Mill Stone Revival II: A Good Villain

It is very important to be careful with the kinds of movies we let our children consume. Many family movies are written by people whose basic morals are reduced to empty maxims like "be yourself" or "believe in something greater". 

Many parents pat themselves in the back for not letting their kids watch movies with "woke indoctrination". Some of them sign petitions on Life Sites News or akin sites whenever Disney makes an attempt to include LGBT people. Many obsess over the skin colour of remake Disney princesses and the personality of their actresses. Others will try to decode hidden occult messages, often assuming that one of the characters is the antichrist.

However, I am yet to see "conservative" influencers actually attempting to dismantle the real problem with some of this films. Instead of focusing on fake moral panics and anti-woke slop you tubers, they should give to this movies a serious analysis. 

This would allow them to find whatever might be erroneous on this films, assess the extent of the damage and permit the viewers to find this questionable messages for themselves. So today, in the Turnout of Thinking, we will discuss a common family movie trope that should be  questioned and held accountable. 

What is a Good Villain?

Often a movie will tell it's story from the perspective of a protagonist we are to consider good, good willed, or mostly virtuous. Their personal defects are either problems they must solve or aren't significantly troublesome for the viewer. 

Other films, however, do the opposite; they tell the story from the perspective of an evil person. Most of this movies used to be for adults; Films like Casino and The Godfather tell the story of evil people but at least the audience is mature enough to understand that the protagonist is breaking the rules. 

For decades, family movies used to focus on a mostly good character and their problems with an evil antagonist. This started to change in the early 2000's. The film Shrek told the story of a fairly antisocial Ogre with poor manners in a sympathetic way. While Shrek wasn't a particularly malicious figure, ogres were never portrayed positively, as they were figures used to represent traits like gluttony and cruelty. 

As the decades progressed, many more characters like this started to appear. From misunderstood monsters to criminals with a redemption arc, the screens were full of characters we can only describe as good villains. 

What is Wrong with the Good Villain Trope? 

While there is nothing wrong with writing a redemption story, one should be very careful when introducing children to a morally questionable character. The risk of accidentally glorifying their behavior is very real. 

I believe the problem with good villain movies are the following: 

+ Using the trope for the introduction of a self acceptance message. Many films like this would suggest that the protagonist was discriminated against, which led them to engage in evil. As soon as the society starts to accept their differences, they leave their evil ways. 

+ A weak presentation of criminals. Just because a criminal has a tragic backstory doesn't mean they don't need punishment. 

Here in Mexico, many criminals think they get to steal and murder because they are poor. Their perspective is then shifted to privileged liberals who seethe whenever  someone suggests they need punishment. 

Many good villain movies give to their protagonist a sad backstory. As the story progresses, they redeem themselves with relative ease. However, many real-life villains aren't actually willing to redeem themselves and the writers of this films would do good keep this mind. 

+ Nihilism / Relativism. The viewer isn't going to engage in the behaviors seen on screen. Few turn into serial killers after watching slashers, and so your children will not become cartoon villains for watching Despicable Me once. 

Rather, the viewer often has their moral background shattered and start to question whether it is possible to find a distinction of good and evil. Horror movies might not turn you into a killer, but you are very likely to become a nihilist if they are part of your cultural upbringing. 

We need to keep in mind this conclusion doesn't come from the movies alone; it is part of the Contemporary Western belief system  which is expressed through this films. 

Case Studies 

The following case studies present three different ways in which the good villain trope has appeared in Family Movies. Some of them are to be outright condemned, while others introduce the message with more nuance and subtlety.

How to Train Your Dragon 

How to Train Your Dragon (2010) was loosely inspired by the novels of Cressida Cowell. It has spawned a massive franchise and a live-action remake in 2025. 

How to Train Your Dragon doesn't present to us a character that is villainous as protagonist. Instead, it uses a fantasy creature who represents evil and turns it into a cool and lovable pet. 

Dragon are often worshipped by pagan religions; but even among the pagans their role can be negative. In Chinese Mythology, the hero Ne Zha kills a family of dragons responsible for causing natural disasters. 

In the Christian world, dragons represent Satan himself. This is because in the Bible, the book of Apocalypse describes a dragon who represents Satan. Being reptiles, dragons can be considered the fantasy equivalent to serpents. 

In European fairy tales, dragons are evil monsters. They are often the representation of greed and pride, harass princesses and destroy villages. This is something that we can see in The Hobbit, which took inspiration from a mythical European hero named Beowulf. 

In How to Train Your Dragon, the story is quite different. We are introduced to Hiccup, a scrawny viking kid who struggles to prove himself before his father Stoic. Despite his mechanical abilities Hiccup is too weak to competently fight the dragons that  harass the viking town of Berk. 

One night, Hiccup brings down a legendary dragon with one of his artifacts. He is however attacked by a fierce drake who destroys the village and he is chastised by his father Stoic. 

The kid throws a temper tantrum in the forest and finds the legendary dragon he took down. He attempts to kill it but he gets touchy-feely and spares the beast, freeing it. The dragon is injured and can't fly, so it is trapped by the terrain around it. 

As the movie progresses, Hiccup becomes friendly with the dragon, and uses his mechanical skills to help him to fly again. They bond together very strongly, and show to the Vikings that dragons can be friendly. 

This movie shows us a symbol subversion. Something that represents evil is now used to represent something that has been misunderstood and can be useful to society. The dragons in HTTYD are not much different from animals. 

Now, to be fair, even if something is used to represent evil, that doesn't meant it can't also be used to represent something else. For example, the dragon is also a symbol of Wales. 

This means that even if a movie has a symbol subversion, it is never going to be as harmful as those movies were the protagonist is specifically portrayed as a villain. Nevertheless, we should treat them with skepticism, specially if the symbol they are subverting is barely ever used for something positive. 

Other Movies with Symbol Subversion: 

Shrek 

Monsters vs Aliens 

Where the Monsters Live 

Megamind 

Megamind was released in 2010, and it tells what I would call a Standard Good Villain movie. Our protagonist is given a redemption arc and a sympathetic backstory, as well as a character whose motivations aren't entirely black and white. 

We are presented with a blue alien named Megamind and his rival Metroman. When their planets were destroyed his parents sent him to earth. But while Metroman found a loving family, Megamind was raised in prison and given poor morals by the inmates. 

Envious of Metroman's popularity at school, Megamind decides to embrace evil and get, let's say, a different kind of attention. 

One day, Megamind finally kills Metroman, and gets to rule the entire city. This triggers an existential crisis on him, because he loses his purpose of defeating Metroman. 

A bored Megamind proceeds to give super-powers to a creepy camera guy, in hopes that he will be able to have a purpose again. He names him Tighten and pretends to be his "space-dad".

However, when Tighten decides to be a super-villain instead, Megamind discovers that he too can be a hero and finally receives the attention he craved. His acceptance arc has been accomplished. 

While Megamind has multiple traits that make it unique, I decided to qualify him as a standard-good-villain because of the following elements: 

+ Our main character is a villain who happens to be a protagonist. We are given a choice to sympathize with him without (necessarily) endorsing his actions. 

+ Our protagonist has a redemption arc and gains the love of others. 

+ The movie centers between the lines of good and evil. 

Other Standard Good Villain films: 

The Bad Guys

Despicable Me 

Nimona 

The Minions

Now we are into pure-bred discordian territory. Despicable Me 1 told an unrealistic but strangely moving redemption arc for it's main character, an arc that was respected for Despicable Me 2. 

This however shifted in 2016 when the spin-off movie Minions was released. Minions isn't a standard story about a criminal who was discriminated but learned that he could be good too. Minions isn't about a symbol for evil behaving in a wholesome manner. 

Minions is evil. Straight up. 

The movie starts by telling us that the Minions are not just the annoying sidekicks to Gru. Now they are cosmic horror entities who explore the world seeking for a villain to serve. However, their clumsiness often lead to the death of their masters. If it doesn't sound like something demons would do, you have been living in Candy Land. 

On the first movie, Minions serve a woman named Scarlet Overkill. They attempt to steal the jewels of the British crown but are betrayed by her. The movie focuses on them trying to, let's say, show her who is a better super-villain. 

In the second film (2022), the Minions help child Gru to find a mentor in a washed up villain and fight their enemies, one of which, by the way, wears the habit of a nun. 

I don't really have to explain why this films are discordian. They portray evil as "fun" and "quirky", don't attempt to give their characters a redemption arc, and fail to show some of the  consequences of being evil. It's a nihilist world were the only thing that matters is the LOL's. 

Conclusion 

In order to prevent the good villain trope from spreading it's erroneous beliefs systems, the following could help: 

+ Good theological formation, coming from a stable family were everyone is respected, will prevent kids from becoming nihilistic. 

+ Provide your children with plenty of wholesome entertainment. 

+ Teach children that a sad backstory doesn't justify engaging in criminal behavior, abusing others, or loving violence. Some people might do this because they think they have no choice, but those of true character will always try to stay above the circumstances. 

+ Stay away from the Minions. 

Mexican Novus Ordo Memories

The Young Church of FEF 

In 2014 my family moved from one Mexican state into another. After a relatively peaceful life, this was a fairly significant change for my life. We used to live close to a big city, in a suburban area. At that point in time everything was getting more expensive, and so we moved to a newer state, into a rural area.  

Many things were different there. For example, in the suburbs we had access to tennis courts, equestrian clubs, large malls, and plenty of supermarkets. The options in this new state were either more rustic or not present at all. 

One of the amenities that was missing was a place to learn catechism. At least one that my parents would approve off. We were already done with communion and confirmation, but my parents were still looking for a place were we could deepen the faith. 

The solution came in a teenager group named F.E.F (families in Faith, but in spanish). The local chapter was ruled by women and each age-group would learn, not form a cleric or learned catechist, but from another teenager. 

Every Thursday we would meet in a dilapidated hotel and gather in the dusty, rusty playground. The teenager organizer would have been given instructions on a different game or activity to play that would teach us a message. They would often be about generic novus ordo stuff like friendship and making community.

I also remember we prayed one decade of a rosary made of balloons and were given information about the Divine Mercy devotion. 

FEF was actually very fun, but there was nothing special about it. Being organized in the name of a false religion added many difficulties to it's quality, making it a glorified teenage social club. 

Retreat

One day we took a retreat. It was more like WYD without dancing bishops and loud concerts.

The place was the garden of some sort of warehouse, full of trees and mosquitos. After being done with the installation of sleeping tents, we played organized games with other kids and held conversations meant to be deep. Our mothers would be cooking multiple meals for us through the day. 

When the evening fell and the sky turned blue, all of us were gathered around a concrete area. A picture of our family was given to us, and we were told to always keep them close. Some people said emotional stuff and prayers. 

Then we roasted marshmallows. The conversations were great. It was indeed, a fun social club. The night, however, was long and harsh for a variety of reasons. From example, a light from the warehouse was blasting our tent from behind. 

Next morning we took breakfast and played for a while, but everyone was sleepy. At some point we were gathered below the trees. Sitting on plastic chairs we were given a conference on the Real Presence. The woman was emotional and heavily motivated. She repeated the apologist mantra of "scientifically proven" NO Eucharistic miracles, to an audience of sleeping teenagers.

It was Sunday, so we were going to the mass service. Well, actually, the mass service was coming to us. Lots of people suddenly arrived, including a cleric. Many of use were sitting on the ground as the service was being prepared, in the literal woods, over a plastic table. I didn't wanted to go to the service, so when my mother noticed I was tired we left. 

I do find it quite ironic, that after such a passionate defense of the real presence, we would offer mass in an horchard for literally no reason. 

Migrants

One of the most interesting anecdotes I got to tell about this group has to do with migrants. In the village were we lived in there was a railway, and many of them would often appear in the streets. Sun cooked, mutilated, and consumed, they would beg for food or money, only to be ignored or insulted. The majority of them were from central america (El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Belize, etc) Some of them would show their identification cards, most would send you blessings if you gave them stuff. 

Close to the railway an organization for them was set. It would offer them food, water and showers, as well as a place to sleep. One day, we went to visit that locale with the FEF people. 

It was a chill November evening, yellow sun and orange skies. The railway was set in the hills, and besides it there was a small stone hut full of food. 

The guy responsible for the area told us multiple things, all of which are greatly interesting. 

He told us that his organization was given a white van from Germany for their migrant welfare mission. Many migrants from Africa or the Middle East would visit Mexico and then go to the United States. 

And for some reason he was really upset with migrants who wanted to stay in the village. He told us he would incite them to continue their travel to the US. 

On retrospective this makes me very angry. Manipulating them into continuing a dangerous trip. It feels like he helped them because he wanted Mexico to be free from their presence, all the while dumping them to the US. If they wanted to stay in the village, it was probably because they were tired of traveling and wanted to send money to their countries as soon as possible. Considering they knew their needs better than the "charity", why were they forced out? 

The possibility of this guy being involved into human trafficking should also be taken into consideration. 

While an excess of migrants could harm our village, i am pretty sure most of them would continue to the US anyway. 

The train approached, and a woman got a series of plastic bags and was ready to throw it to whichever poor soul was hiding on the metallic dragon. 

The train was rushing, so the travellers weren't able to descend and get the benefits themselves. I am kinda glad they didn't. Can you imagine being a migrant on a train, starved and in poor condition, only to be received by a bunch of rich novus ordo kids going to see you like one goes to see animals in a Safari? My brother  compares it with looking at them like they were monkeys getting fed on a zoo. 

The woman wasn't even able to aim correctly. The bag hit the train and it fell violently upon the gravel. 

When the visit was over I found it to be moving and emotional, but now I realize how uncomfortable it must have been for everyone involved. 

Mill Stone Revival I: The Be Yourself Message

It is very important to be careful with the kinds of movies we let our children consume. Excessive strictness leads to estrangement; while an overtly-permissive attitude opens the door to danger, scandal, and both. 

Many parents pat themselves in the back for not letting their kids watch movies with "woke indoctrination". Some of them sign petitions on Life Site News or akin sites whenever Disney makes an attempt to include LGBT people. Many obsess over the skin colour of remake Disney princesses and the personality of their actresses. Others will try to decode hidden occult messages, often assuming that one of the characters is a false Christ-figure.

However, I am yet to see "conservative" influencers actually attempting to dismantle the real problem with some of this films. Instead of focusing on fake moral panics and anti-woke slop you tubers, they should give to this movies a serious analysis. 

This would allow them to find whatever might be erroneous on this films, assess the extent of the damage and permit the viewers to find this questionable messages for themselves. So today, in the Pasture of Knowledge, we will discuss one of the most common family movie tropes that should be either questioned or held accountable. 

What is the "Self Acceptance" Message? 

The most prevalent moral that we can find in family movies is what I call the "Self Acceptance" message, or, alternatively, the be yourself message. 

"Be Yourself" is a rather ambiguous frase, but under closer examination I realized that it is a slogan for the following principles:

1: You are perfect just the way you are. Accepting yourself is virtuous. 

2: You shouldn't stop doing what gives you happiness / identity for the sake of others. 

3: Others should accept you just the way you are and you should accept others just the way they are

Another form of the "be yourself" message is present in those movies that preach acceptance. This is what we find in classic non-discrimination movies for families and adults alike.

The Acceptance message embodies the third principle above as well as the mandate of being kind to others. 

The acceptance message, on itself, it's not evil. The only problem is when "accepting" others is the only value we have, or when we are asked to accept evil. 

What is Wrong with the "Self Acceptance" Message? 

The be yourself message is wrong for the following reasons: 

1: Being yourself is evil if you are an evil person. One should never be encouraged to love their defects, but to cleanse them patiently and effectively. Whatever is evil within yourself, is not sanitized because it comes from yourself. 

2: It implies others aren't entitled to request a change in your attitude if there is something annoying / concerning about it. 

3: The message is repeated on and on until it is the only value people have. Many apply the be yourself message to defend themselves against good condemnations and constructive criticism. The typical example would be the rainbow people, however this can be used to justify any harmful activity. 

4: The be yourself message is pushed by the establishment as a way of promoting degeneracy; a degeneracy that they themselves practice and

that is used against us. 

Before we continue I would like to point out that the "self acceptance" message is also used to good values, such as: 

1: The value of not being a hypocrite (albeit to be fair some people are not hypocrites because they are just evil) 

2: The value of not obsessing over the opinions of others 

3: The value of accepting something about yourself that doesn't make you an evil person but still brings discrimination (like being ugly) 

The problem comes from false principles being taught together with true values, in a way in which the viewer accepts both the harmful principle and the truth. 

Case Studies

It is important for us to be able to find this message on movies. The following movies have the be yourself message and can be used to establish the main ways in which this dictate of modernity is presented to us. 

The Little Mermaid

The Little Mermaid (1989) is a straight forward example of a "be yourself" movie.

It is what I would call a "self acceptance" movie about actions. Here our character isn't allowed to be themselves because they are forbidden from doing something they like. 

In the movie we are presented with princess Ariel, a mermaid who longs to visit human society & marry a prince.  She is however forbidden from this adventures, since her Father thinks humans are dangerous. 

This movies will often present a similar scenario: Our main character who wants to be themselves (by doing something that they like and it's therefore part of their identity), vs another character (often an entire society) who forbids their desires. The plot of the movie will resolve this conflict by allowing the protagonist to be freed from the prohibition and accepted by everyone else. 

Ariel makes a contract with a witch and loses her ability to speak for a pair of human legs. She has fun with the prince but fails to fulfill her part of the deal. The witch then uses this to steal the prince for herself. 

Later she captures the princess and trades her with the King: If Triton sells his kingdom, Ariel will be spared from becoming a depressed seaweed. 

Triton sells the kingdom, giving power to the witch who then proceeds to torment the mermaid. However,  Ariel is saved by the prince and everything returns to normal. Triton turns his daughter into a human and fulfills her dream. He accepts that his prejudice was rooted on fear and decides that maybe this random prince he barely knows is actually a good person. 

The typical ending of a be yourself movies is just like this. The protagonist gets their cake and eats it too. They are allowed to be themselves with little consequences, and with the praise of the people who once limited them. This oppressors  then proceed to recognize that they were mistaken, overzealous, or just didn't listen to the protagonist enough. 

In this case, the prohibition was partly justified and partly unjustified. It was justified, because the princess was being reckless and naive; and unjustified, because Triton assumed the worse about another species without caring to learn about them. 

Therefore, the viewer is given some nuance to partly justify the inner desire of the protagonist. This makes self-acceptance easier to take for audiences, because it's absurdity is not fully portrayed. 

Other Movies with "Self Acceptance" by action: 

Zootopia 

Brave 

Turning Red

Frozen 

Frozen (2013) is different from The Little Mermaid. We do have two characters that are forbidden from doing stuff, but one of them is forbidden from showing something about their identity to the world. 

This is what we can call a "self acceptance message" about being. The movie focuses more and who the character is rather than on what the character wants to do. 

Frozen tells the story of Elsa and Anna, two princesses of the magical world of Arendelle. Elsa is able to produce ice from her hands and loves using this ability to play with Anna. 

One day, Elsa injures Anna while playing. The princess is taken to a troll healer named Grand Pabby, who tells Elsa that her powers are dangerous. Elsa's parents lose their minds, socially isolate the princesses, and tell Elsa to keep her powers to herself. 

As a result Elsa develops a fearful personality and anxiously hides her ability. But as soon as the powers are exposed, she runs away into the mountains. Being finally free to do whatever she wants, Elsa sings Let It Go: 

The snow glows white in the mountains tonight 

Not a footprint to be seen

A kingdom of isolation, and it looks like I'm the Queen  

The wind is howling like this swirling storm inside

Couldn't keep it in, Heaven knows I tried 

Don't let them in, don't let them see

Be the good girl you always have to be 

Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know

Well, now they know

Let it go, let it go, can't hold it back anymore 

Turn away and slam the door 

I don't care what they're going to say 

Let the storm rage on 

The cold never bothered me anyway 

It's funny how some distance 

Makes everything seems small

And the fears that once controlled me 

Can't get to me at all 

It's time to see what I can do 

To test the limits and break through 

No right, no wrongs, no rules for me 

I'm Free 

Let it go, let it go, I am one with the wind and sky 

Let it go, let it go, you'll never see me cry 

Here I stand, and here I'll stay, let the storm rage on 

My power flurries through the air into the ground 

My soul is spiraling in frozen fractals all around 

And one thought crystallizes like an icy blast 

I'm never going back, the past is in the past 

Let it go, let it go, and I will rise like the break of dawn 

Let it go, let it go, The perfect girl has gone 

Here I stand in the light of the day 

Let the storm rage on 

The cold never bothered me anyway 

The rest so of the movie resolves upon Elsa giving a chance to her sister and people to accept her for who she is. She also learns to handle her abilities without hurting anyone. 

This is the nuanced territory we talked about previously. It allows the message to be received by the masses without showing the negative conclusions of "being yourself" as an ultimate value. 

Other examples of "Self Acceptance" by being: 

Hotel Transylvania 

The Bad Guys 

Shrek 

Summary 

+ The "Self Acceptance" presents us with false principles (you're perfect just the way you are) with true principles (the opinion of others is of little value). It can be found on multiple movies. 

+ Some movies (like the Little Mermaid) present us a character who is forbidden from doing something they like & gives them identity. 

+ Some movies (like Frozen) present us a character who is told to hide something about themselves at all costs. 

+ Most movies will introduce the message with some nuance. This not only improves the storytelling aspects, but allows the message to be taken at face value without mention of the negative consequences.

Conclusion 

In order to prevent the harm from be yourself movies, the following principles should be applied: 

+ Explain to children what is the be yourself message, why it is wrong and the simple fact that it is often used to promote decent values, albeit from an erroneous and often deviant worldview. 

+ Try to justify all of the rules you give to children. This will make sure they understand why they are given certain instructions and prevent them from not following them whenever they infringe upon their desires. 

+ Explain how the protagonists of be yourself movies are able to have their cake and eat it too only because they are written by studios who believe in this messages. 

+ Give to your children plenty of wholesome entertainment. 

+ Don't shelter your kids beyond what is reasonable or else you are making a breeding ground for a real-life be yourself story. 

It is tough to be a parent but as soon as your children come to your life it is your responsibility and you have no choice but to follow it. May God bless you and guide you and your children.