IN A WORLD! If These Cinematic Worlds Were Characters These Would Be The Very Best
An often overused, yet, accurate term people use when describing a film is "The world was a character." To some, this may seem like a pretentious overreading of the narrative, though the concept deserves merit if bandied about in the proper context.
When you think about it, the idea of the setting being integral to the story is a powerful notion that is frequently overlooked in comparison to a stories' character elements. So, let's unpack this common critique and hopefully get a better understanding of the impact locale can have on the movies we love.
Waterworld (1995)
A bit on the nose, I'll admit, but in the case of Waterworld the title says it all. This Kevin Costner passion project may not have won over critics and moviegoers when it was released back in '95, but an ocean covered Earth where dry land is a myth and humans have been relegated to living in raft-like societies fits perfectly in the discussion. Without the inciting incident of melting glaciers causing the world to flood, there would be no film. Waterworld exemplifies the world as a character due to it being a place that we have never seen or experienced. The planet is changed and with that, its inhabitants adjust, and in The Mariner's (Costner) case, mutate in order to survive.
Avatar (2009)
Leave it to the master of film innovation to not only create a fully realized world outside of that which we are accustomed to, James Cameron also imagined a planet that moves, interacts, and thrives with those who reside there. Pandora is a part of the Na'vi, the native residents of the planet in Avatar. The Na'vi respect and rely on their homeworld, even to the point where they can plug themselves into the environment and its creatures with the help of special braids, connecting them as a society and a planet. This kind of wholeness is a literal interpretation of how indiginous tribes see Earth as more than just a home, but a balance of nature and humanity which thrives from each other when treated with equal reverence.
Fantastic Voyage (1966)
A world is sometimes not always what you might think. Taking a detour from terra firma based backdrops, Fantastic Voyage uses the human body as the call to adventure. In the film, a crew of scientists and their submarine are shrunken down to microscopic size and injected into a dying man in order to remove a blood clot in his brain, but they only have one hour. The action mainly takes place within the human body, where they are treated as a foreign entity by his immune system. This idea of traveling through a person proves the trope of 'world as a character' in a most interesting way, by allowing for an environment that fights back, even when the mission of the crew is to save the body from itself.
The Matrix (1999)
A living program that uses humans as fuel, all the while tricking them into believing in a simulated environment. A series of 1's and 0's, yes, but still savvy enough to fool those yet to be unplugged. The Matrix is artificial intelligence in the form of a functioning planet. I mean, did you see that freaking steak?
Snowpiercer (2013)
When the world has become nothing more than a frosty ball of Antarctic hell, any place you hang your hat is your home. In this case, Snowpiercer fits the bill. This mega-train was built to keep what is left of humanity alive when the threat of global freezing has gripped the planet. The high-tech locomotive cuts a swath through the tundra while keeping the passengers separated by societal and economic groups depending on how far back their train car is. A brilliant commentary on the evils of classism, Snowpiercer proves that even the smallest communities are capable of prejudice even in the most dire of times.
The Shining (1980)
In one of the most sinister worlds on this list, the off-season haunt known as The Overlook Hotel is populated by evil entities who let you check in, but not check out. Closed in the winter due to the mounting Rocky Mountain snow, this malevolent abode seethes with ghosts of its past, manipulating a family to madness by playing off of their terror of isolation. Director Stanley Kubrick does well to give The Overlook a personality of sorts, from its visually disorienting carpets, blood gushing elevators, and don't get me started on room 237. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
Ready Player One (2018)
The 80's are alive and well in The Oasis, a virtual gaming world where you can come and go as you please, earn credits to keep playing, while changing your appearance to be the person you have always dreamed of. The real world in Ready Player One is a broken down society of consumerism and poverty, thus making The Oasis a pleasurable escape from the tribulations of reality. Similar to The Matrix in a way, though I don't remember Neo controlling The Iron Giant. But it would be much cooler if he did.
Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1989)
I would be remiss if I didn't mention Toontown, where everything from trees to apartment buildings have a life of their own. Almost every aspect is a living being and home to all the cartoon characters the producers could license for the film. In the climax, the viewer is transported into this wacky neighborhood in pursuit of Judge Doom, an evil toon disguised as a man who wants to douse every last anthropomorphised inhabitant in The Dip, the only substance capable of killing a toon. The world is fun, vibrant, and breathing with life, which ticks all the boxes of 'the world as a character.'
