The writers behind the summer films are laboring not to disappoint. At the same time, the screen authors must avoid the usual villains who offend any one of a booming number of advocacy groups. In today's climate, those kind of choices are increasingly rare. In their zeal to craft stories for the most dimwitted of moviegoers, the studios generally do everything except put a halo on the hero and give the villain a tail and horns. Mr. Rosenberg says.
Villains often reflect the culture's spoken and hidden fears.
So he goes postal. But he's sharp enough to hijack a cruise ship without shooting everybody in sight. Mr. Nathanson says. At the same time, I wanted them to be likable, as bad as they are. The problem we may have is the audience might like the villains too much.'' The likable criminals go by the names Cyrus the Virus, Billy Bedlam and Swamp Thing, and they and several other miscreants take over the plane.