19Or how he doesn't even trust the water beneath the heart of Atlantis.
02:29He is placed in the position of the leader of this exposition.
02:32And by all means, it seems like he deserves that title with how well he gets things done.
02:36You know, minus the Leviathan disaster, of course.
02:39But he still handles the fallout of that disaster with a seemingly large amount of maturity.
02:44Seven hours ago, we started this expedition with 200 of the finest men and women I've ever known.
02:50We're all that's left.
02:51I won't sugarcoat it, gentlemen.
02:53We have a crisis on our hands.
02:55We've been up this particular creek before and we've always come through, paddle or no paddle.
02:59I love how much this contrasts his complete lack of care for the Atlanteans
03:03when he intends to just let them all die so he can profit off of their work.
03:07We've got to have money.
03:11In reality, Rourke is actually completely selfish and only in it for the money.
03:16Rourke is only here because of how this mission can benefit himself.
03:19But he spins the whole movie till the end pretending that he actually cares about what the group is searching for.
03:25This is mainly to trick Milo, since many of the other group members are in on his real plan
03:30to steal the heart of Atlantis.
03:32But it also serves him in tricking the Atlanteans.
03:34We are explorers from the surface world.
03:38We come in peace.
03:39He says with a devious smile on his face.
03:42You can tell that he doesn't care a smidge about this lost civilization or its people,
03:47only what he can gain from it.
03:49And even though he thought they were all dead at first and this would be a fairly easy job,
03:54he still intends to go through with the plan even once he figures out they are still alive.
03:58Commander, there were not supposed to be people down here.
04:02This changes everything.
04:03This changes nothing.
04:05Give me your money.
04:06I'm not being funny.
04:08Give me your money today.
04:11But Rourke isn't just some typical lame twist villain.
04:15His true motives are hinted at several times throughout the movie without being too obvious.
04:19For example, it's clear that he's the moodiest of this entire company.
04:23And I love how the movie even hints at his true motives even in his first scene.
04:27Yes, this should be enriching for all of us.
04:30It also makes perfect sense that he was the one who took the page out of the shepherd's journal,
04:35since he and his team are the only ones to have had it since it was discovered.
04:39So all the clues are there.
04:41Rourke is also very good at buttering up his prey.
04:44He disguises his true meanings behind words that make things sound better than they actually are.
04:49Our weapons allow us to remove obstacles we may encounter.
04:53Rourke, of course, means that he wants his weapons to use against anyone who might stop him from plundering the wealth of this land.
04:59But he says this in a way that makes his true intentions hidden so that he can get away with what he wants.
05:04Corrupt people love this particular tactic, as they never want anyone to know when they have either made a mistake or plan to do something unpopular.
05:12By stating what is going on in a manner that makes it sound as vague as possible,
05:17they can get away with tricking loyal or ignorant consumers into thinking that nothing bad whatsoever is happening.
05:24The less people know what you truly mean, the easier it is to manipulate them.
05:28Happiness will prevail.
05:31Knowledge is power, and even though Rourke dismisses Milo's perspective on this matter,
05:35even he benefits from the truth of it by preventing people from knowing more than they could.
05:40Rourke is a businessman first and foremost.
05:43His other ranks and positions are all supplementary.
05:46Rourke spends his time always working for himself.
05:49He does jobs to increase his reputation and wealth.
05:51I like that everyone Rourke has hired are also basically all in it for the money too.
05:56Unless you're just in it for the money.
05:59Money.
06:00Money.
06:01Money.
06:01Money.
06:02I'm gonna say money.
06:03At least until they realize their relationships are more important.
06:07This is a nice touch.
06:08It portrays a fact about businesses that is not often discussed.
06:13Probably because it would make them look bad.
06:16Well, this is getting a little awkward.
06:19That being how executives in high up positions tend to only hire people who agree with them,
06:26if possible.
06:27Sure, each member here also has a particular talent, but it's not like no one else could
06:32do their jobs.
06:33Rourke has put faith in this team only because he thought they would listen to everything he
06:37had to say, being that they were all in it for the money.
06:40He hoped that that fact wouldn't be the only one they had in common, and thus they would
06:45never go back on his plan.
06:46This is part of what makes Rourke's relationship to Milo very interesting.
06:50Rourke is only working with Milo because he has to.
06:53Unlike the others, Milo's talent is exclusive to himself.
06:56Rourke, of course, tries to get on Milo's good side in their initial meeting, hoping to
07:01discover that Milo and himself have a lot in common.
07:03But it becomes clear to Rourke after just a few interactions that Milo has more in common
07:08with Indiana Jones than himself.
07:10No amount of money is as valuable to him as knowledge and discovery.
07:15Well, your granddad always believed you couldn't put a price on the pursuit of knowledge.
07:19Well, believe me, this will be small change compared to the value of what we're going
07:22to learn on this trip.
07:23Rourke doesn't like this because it means Milo will be hard to manipulate.
07:27I like how Rourke never really respects Milo throughout the journey.
07:32I'm going to kill him.
07:33Thanks, go back to bed.
07:35He only pretends to when he needs him to do something.
07:39And I like that he still tries to get Milo on his side right before he goes through with
07:44his true plans, because he's hoping just maybe he won't have to deal with Milo if
07:50he can convince him one last time to actually join with him.
07:54Well, now you know.
07:55I had to be sure you were one of us.
07:56Welcome to the club, son.
07:58I'm no mercenary.
07:59What in the name of money are you waiting for, boy?
08:01But Milo's beliefs are too strong for him to break through.
08:05Despite not really liking or respecting Milo, he still relies on him.
08:10I like how this shows that most corrupt individuals are often not as all-knowing or powerful as
08:15they seem.
08:16They want everyone to think that they will be nothing without them.
08:18But in reality, they are no more special, intelligent, and especially creative than most ordinary
08:24people.
08:25And they know that by controlling these people, they can patch up their weak spots and continue
08:30to convince people that they are better than they actually are.
08:32I also love the way that Rourke tries to justify his position compared to Milo.
08:37Think about it.
08:38If you gave back every stolen artifact from a museum, you'd be left with an empty building.
08:44The university told me money doesn't grow on trees.
08:47Well, I told them money's made of paper and paper comes from trees.
08:51So, in point of fact, money does grow on trees.
08:55Rourke not only believes that what Milo values has little value at all, but he tries to rationalize
09:02his perspective and make it seem superior to Milo's.
09:05Once again, a tactic designed to manipulate others into believing he is smarter and more
09:10in the right than Milo, thus the one that everyone else should follow.
09:14The saddest thing is that Rourke genuinely thinks he's superior to Milo because he values
09:19himself and his potential earnings more than Milo's value of this lost civilization.
09:25Rourke refuses to see Milo's perspective.
09:27He would rather double down on his stance and use it as an opportunity to prove he is
09:32better.
09:33Just like how executives think that if they double down on their flawed points of view,
09:37they can crush all other viewpoints until people are forced to side with them.
09:41Who cares about the customer?
09:43I do.
09:44Well, I don't.
09:46Let's go with me.
09:48Rourke acts as a leader, but that doesn't necessarily mean he's a good one.
09:52Don't get me wrong, Rourke isn't technically a poor leader either.
09:55He gets the job done, and to him, that is all he really cares about.
10:00However, I say Rourke is a bad leader because of how he gets things done, not that he doesn't
10:06in the first place.
10:07He only gets things done by manipulating people.
10:10Rourke only values people if they can do something for him.
10:13I like that most of the other characters, excluding generic brunts, are not actually
10:18bad people.
10:19Sure, they only came here for the money, but they all had valid reasons for wanting or needing
10:24more money.
10:25Rourke, on the other hand, only wanted money to make himself rich.
10:29He didn't have any reason, just pure greed.
10:31While the others saw money as more of a means to an end, Rourke saw it as the primary goal
10:37itself.
10:38Kind of like how most rich executives insist on increasing their earnings and filling their
10:42pockets, despite already being some of the richest people in the world.
10:46The others got along well with Milo, unlike Rourke, because they could see more value in life
10:51than just money.
10:52Rourke intentionally devalued things other than profit and his own personal gain in
10:56his worldview, preventing himself from ever relating to Milo like this.
11:01But the others still nearly go through with his plan, because that money they came here
11:05to get was still important to them.
11:07Like I said, they had valid reasons.
11:09That is part of how those in power take control over those who don't have any.
11:13They lock needs, not just wants and desires, behind serving and obeying them.
11:19That way, if people don't follow them, they won't just not get something they want,
11:24but will actually suffer.
11:25It's also hard for this team to betray Rourke now, when they are so close to finishing the
11:30mission.
11:31They've come so far, and to turn back now would be as if to make all that effort worth
11:35nothing.
11:36This decision here is actually a choice so difficult that I imagine some good people
11:40in real life would probably still go through with Rourke's plan, despite disagreeing with
11:44him, just because they couldn't bring themselves to let go of all that effort and reward.
11:48But as for what actually happens, Rourke's biggest mistake was assuming that the people
11:57he had manipulated to his side actually held the same worldview as himself.
12:01He believed that insulting Milo would be fine, because if he didn't care about him, why
12:06would anyone else?
12:07But he underestimated the value that many of the others placed on each other as friends.
12:30It turned out, he was wrong.
12:32They had more in common with Milo than he thought.
12:35Here, just read this.
12:37What is it?
12:39A well thought out and organized list of complaints.
12:43I like, too, that each person comes one at a time.
12:47It's possible that most of these people would still have gone with Rourke if Audrey hadn't
12:51first left to go with Milo.
12:53Sadly, some people are too afraid to make a decision until someone else has already made
12:57the same choice first.
12:58There's an aspect of social acceptance here, that people are afraid of going against the
13:03popular opinion unless there are already several other people who have sided with the opposing
13:08opinion.
13:09However, just because many people side with Milo, not everyone does.
13:12Helga still chooses to go with Rourke.
13:14Her heart has been corrupted by greed, just as Rourke had hoped that everyone else's hearts
13:19had.
13:20And Milo's words cannot sway her like the others.
13:22I like this because the movie doesn't completely sugarcoat the whole scenario.
13:26Some people will still choose the selfish option, even when beaten over the head by good
13:30people about how wrong they are.
13:32And part of this is not just greed, but the perspective that, if someone else is doing it,
13:37then it can't be that bad, sadly for her.
13:41When push comes to shove, and Rourke must choose between her and his profits, he abandons
13:47her and throws her to her death.
13:48Just like how corrupt people in power will be quick to get rid of you or replace you
13:52with someone else the second you stop being useful to them.
13:54There's a very old friend of mine who once took a very long time to explain.
13:59Life isn't fair!
14:01And, you know, that reminds me of a story that's very relevant to Rourke as a villain.
14:07And the types of people in real life who share a lot in common with Rourke.
14:12You see, have you ever heard of the tragedy of The Avengers Earth's Mightiest Heroes?
14:17One of the greatest superhero shows ever made.
14:20It was comic accurate, well made, well received, and it was successful.
14:25Basically, everybody liked it.
14:27And it only ran for two seasons.
14:30Even though it could have easily run for eight or more with just how many comics there are
14:34to draw from.
14:35So, why was it cancelled?
14:37I mean, if there was essentially no reason to cancel it because it checked every box of
14:43what a good and successful show would need to check to keep running, then there should
14:48be no reason to cancel it.
14:49It's simple.
14:50The MCU was even more successful than Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
14:54And Disney thought that they could put all their eggs in one basket by cancelling Earth's
14:59Mightiest Heroes and replacing it with this generic, boring, uninteresting, and comically
15:05inaccurate Avengers series called Avengers Assemble.
15:09Sorry to anyone who actually likes this show, I am not one of you.
15:13And the reason they did this was simply because they thought that they could make even more
15:18money by having a TV show that looked much more similar to the MCU.
15:23It was even easier to produce with less effort.
15:25Therefore, it would cost them less money to make it, and they could use it as a way to
15:29promote the MCU and make even more money off of that and its merchandise.
15:33As well as getting kids hooked on the MCU who might otherwise not have watched it.
15:36Sad, really, isn't it?
15:38People spend all their time making nice things and other people come along and break them.
15:43So basically, even though the show was successful, what happened to it was what I like to call
15:48the death of art in the name of profit.
15:50Because the greedy executives saw a way to make even more money even though they didn't
15:55need it.
15:56They didn't respect the effort that was put into Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
15:59They only saw further ways to make themselves more money.
16:02It's not fair, Horus, me lad.
16:05It's just not fair.
16:07Now, of course, this isn't the only instance like this in the industry.
16:11It's just one that's very close to myself, as I particularly liked this show.
16:15There are countless examples you could bring up.
16:18I mean, don't even get me started on David Zaslov.
16:21That guy doesn't even understand the concept or definition of art.
16:25That man's eyes have dollar signs in them 24-7.
16:28I don't care.
16:29I'm winning.
16:30I'm done.
16:34Furthermore, one could also bring up the annoying situation regarding the internet archive
16:40that's been going on recently at the time of making this video.
16:45You know, I can talk forever about the stupidity of this whole situation, but I should probably
16:49get back to Lyle Rourke since that's technically the main point of this video.
16:53I just wanted to bring up a few examples of individuals and situations in real life that
16:59are very similar to him and his actions.
17:01But anyway, Rourke's final end may not have a ton of symbolism unless I'm stupid and miss
17:07the cleverer meanings and details of a man being turned to crystal and shattered into
17:11pieces.
17:12Tell me in the comments down below, please.
17:13But it is nonetheless a great final moment for him, defeated by Milo, who he saw as lesser
17:19than himself.
17:20And when he gets turned to crystal and eventually shattered, I must say, it is very satisfying
17:25indeed.
17:26Well, that just about sums up my thoughts on Rourke.
17:28Basically, don't just blindly follow people and be careful not to let yourself be manipulated
17:34by those in power.
17:35Please consider every angle of what you are doing and why someone may want you to do something.
17:40And whatever you do, do not support corrupt executives or their awful decisions.
17:45I don't care how much you like a company or business.
17:48If they do something wrong, they need to be called out and boycotted, not supported.
17:53Of course, all this within reason, if said company is personally responsible for supplying
17:58you with the very water you drink, for example, it may be hard to boycott them, you know?
18:04And those kinds of companies are usually secretly the most evil.
18:07Just remember, the more important something is, aka the higher ranks on the needs scale,
18:12the more easily these corrupt people can get away with their terrible business practices,
18:16because they know you literally need them.
18:19Don't just be obedient.
18:21Always make up your own mind.
18:22So yeah, be very wary of those kinds of companies, and be very wary of individuals like Commander
18:29Tiberius Lyle Rourke, one of Disney's best and most underrated villains.
18:34Now is the time that I must give a special shoutout to all my Patreon supporters, as well as channel
18:41members, and especially a massive shoutout to EJ Waywalker, my ultra-iconic patron.
18:48If you're interested in following my opinions for whatever reason, I've got links in the
18:51description down below to all sorts of social media things, you know, Twitter, Letterboxd,
18:57stuff like that if you're interested.
18:58And I would also like to mention my gaming channel, I'm very bad at keeping it up to
19:04date with new videos, but I do occasionally release them, and they do take a lot of work
19:09to make, so I would appreciate anyone who goes there and views those videos.
19:13Now before you go, don't just click on any random video.
19:17If you're still in the mood for more content from me, then I've got a whole playlist of
19:21various Walt Disney Animation Studio movie videos, you know, because Atlantis is made
19:27by Walt Disney Animation Studios, and all those videos are in this playlist over here.
19:31Or perhaps you want to see more villain analysis videos, because I've got a whole playlist of
19:35those over here as well, so, you know, plenty to choose from, but most importantly of all,
19:41always remember to be iconic!
Recommended
14:45
|
Up next
24:51
1:51:38