#analysis 4

Analysis #1 Skeletor  |  Analysis #2 Location, Location, Location | Analysis #3 Queen Under The Sea

Today we’re moving on to the next set of images in The Next Dragon Age video, starting with the one filled with characters in hiding.

For starters, I can say this is in Tevinter. The sharp architecture is an obvious indicator of that much. We also see the Dwarven influences in Tevinter’s streets, due to their strong alliance and dependence. It has that gritty, stone feel; while still being elegant and high quality. Other than this, there doesn’t appear to be anything too exciting with the walls and background of this image.

Though we do see a dark figure in the back that tells us, this is absolutely Tevinter.

This man is tall, imposing, and wearing garbs of the Black Divine (or something similar and clearly Tevene). He is flanked by guards and makes me believe this may be the Imperial Chantry itself.

In the foreground of the picture we see four other figures.

On the left is a large, pale gray Qunari. He appears to be hornless and it seems he might be wearing a cross between traditional Qunari fashion and Tevinter garb. It could just all be Qunari cloth, worn differently than we’ve see. However, he could also be a Tevinter agent, slave, or gladiator. He is either removing or pulling on his helmet.

In the back we have pale-haired mage. On first glance she has a familiar design and I can’t truly place where I’ve seen a similar one, but my second instinct is to wonder if it couldn’t be Calpernia. Given the circumstances of her undetermined fate in Inquisition, even if one chose the mages over the Templars; it is possible for her to show up in Tevinter again. I don’t believe it to be Maevaris Tilani, though she is the other pale-haired Tevinter mage that comes to mind. It’s also completely possible for her to be an entirely new addition. She appears to be a fire-stat mage and truly of Tevinter.

The next person, third from the left I am pretty confident to call Scout Harding. She is shorter than the rest of the members, meaning it is a high possibility of her being Dwarven. She also has Harding’s braid and a similar outfit, the only thing out of place is the crossbow. As Harding was originally a bow and arrow build. Though the replacement of a crossbow isn’t outlandish.

This is strengthened by the last figure on the right. It is uncertain who he is at as glance. However, I wonder if he is not Donal Sutherland. Those who went through his war table missions will know him as the budding leader of the Inquisition’s personal mercenary band; with the Inquisitor as his group’s patron. He is shown to still be around in Tevinter Nights and if you look closely at his chest piece, you can make out the Inquisition heraldry.

He is the only pre-existing character I can think of in this moment with those features, but doesn’t rule out others who I can’t recall. I also thought it might be the Inquisitor themselves (as a default stand-in). If that were the case this character must have a prosthetic or fixture (i.e. magic) for their arm to still be functional, as shown here, after the events of Trespasser.

The only other thing I have to say about this, is that one of the characters could be a default stand-in for the PC. I find it odd, that a concept art in this context would miss out on having one. Which has other implications. As it could mean the PC works in some way for the Inquisition, directly or indirectly.

Date of release - 7 June 2013 (USA) Director - James DeMonaco Actors and Roles - James (Ethan Hawke), Mary (Lena Headey), Zoe (Adelaide Kane), Charlie (Max Burkholder) Nation of Production - USA Budget - $3 million Revenue - $89.3 million

Synopsis

It's the day of the annual Purge, a national day ordained by the government to be free from any police order and law, allowing criminal activity to go unpunished. The purpose behind this designated day is to allow for people to get rid of their pent up rage, decreasing violent activity on all other days of the year. The Sandin family, James (Ethan Hawke), Mary (Lena Headey), Zoe (Adelaide Kane) and Charlie (Max Burkholder), have lived comfortably on this night as they have high-tech security that protects them from any violent encounters. On this particular Purge, the son, lets in a man who was being chased by a violent hate group persecuting him for his social status. The gang learns that the family is  harboring the victim, so they penetrate their security system, and attack the members of the family enacting the Purge on them.

Commentary

The Purge is an interesting concept, in theory, but the characterization and lack of credible storytelling failed to execute the most interesting aspects of its intended premise.

When the reasons for the "purge" are addressed, it feels forced and out of place. The first example of this is when Mary hears a scientist explaining the psychological basis for the purge on TV.

In that moment I felt removed from the story because it was as if someone was reading me a synopsis. Exposition is important to movies, it helps the viewer follow along, but when staged so conveniently, as it was in this moment, it breaks the fourth wall, so to speak, and affects the verisimilitude of the movie. Perhaps a cleverly constructed commercial, created by the government, showing us a montage of why the purge is necessary, would have come across less disingenuous than one solitary scientist speaking to the audience.

Aside from poorly developed exposition, The Purge's characters were overwhelmingly one-dimensional. When a movie's characters are so flat, as I feel they were in The Purge, I start focusing externally at their perceived reality (the world in which they live in) and recognize its flaws because the characters themselves are not enough to sustain me. The family dynamic seemed too surrealistic, as if they were extracted straight from pleasantville. I found myself unable to sympathize with any of them. The family dinner, set right before the purge commences, was too detached.

Instead of making me connect with the family, I felt as if they were just a bunch of strangers who happened to know each others names. This detachment further presents itself when Zoe flees with her potentially dangerous boyfriend. The father and mother's first instinct isn't to protect their daughter, they seem unaffected by the whole incident. They yell out for her for a second, but immediately change the conversation.

Given that none of the characters were compelling enough to keep me interested, I decided to focus on plot. Weak points in the plot became easy to spot because of this. Questions about when the purge first started and by who(m) began to take over my thoughts. How did something so gruesomely unethical become legal in the United States? Who are the founding fathers the narrative mentions?