Fun Fact: The voice actor for Rourke (James Garner) is actually my grandma's cousin. I'm dead serious (although I've been told he wasn't very nice to my grandma when they met in the past, but lets not dwell on that fact too much). In Fact, 18th President; Ulysses S. Grant, happens to be my great great great great (possibly another great in there) grandfather. Yes, I'm also dead serious about that too. Naturally my branch of the family got cut off from any and all wealth that these people knew, because... you know... TYPICAL. But just thought I'd bring up these interesting family relations I have discovered in recent years, cause... you know... WHY NOT?!
Considering Atlantis was directed by the same guys as The Hunchback of Notre Dame, it's not surprising that we'd get another phenomenal villain from them.
My thoughts on Rourke's death is it's poetic justice. After treating other people like objects and things to be used, discarded, and forgotten he himself becomes and object that is broken, becomes discarded, and is forgotten.
The thing is, Rourke's not just a jerk (like Hans for example) after he's revealed as the main villain. He kills TWO DAMN people with his BARE HANDS, and just continues to act casually. That's the mark of true villainy right there.
@@sarafontanini7051 Yes! I love the little bits and pieces they leave behind for rewatches such as "This will be enriching for all of us" or "Commander there wasn't supposed to be people down here, this changes everything!" In response Rourke says "This changes nothing." I also like how he doesn't change his whole personality after the reveal, he's still casual, snarky, and at times stoic.
@@SouvlakiandtzatzikiAlso if you look closely, he’s the first guy to board the escape pods. In real life captains go on last, so if it sinks they do down with the ship.
@@zacharyriley4561Hes not technically the captain of the ship, hes the commander of the whole expedition that happens to be using a ship for that portion of the expedition.
He’s not mean spirited more specifically. Cursing and insulting and getting impatient or agitated, like villains who play nice tend to do when they’re caught, that simply isn’t in Rourke’s character.
The scene where Rourke figures out where the heart of Atlantis is, just right before he kills the king, is one of the most underrated scenes in the movie. It shows that he is smart and not a one-note villain consumed by greed. And it also shows he has SOME humanity and doesn’t just kill everyone to get his way as shown when he leaves the king alive.
He doesn’t waste a potentially useful bargaining chip out of sheer malice, that’s what a chaotic evil character would do. Rourke is likely neutral evil.
I think the symbolism of Rourke’s defeat is that he became what he wanted to sell (the crystal). He objectified the Atlanteans, and so became an object himself. And then exploded.
The other thing that makes him so formidable is that he's both the brain and brawn of his team. He's not just a brute, but also a tactician. And if you take away his weapons, then he's still extremely deadly with his bare hands. If you have him fight with just skill without using his brute force, then he's still an extremely skilled, master combatant. Have him not fight at all, and he's intelligent enough to talk his way into a good deal. He's just an all-around badass and carries his team. He alone is the brain and brawn of his entire expedition.
Yeah, he's such a criminally underrated villain! I actually liked his characterization in addition to his narcissistic nature and greedy based motives. And of course, his big reveal to be a baddie was solidely built up from his first appearence.
What makes Rourke one of the most real Disney villains, is the fact there were real people like him in the past, and unfortunately, into our present. This has always been the downside of discovery and commerce, and given Atlantis the Lost Empire was set in 1914, this was the peak of the age of empires, and all those empires would soon be embroiled in the First World War, where pride and prejudice led to the costly and frightening toll on human life. This is what make Rourke one of the most relatable Disney villains, he was not just a villain on his own, he represented a piece of the mosaic built from pain and destruction, imagine all the real Rourkes who existed, making a killing by killing. Rourke is very much the symbol of human avarice, it's quite profound a villain like this could come from Disney, nowadays, the corporation would probably write a redemption arc for Rourke, that he was a sympathetic character, that he went about gaining wealth the wrong way, then gaslight the audience into forgiving Rourke's motives. Rourke is one of the most compelling villains to have existed, he is a major step up from Radcliff from Pocahantas, who was written to be an obvious villain, Rourke is a reminder that we have the potential be like him, ambition to gain wealth at the cost of your own soul.
I'm so glad you brought up WW1, because I did a whole personal analysis about related themes in this movie. For instance, I don't recall exactly when, but at some point Milo even directly mentions Kaiser Wilhelm II (quoted as "...the German Kaiser") as a person who would very much like to get their hands on the Atlantean technology for military purposes. I also think the crew being of many different nationalities was a really important aspect of the movie. I like to think that the creators of the movie were hoping to show solidarity in the face of adversity through a number of different ways, and given the setting in history as well as the racial and nationalistic tensions of said time period, I don't think it's a stretch to tie the nationalities of the characters to that message. Totally got away from Rourke so my bad haha, but I got excited and wanted to share my thoughts.
WW1 was due to a series of entangling alliances. It only showed how having too many peacetime treaties with countries can end up being a monkey's paw. Diversity really destroyed the world for 4 years and it took a Serb to reveal it.
hell, the amjaority of the cast were willing followers of his so they too also play into that idea by also almost becoming like him, but the difference was they were clearly uncomfortable with outright genocide and murder, while rourke didn't see it as a concern at all.
Something I've noticed with "bad" disney twist villains and "good" ones, is that the poorly made ones, while physically in the plot, are pretty much just side characters until the third act says "by the way, this is the bad guy all along" with the barest of hints beforehand (if any) that require scrutiny upon rewatches to notice if there's anything at all, while the better ones are either already antagonistic towards the main characters but the full context isn't revealed until the twist, or otherwise there are enough tells given and logical conclusions to their actions and words that may be figured out if you're paying attention, but at least work in both the beforehand and the aftermath of the twist - in one way, is the twist villain still the same character before and after, or are they different characters in the same body that swap places at the twist?
@marcusblackwell2372 oh trust me, I'm gonna get to it soon-ish, probably next year for sure, that is a guarantee I can't usually give. But it has been on my high priority videos list, a good one to do while I'm also multi-tasking with big rankings and such
@@Rockotarthepurplehatguy I think an interesting detail about Rourke is that he wears his military uniform for the whole journey until they arrived in Atlantis, and he doesn't wear it again like he is already taking off his honorable facade.
So glad you did this! Atlantis: The Lost Empire is such an underrated film! In regards to Rourke's defeat, my personal take on it is that: 1. He didn't respect the Atlantean culture so it's ironic that something from Atlantis, a piece of the Heart, a part of the civilization's mysticism and culture was what did him in. 2. Rourke was solely motivated by greed. Earlier, Milo told him that he only saw the Heart as a diamond, a shiny thing, so it's fitting that he was ultimately turned into a shiny thing and shattered into pieces--like diamonds. 3. By becoming a soulless, greedy individual that thought he was smarter than everyone else, Rourke essentially lost his humanity and when he was slashed with a piece of the Heart, he was transformed into a soulless, mindless inhuman being. 4. He was shattered by the balloon's propellers, so this meant that he was ultimately killed by one of his own machines
For me Rourke is an example of a Disney twist villian done well. He's not too obvious to make the twist predictable, but there's just enough hints that it doesn't come out of nowhere as well as his personality not doing a complete 180 after his true colours are revealed. More importantly the don't leave the reveal to the very end like Hans or Bellwether. Having it be revealed in the second act gives us more time to actually be a villian But I think what makes the twist work is that it isn’t Rourke being revealed to be a villian, it's how far he's willing to go for for his own greed and self interest. Killing the king, taking Kida away from her home, willing to betray his own crew, and is even willing to wipe out an entire race of people and their culture just for his own selfish desires The reveal works also because the crew that we've grown attached to were actually fully on his side, so we still get that shock from the reveal. But again not only did it not come out of nowhere since the crew had said before they were only on this trip for the money, but there are also hints that they aren't as willing to put others in risk like Rourke (like how Sweet immediately turns against Rourke when he hurts the king and we even see him take care of him before he dies) so it makes their change of heart more believable It kills me that Atlantis isn't really talked about like Treasure Planet, because it really does deserve a lot of love
hell during the scene where they mourne the dead members of the expedition everyone looks genuinely sad, except Rourke who is clearly maintaining a stern and stoic expression. THough this could be a reach. also the fact everyone else gets clsoe to milo, gets to act goofy and share their backstory and interests with him...while rourke does not, in fact he maintains his distance from Milo. Its why we know so little about him compared to the others.
@@sarafontanini7051during that scene i think that Rourke is truly sad about the deaths of his men but he is also a proffesional, the risk of dieing is part of the job, his men knew that, as the leader of the expedition Rourke must keep moving everyone forward because they have a job to do
@@MiguelSanchezDelVillar It was also genius that he was the one to speak for their dead crewmates. As the captain he was supposed to be the last one to board the escape pods, but instead he went early which is a sign of cowardice. For him to be the one to speak up smoothly hides his role as the twist villain, since everyone who already suspected something of him after pulling a cowardly move would be led to believe that he may still be good since he somewhat took responsibility for the deaths of the crew.
@jaydenshepard7928 Oh, he ain't? I mean his title is Commander and not Captain, but I think he's still the leader of the expedition. Correct me if I'm wrong though.
That’s just pathetic tho. These are not your customs, these are not your people. Atlantis crew represents the whole world above-why would they lower themselves to the customs of random tribes with bullshit magitec?
@@max7971 ever heard of ‘When in Rome, do as the Romans?’ 🤨 they’re not IN their world right now & when you’re in someone else’s, showing respect to native customs is just a mark of respect, it doesn’t mean you diminish yourself because you went out of your comfort zone for a DAY 😑
Totally agree and good points. The clips were funny. Rourke is one of my favorite villains along with Helga. I like that Helga is not your typical villain henchmen who are usually dumb or not as bad or reform because of remorse or because they realize there boss is a jerk. While she was implied to have some concern for the Atlantans, she still let greed get to her and probably also because Rourke kept reminding her. She even had a few opportunities to switch sides. Why is which it makes her death still deserved. It’s also unique how she wasn’t rescued and reformed afterwards.
Yet it is interesting that it is Helga not Milo that ensures Rourke's defeat. Even if Rouke killed Milo it wouldn't matter since Helga destroyed his only way of getting the crystal to the Surface. And that is if Rourke didn't get killed by the erupting volcano
@ Totally agree. It’s also interesting how it doesn’t mean she’s the good guy now. She’s still defeated since she had a few opportunities to redeem herself and since it was likely she shoot the balloon just to get back at Rourke, not to help them.
@@Koopalingfanyou can also add The Gang greengang helping the Powerpuff Girls defeat Sedusa when she double crosses them and the Delighted children helping Numbuh 1 and 360 find Father as they too cant stand eating broccoli. In both cases the villain group dont regorm but the evil their "Boss" was doing was too much for them.
17:11 I felt that the symbolism here was that his own greed for money (that’s what the Atlantis Crystal would’ve given him if his plan worked) turned him into a Monster, both physically and literally!!
Rourke to me is what the makers of Pocahontas wanted Ratcliffe to be, since they have a very similar motivation. It's part of why I like treating Atlantis as a whole as being something of a redemption for Pocahontas even though it wasn't as successful- and this is coming from someone that likes Pocahontas and finds it to be incredibly overhated.
@@tonypringles2285 Maybe "hate" might have been a strong word to use there, but a large portion of people find it to be one of the lesser if not one of the worst Disney movies, and I don't really agree with that.
I think gaston and ursla and maleficent are interesting because they are one of a few villains whose henchmen doesn't betray them and gaston is a very good leader in the original since no one ever turns on him or thinks about it
17:05 Rourke said earlier "It's big, it's shiny, and it's gonna make us all rich." He turns into something big and shiny, essentially a sentient diamond
YES!!! IVE BEEN WAITING YEARS FOR YOU TO MAKE A REVIEW OF THIS MOVIE!!! (Now I just have to wait for Treasure Planet review…) Atlantis was THAT movie for me as a kid. For years we couldn’t find it anywhere to stream, until Disney plus was created. I have watched this movie at least once every few months just for the nostalgia alone Okay so in the “boss fight” between Milo and Rourke, I always thought that him turning into crystal was like a cruel irony. He had spent years of his life searching for this thing, and ultimately, it was his own downfall (hence him turning into crystal) the crystal was what he valued most in that moment, and boy did he get it
🧐 I am surprised Rockotar didn’t mention Rourke’s biggest failing of all (which is also extremely relevant), that of being only concerned with the biggest source of immediate value when a better solution was right under his nose. As many have pointed out, the movie very clearly shows at the end that they could have taken literally ANYTHING from Atlantis and had riches to spare without hurting anyone. But of course, Rourke has to go for the most valuable item (which theoretically translates to greatest monetary value) in all of Atlantis, regardless of who he has to hurt along the way, a decision equally motivated by greed and pride. In the end, not only does he fail to get any monetary value from his actions, but he ends up being responsible for the death of many people (including himself) and those that knew to quit before they went too far ended up inheriting everything.
Rourke also considers Life to be a zero-sum game; the only way for him to gain money is for someone else to lose it. That's why he never considers taking just part of Atlantis, even if that would be a favorable outcome for everyone; he does not and cannot conceptualize the world that way.
It’s both amazing and tragic how many voice actors in this movie passed away right after this movie came out. They hired some true Hollywood greats just in time.
Love this movie, can watch it over and over. God tier compared to the other joke movies they've made the last few years (besides encanto) glad people are loving it nowadays. Gotta do a villain ranking. Love ranking vids
Why don’t you have more subs yet?? This is a great analysis we have here. I like Atlantis: The Lost Empire and have always wondered why other people didn’t, so I’m glad to know I’m not alone.
This is a very well-worded and thought-provoking analysis of Rourke. 👏🧐 While I respectfully disagree with his final statement about Rourke being “underrated” and “one of the greatest” Disney villains, I definitely agree with the title of this video (that he is one of the most relevant Disney villains) and most of the observations contained therein.
Happy Thanksgiving Mr. Rockotar!! 17:55 I want to recommend what is arguably one of the best Nickelodeon movies of all time: Rango. When you said “company supplies you the very water you drink”, I instantly remembered Mayor John, who did this very same thing. I hope you would give it a watch and tell us what you think. Have a good day!
I feel that Rourke's change into the crystal monster not only stripped away his outward human shell and showed the true villain from within, but also was a clever way to show Rourke's greed was in fact self-destructive. By being turned into the creature made of crystal that he viewed as just a big diamond, something that his unquenchable greed wanted, along with his dehumanizing of people, he was in turn made into the very thing that he coveted.
Rourke's death was always fairly simple in its message to me. He risked life and limb both during the expedition and over the years to find this crystal, motivated by a pure sense of greed. In the end, the object of that very greed is precisely what killed him.
4:39 I have a fan theory that Rourke was the one to actually kill Milos grandfather, with evidence in both the movie and the video games prologue. In the beginning of Trial by Fire, Milos grandfather is not only the guide for the player but the merc crew searching for the journal in iceland. They have to navigate the trecherous artic terrain, and fight their way through native cultists that guard the Sheppards journal. There is a period of time between the games prologue and the start of Milos journey, but based on things said by both Whitmore and Rourke I feel confident Rourke not only killed Milos grandfather but took the missing page in the process. After the Iceland mission, the professor and Whitmore congratulated each other and take the famous 'kissed him on the mouth' photo. While Whitmore began preparations for the next stage of the gentlemans bet, Milos grandfather eagerly returns to the University to showcase his proof of Atlantis. But despite having physical proof to show his colleges, he is still scoffed at and worse accused of forgery. "Those buffoons at the museum, dragged him down, *made* a laughing stock out of him." All of this would be observed by Helga, who would inform Rourke, or observed by Rourke directly (but less likely, he would stand out/less motive to spy). Either way, Rourke knows the professor is in a vulnerable position, and in possession of the journal and knowledge of its contents. He approaches him one night to discuss more about it, and at some point after discovering the true potential treasure in the book, he kills the professor to narrow down the number of people aware of that knowledge. Taking the page, knowing it would be overlooked as just the passing of time, and making the professors death look like a suicide knowing it would be believed even by his closest friend. "He died a broken man." The sadness on Whitmore's face feels like that means more than just him dying unhappy. But he takes his anger out on the museum, wanting to shove that just one shred of proof at them, knowing as well that the journal itself wasnt proof enough. In the end, Rourke practically admits to it with the later statement "you're an idealist, Milo, just like youre grandfather.... Do yourself a favor kid dont be like him... *For once* do the smart thing." Its a threat, but also a confession.
Rourke was such a well done character. I'd love to see a prequel type movie about him-- especially if it would explore his relationship with Helga. I always thought there was something.....more between those two.
"I love it when I win" - Lyle Rourke Sidenote, it's really sad that this movie didn't get the recognition it deserved, this quote would be memed much more if it had.
17:05 I mean, there's the whole "turned into the very thing he was pursuing which was a direct cause of his death" thing. It's not quite as straight-forward as I'm phrasing it here, but that is a top tier ending. Even Fullmetal Alchemist uses it.
These are one of the types of movies that should get a life action reboot. Anyway, I really enjoyed the video and your deep dive into the characters, viewpoints and motivations.
Congratulations Rockotar as Rourke puts it "You just won the Solid gold cupi doll" for this incredible well put together video, still enjoying it after rewatch, keep up the good work 👏🏅
Rourke was killed by the treasure he was willing to sacrifice everyone around himself to get, and he was killed by turning into it. Yes, there is strong literary symbology there.
You forgot to mention though that Dr. Sweet actually turned on Rourke eariler when Rourke mortally wounded the king. That really says something there if you ask me. Because it shows that as a medic physically hurting people is not something he likes doing and refusing to do that is more important than money to him.
Dr. Sweet's heritage may also have played a role in his decision. He's Black, *and* of an American Indian nation. He's not just seen the results of colonial violence, he's probably lived it.
@ Possibly although nothing in his backstory says he witnessed it but he might have since he was born in 1872. Additionally while I am not normally one to say something like this, he is also notably a example of a diverse character done right since not only is his mix heritage realistic for the time period but he isn’t diverse just for the sake of being diverse, there is more to his character then just him being diverse as well. Many companies these days especially Disney ironically should have used this film as a study on how you write a diverse character well but sadly they don’t with one of the reasons clearly being that this film bombed at the box office even though not all films that bomb at the box office are bad.
Villain or not, Rourke gets some of the BEST lines in the film: "Tell Cookie to melt the butter and bring out the bibs! I want that lobster served on a silver platter!" "Next time, get it in writing!" "I consider myself an even-tempered man! It takes A LOT to get under my skin! But CONGRATULATIONS! You just won the solid gold kewpie doll!"
It's should be noted how Rourke contrasts with milo, being taller and more muscular compared to milo's shroter, lankier frame, as wella s beign clearly older, and he has a lot of loyal followers while milo has no friends at all let alone employees. Milo's goofy while rourke's more serious if initially personable, and milo's super awkward while rourke is always careful about what he says and does and is constant control. Hell one could even reach for the fact that Milo is drawn in a more cartoonier manner comapred to rourke. all this to say we're given visual contrasts between the two to visually compare them as characters from the outset, which becomes important as it becomes clear that rourke is not only the villain of the movie but Milo's nemesis specifically. We were shown from the start that these two men were different and were opposing each other.
Great observations and analysis! It makes me appreciate the writing of Atlantis even more. I thought Rourke was scary because he feels realistic and seems reasonable much of the time. His villainous acts hit harder that way.
I rewatched this movie today and adored it. It went from 8/10 to 9/10 overall and is now in my top 10 Disney films. Thanks for reminding me of this masterpiece.
That's why I love this movie so much. Rourke is easily what twist villain should be. First at the start decent and somewhat nice until over time in the middle parts of the story does he truly reveal his plans and no longer around the nice persona to reach his true baddest goals of gaining wealth and power from Atlantis.
and of course his grouchiness could be exused at just being comedically annoyed by milo...until the reveal and you realise that, no, he jsut dislikes milo cause he's an asshole
The fact that he turns to crystal is also a very symbolic ending. Crystals are generally highly valued, to the point that slave labor is common in some crystal industries (diamond mining being the most well-known), so for him to die in that way is a metaphor for his own greed turning against him.
Now that you ask, the symbolism of him being consumed by the crystal is clearly a symbolism for him being consumed by his greed, being litterally turned into a monster by it
One thing I like about this movie is that the pursuit of money isn't necessarily evil, there is some nuance to consider. Sure, Roark's ulterior motives and self-serving exploitation makes him evil, but the crew shows that monetary pursuit is often the avenue to enable a better life for yourself and loved ones, and that it doesn't have to come at the cost of others. The crew still achieved wealth, but they earned it.
The situation with the Internet Archive is actually _even more ridiculous_ than you may have thought - there isn't even any effect on the publisher's profits.
@@cityatsea8507 glad it got you interested, but I just wish it wasn't so aimless and generic, and actually followed the plots from the comics and made an effort to actually tell an interesting story (I know they sort of tried in the latter seasons, but it felt halfhearted and too little too late). I don't think Avengers Assemble is unwatchable per say, but it is EXTREMELY below average compared to what it should be.
he's soo callous that he tosses his girlfriend like she's nothing another thing about him is he's super super realistic over history this is soo true like with Colombus and with what happened to Egypt it's interesting to see how a fictional antagonist can be this realistic
I'm getting the feeling you don't actually know anything about Columbus in writing this. Actually, I know you don't. Greed was so far from the guy's mind in his first expedition it's a sign of ignorance to claim otherwise. Some actions like not paying a bonus to the lookout for spotting land and claiming he saw it first or at the same time was a bit greedy and a sign of having a bit of an ego, but the whole reason he went on the expedition was wanting to fund a new Crusade against the Muslims invading eastern Europe and to retake what in now Israel. Literally everything from modern Morocco to Turkey along the Mediterranean used to be Christian until invaded by Arab and Turkish armies. You can agree or disagree with his motives, but to claim the man's main motivation was greed shows a poorer understanding of him than even a basic cultural osmosis should create.
@John-fk2ky your inventing your own narrative that was columbus quest to make as much money as possible and it's correct he wanted to fund more expeditions but he tricked the native Americans, befriended them, then took all their gold and land for himself just like Rorhk
I like to think that Rourke’s transformation into his crystal form illustrates the "corruption" that can come from within. This contrasts with Kida’s crystal form, which was represented by her purity, smooth, a luminous and vibrant blue color, and almost translucent look. Rourke, on the other hand, is depicted with a dull blue hue, jagged and cracked edges, and splits running through him like veins-his current form seemingly "cracking" under the pressure inside him. The bright red light emanating from his core symbolizes the corruption of his soul, consumed by greed and his utter disregard for human life. It suggests that his form is barely able to contain this corruption and is on the verge of shattering. The red glow could also be linked to the Heart of Atlantis, which often turns that color when it senses danger, marking Rourke as an enemy. On another note, as much as I enjoyed the current ending, I thought another interesting conclusion would be if, after Milo cuts him with the shard, Rourke notices the crystal spreading through his arm. In a desperate move, he thrusts his arm into the blades of the blimp, severing it before the crystal can completely take over. This would highlight his "I’ll do whatever it takes to get what I want" mentality. It would also give Milo a brief advantage in their fight, but ultimately, Rourke starts to lose consciousness from blood loss, allowing Milo the opportunity to push him over the edge to his death. However, Milo could still save him, showing that, while Milo was determined to do everything in his power to save Kida, he wouldn’t sacrifice another person’s life for his own goals-choosing the harder, more humane path, unlike Rourke, who had no qualms about sacrificing Helga and would have done to Milo. With Rourke being saved in this way, there could be a chance for his return. With some bits of the crystal remaining in the stump of his severed arm, it would regenerate the arm but in crystal form. Infecting Rourke at a much slower than what was seen in the current ending, it would begin to affect his mental state. As the crystal works its way to his brain, he might start to hear voices-perhaps the spirits of those who passed through the Heart of Atlantis, tormenting him and fueling his desire for revenge against those he blames for his transformation. This would make him more reckless and ruthless, offering a darker, more unhinged version of Rourke.
He's quite wise villain. The expedition didn't think about finding any survivours, yet he planned to hire people who are not just typical yes men (like his ordinary conscripts), but also carefully selected specialists. And the only thing that "made" him a villain were the Atlanteans, after all.
This is honestly the best character analysis on why Rourke works as a villain for the movie. It really makes me smile to see people making analysis focusing on this movie and it's becoming one of my favorite Disney movies. The themes of greed, politics and anti-capitalism applying to him as a villain really are trying to get to me, but this video really helped. I'd love to see more people to character analysis on every significant character in Atlantis The Lost Empire. Such as why Milo chose to believe in his morals and beliefs and not let anything change him.
I've always kind of seen the turning to crystal as his end, as a direct reference to a Midas Touch. He only wants money, has only ever wanted money, to the point where it becomes his biggest down fall by way of turning what he cares for most into something precious. For Midas, his family into gold, for Rourke, himself to crystal.
I think my favorite thing about Rourke is that he comes across as competent and that if you removed the scenes from him being the villain onwards and the two small "something is not right" scenes before it, his outward presentation is so good that you could have had him as a slightly grumpy but competent and arguably admirable expedition leader without changing anything else. You could literally tell a completely different story from the point they found Atlantis onwards with no prior changes and have Rourke not be the villain. At the same time nothing earlier feels contradictory to him being the villain, unlike, say Hans, in Frozen. That to me is the sign of an excellently written twist villain.
Ooh I have something embarrassing to tell you. I've never watched Atlantis, which, if you say the villain, there is good. I mean, if he is, I might watch It. Should I watch this movie
It's on Disney plus, or you could buy it on disc (though if you haven't seen it, buying it without knowing for sure if you like it could be a risk). Don't know where else.
Awesome video analysis on Disney's most underrated and best twist villain. Like none of their other twist villains came close to the same level of good writing ever since.
What's fun about him is that you never feel like you're being preached to. He's A CHARACTER with an opinion, and sure, the other characters disagree, but how hard is it to believe that most people aren't particularly skippy with genocide? The man is voiced by a classic Western actor, who did regular westerns as well as comedy westerns, and he played in a great comedy western with Mel Gibson called "Maverick." HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. This movie, too. It better get a 4k release, by golly!
This dude's rant about Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes is on par with my passion for The Spectacular Spider-Man! Also, I think Lyle Rourke's transformation into a crystal was meant to symbolize that he became the very object he wanted a profit off of. Also that moment Rourke was frozen may have been an ironic twist to his comment about Milo becoming "part of the exhibit".
Excellent video. I really appreciate the love for Rourke as a villain, since he often gets called a basic, money-loving bad guy with no depth. He does a lot with his wit and manipulation skills. One thing I don’t see enough people talk about is that how Rourke isn’t really a twist villain; the actual twist is that the rest of the crew is in on it as well. Rourke does come off as pretty shady throughout the movie, and there are multiple clues to his true nature (his face is covered up on his file, he’s the first one off the sub despite being its captain, etc.). The crew (or at least the named ones) mostly come off as likable and relatable, and eventually gain respect for Milo as they travel to Atlantis. When Rourke and the crew confront Milo and Kida, it hurts to see all of them silently standing behind Rourke, reduced from real characters down to just grunts for an obviously evil guy. While it’s not surprising that they eventually go back to Milo’s side, it is still satisfying to see them come to their senses. They crucially go back to being themselves and therefore return to being much more likable, and instantly redeem themselves by following Milo in the effort to save Kida. This all works so well because they have an obviously evil character in Rourke to contrast them against.
Corporate logic: I may be making 300% profit thousands of times a minute for a fair honest price. But I could be making double or triple since Im the only one selling.
and this can also be used for Disney themselves these days, considering of how they care more about money than their loyal fanbase, and how little they care about us
I’m curious, and I have a question, what are your thoughts on The Polar Express? Since the movie turns 20 on November 10th. I’m curious as to what your thoughts are and where it would rank in a tier (S to F)
I saw this film recently and ADORED it. Just- wow. Lyle took me by surprise ngl, the writing is just- wow. He’s scarily realistic as a villain, but that’s WHY he works so well.
8:37 I watch that scene over and pver and it awlays blows my mind everytime I analyze the statements If you gave back every stolen artifact from a Museum you'd be left of an empty building. Money doesn't grow on trees, to which I say Money is made from paper an paper is made from trees.
![Why Judge Claude Frollo is the Best Disney Villain [The Hunchback of Notre Dame]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/fGwrZEMi05o/mqdefault.jpg)
![Why Judge Claude Frollo is the Best Disney Villain [The Hunchback of Notre Dame]](/img/tr.png)
![Why The Screenslaver is Pixar's Stupidest Villain [Incredibles 2]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/g-ceg-ppNo4/mqdefault.jpg)
![Why Return to Never Land is a Superior Sequel [Peter Pan 2]](/img/n.gif)
Fun Fact: The voice actor for Rourke (James Garner) is actually my grandma's cousin. I'm dead serious (although I've been told he wasn't very nice to my grandma when they met in the past, but lets not dwell on that fact too much).
In Fact, 18th President; Ulysses S. Grant, happens to be my great great great great (possibly another great in there) grandfather. Yes, I'm also dead serious about that too. Naturally my branch of the family got cut off from any and all wealth that these people knew, because... you know... TYPICAL. But just thought I'd bring up these interesting family relations I have discovered in recent years, cause... you know... WHY NOT?!
OMG, your family tree are all stars!
Family lore is always crazy
whoa lucky and cool family tree
Woah-you got quite the family history!
Very cool, Rockotar you have connections I see, lol
Considering Atlantis was directed by the same guys as The Hunchback of Notre Dame, it's not surprising that we'd get another phenomenal villain from them.
Interesting
That makes sense why both movies were so great
They certainly have a knack for making disturbingly realistic villains. I love both films partly for that reason alone.
I didn’t know that, thanks. That is interesting.
They also directed Beauty and the Beast
My thoughts on Rourke's death is it's poetic justice. After treating other people like objects and things to be used, discarded, and forgotten he himself becomes and object that is broken, becomes discarded, and is forgotten.
Good point.
Literally consumed by his obsession.
True and becoming a crystal makes it easier for them to show an on screen death for an all ages movie.
plus he is transformed into a twsited mirror of the very thing he was trying to steal in the first place
Similar thought: Crystals are very valuable. He became the very thing he was hoping to gain; money.
The thing is, Rourke's not just a jerk (like Hans for example) after he's revealed as the main villain. He kills TWO DAMN people with his BARE HANDS, and just continues to act casually. That's the mark of true villainy right there.
plus unlike Hans his villainy is built up and set up early on and in fact knowing he's the villains changes a lot about he is portrayed upon rewatch
@@sarafontanini7051 Yes! I love the little bits and pieces they leave behind for rewatches such as "This will be enriching for all of us" or "Commander there wasn't supposed to be people down here, this changes everything!" In response Rourke says "This changes nothing." I also like how he doesn't change his whole personality after the reveal, he's still casual, snarky, and at times stoic.
@@SouvlakiandtzatzikiAlso if you look closely, he’s the first guy to board the escape pods. In real life captains go on last, so if it sinks they do down with the ship.
@@zacharyriley4561Hes not technically the captain of the ship, hes the commander of the whole expedition that happens to be using a ship for that portion of the expedition.
He’s not mean spirited more specifically. Cursing and insulting and getting impatient or agitated, like villains who play nice tend to do when they’re caught, that simply isn’t in Rourke’s character.
The scene where Rourke figures out where the heart of Atlantis is, just right before he kills the king, is one of the most underrated scenes in the movie.
It shows that he is smart and not a one-note villain consumed by greed. And it also shows he has SOME humanity and doesn’t just kill everyone to get his way as shown when he leaves the king alive.
Totally agree.
Well alive is a great word because he still die anyway , he was probably to old to begin with to sustain injury.
RIP James Garner.
@@sinjoh53He’s several thousand years old, and looks that way. Was gonna happen anyways, sooner or later.
He doesn’t waste a potentially useful bargaining chip out of sheer malice, that’s what a chaotic evil character would do. Rourke is likely neutral evil.
I think the symbolism of Rourke’s defeat is that he became what he wanted to sell (the crystal). He objectified the Atlanteans, and so became an object himself.
And then exploded.
Just like Squidward did when he ate all those krabby patties.
he essentially became something of high profit and got shattered to smithereens, completely tanking his profit.
The other thing that makes him so formidable is that he's both the brain and brawn of his team. He's not just a brute, but also a tactician. And if you take away his weapons, then he's still extremely deadly with his bare hands. If you have him fight with just skill without using his brute force, then he's still an extremely skilled, master combatant. Have him not fight at all, and he's intelligent enough to talk his way into a good deal. He's just an all-around badass and carries his team. He alone is the brain and brawn of his entire expedition.
Casting James Garner in this role was a smart move since he was known for charming leads so people wouldn’t be as suspicious
Yeah, he's such a criminally underrated villain! I actually liked his characterization in addition to his narcissistic nature and greedy based motives. And of course, his big reveal to be a baddie was solidely built up from his first appearence.
What makes Rourke one of the most real Disney villains, is the fact there were real people like him in the past, and unfortunately, into our present. This has always been the downside of discovery and commerce, and given Atlantis the Lost Empire was set in 1914, this was the peak of the age of empires, and all those empires would soon be embroiled in the First World War, where pride and prejudice led to the costly and frightening toll on human life. This is what make Rourke one of the most relatable Disney villains, he was not just a villain on his own, he represented a piece of the mosaic built from pain and destruction, imagine all the real Rourkes who existed, making a killing by killing. Rourke is very much the symbol of human avarice, it's quite profound a villain like this could come from Disney, nowadays, the corporation would probably write a redemption arc for Rourke, that he was a sympathetic character, that he went about gaining wealth the wrong way, then gaslight the audience into forgiving Rourke's motives. Rourke is one of the most compelling villains to have existed, he is a major step up from Radcliff from Pocahantas, who was written to be an obvious villain, Rourke is a reminder that we have the potential be like him, ambition to gain wealth at the cost of your own soul.
I'm so glad you brought up WW1, because I did a whole personal analysis about related themes in this movie. For instance, I don't recall exactly when, but at some point Milo even directly mentions Kaiser Wilhelm II (quoted as "...the German Kaiser") as a person who would very much like to get their hands on the Atlantean technology for military purposes. I also think the crew being of many different nationalities was a really important aspect of the movie. I like to think that the creators of the movie were hoping to show solidarity in the face of adversity through a number of different ways, and given the setting in history as well as the racial and nationalistic tensions of said time period, I don't think it's a stretch to tie the nationalities of the characters to that message. Totally got away from Rourke so my bad haha, but I got excited and wanted to share my thoughts.
WW1 was due to a series of entangling alliances. It only showed how having too many peacetime treaties with countries can end up being a monkey's paw. Diversity really destroyed the world for 4 years and it took a Serb to reveal it.
I don't think the World Wars occured in this movie series
By understanding and improving Atlantean tech Humanity can colonize space much sooner
Or look at Trump and Elon but without the smarts and out of shape but all talk with better acting
hell, the amjaority of the cast were willing followers of his so they too also play into that idea by also almost becoming like him, but the difference was they were clearly uncomfortable with outright genocide and murder, while rourke didn't see it as a concern at all.
4:27 A time when twist villains were actually well thought out and not too obvious
as well as being genuinely great villains regardless
Something I've noticed with "bad" disney twist villains and "good" ones, is that the poorly made ones, while physically in the plot, are pretty much just side characters until the third act says "by the way, this is the bad guy all along" with the barest of hints beforehand (if any) that require scrutiny upon rewatches to notice if there's anything at all, while the better ones are either already antagonistic towards the main characters but the full context isn't revealed until the twist, or otherwise there are enough tells given and logical conclusions to their actions and words that may be figured out if you're paying attention, but at least work in both the beforehand and the aftermath of the twist - in one way, is the twist villain still the same character before and after, or are they different characters in the same body that swap places at the twist?
@@ComicaPaloozaStudiosI have noticed this in all media for a LONG time. They purposely don't focus on them and therefore, I know who it is😂
Atlantis, my beloved.
Treasure Planet video when?
@marcusblackwell2372 oh trust me, I'm gonna get to it soon-ish, probably next year for sure, that is a guarantee I can't usually give. But it has been on my high priority videos list, a good one to do while I'm also multi-tasking with big rankings and such
@@Rockotarthepurplehatguy I think an interesting detail about Rourke is that he wears his military uniform for the whole journey until they arrived in Atlantis, and he doesn't wear it again like he is already taking off his honorable facade.
So glad you did this! Atlantis: The Lost Empire is such an underrated film! In regards to Rourke's defeat, my personal take on it is that:
1. He didn't respect the Atlantean culture so it's ironic that something from Atlantis, a piece of the Heart, a part of the civilization's mysticism and culture was what did him in.
2. Rourke was solely motivated by greed. Earlier, Milo told him that he only saw the Heart as a diamond, a shiny thing, so it's fitting that he was ultimately turned into a shiny thing and shattered into pieces--like diamonds.
3. By becoming a soulless, greedy individual that thought he was smarter than everyone else, Rourke essentially lost his humanity and when he was slashed with a piece of the Heart, he was transformed into a soulless, mindless inhuman being.
4. He was shattered by the balloon's propellers, so this meant that he was ultimately killed by one of his own machines
Rourke really should be the new Disney Mascot.
That would be too on the nose for them.
or america's
@@leebulger7112 Oy Vey
For me Rourke is an example of a Disney twist villian done well. He's not too obvious to make the twist predictable, but there's just enough hints that it doesn't come out of nowhere as well as his personality not doing a complete 180 after his true colours are revealed. More importantly the don't leave the reveal to the very end like Hans or Bellwether. Having it be revealed in the second act gives us more time to actually be a villian
But I think what makes the twist work is that it isn’t Rourke being revealed to be a villian, it's how far he's willing to go for for his own greed and self interest. Killing the king, taking Kida away from her home, willing to betray his own crew, and is even willing to wipe out an entire race of people and their culture just for his own selfish desires
The reveal works also because the crew that we've grown attached to were actually fully on his side, so we still get that shock from the reveal. But again not only did it not come out of nowhere since the crew had said before they were only on this trip for the money, but there are also hints that they aren't as willing to put others in risk like Rourke (like how Sweet immediately turns against Rourke when he hurts the king and we even see him take care of him before he dies) so it makes their change of heart more believable
It kills me that Atlantis isn't really talked about like Treasure Planet, because it really does deserve a lot of love
hell during the scene where they mourne the dead members of the expedition everyone looks genuinely sad, except Rourke who is clearly maintaining a stern and stoic expression. THough this could be a reach.
also the fact everyone else gets clsoe to milo, gets to act goofy and share their backstory and interests with him...while rourke does not, in fact he maintains his distance from Milo. Its why we know so little about him compared to the others.
@@sarafontanini7051during that scene i think that Rourke is truly sad about the deaths of his men but he is also a proffesional, the risk of dieing is part of the job, his men knew that, as the leader of the expedition Rourke must keep moving everyone forward because they have a job to do
@@MiguelSanchezDelVillar It was also genius that he was the one to speak for their dead crewmates. As the captain he was supposed to be the last one to board the escape pods, but instead he went early which is a sign of cowardice.
For him to be the one to speak up smoothly hides his role as the twist villain, since everyone who already suspected something of him after pulling a cowardly move would be led to believe that he may still be good since he somewhat took responsibility for the deaths of the crew.
@@AFishInPajamasHe wasnt the captain of the ship
@jaydenshepard7928 Oh, he ain't? I mean his title is Commander and not Captain, but I think he's still the leader of the expedition. Correct me if I'm wrong though.
3:52 Love the little detail of Milo bowing to the King the same way Kida does 😊 such cultural respect
@@sparxstreak02 Totally. While Rourke and Helga weren’t.
That’s just pathetic tho. These are not your customs, these are not your people. Atlantis crew represents the whole world above-why would they lower themselves to the customs of random tribes with bullshit magitec?
@@max7971 ever heard of ‘When in Rome, do as the Romans?’ 🤨 they’re not IN their world right now & when you’re in someone else’s, showing respect to native customs is just a mark of respect, it doesn’t mean you diminish yourself because you went out of your comfort zone for a DAY 😑
Totally agree and good points. The clips were funny. Rourke is one of my favorite villains along with Helga. I like that Helga is not your typical villain henchmen who are usually dumb or not as bad or reform because of remorse or because they realize there boss is a jerk. While she was implied to have some concern for the Atlantans, she still let greed get to her and probably also because Rourke kept reminding her. She even had a few opportunities to switch sides. Why is which it makes her death still deserved. It’s also unique how she wasn’t rescued and reformed afterwards.
Yet it is interesting that it is Helga not Milo that ensures Rourke's defeat. Even if Rouke killed Milo it wouldn't matter since Helga destroyed his only way of getting the crystal to the Surface. And that is if Rourke didn't get killed by the erupting volcano
@ Totally agree. It’s also interesting how it doesn’t mean she’s the good guy now. She’s still defeated since she had a few opportunities to redeem herself and since it was likely she shoot the balloon just to get back at Rourke, not to help them.
@@Koopalingfan Sorta like the Hyeans when they kill Scar as there not reformed per say
@@nicholassims9837 That’s true.
@@Koopalingfanyou can also add The Gang greengang helping the Powerpuff Girls defeat Sedusa when she double crosses them and the Delighted children helping Numbuh 1 and 360 find Father as they too cant stand eating broccoli.
In both cases the villain group dont regorm but the evil their "Boss" was doing was too much for them.
Rourke is basically Bob Iger. The only difference is that Rouke has the balls to do his shady shit in person instead of using shields like Bob Chapek.
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏 incredibly well said.
Bob Iger is just like every other CEO.
17:11 I felt that the symbolism here was that his own greed for money (that’s what the Atlantis Crystal would’ve given him if his plan worked) turned him into a Monster, both physically and literally!!
Rourke to me is what the makers of Pocahontas wanted Ratcliffe to be, since they have a very similar motivation. It's part of why I like treating Atlantis as a whole as being something of a redemption for Pocahontas even though it wasn't as successful- and this is coming from someone that likes Pocahontas and finds it to be incredibly overhated.
people hate pocahontas?
@@tonypringles2285 Maybe "hate" might have been a strong word to use there, but a large portion of people find it to be one of the lesser if not one of the worst Disney movies, and I don't really agree with that.
@@RanterInShades hm, i'd say its upper middle in my case. i think quite a few are worse than pocahontas
@@tonypringles2285 name them
I think gaston and ursla and maleficent are interesting because they are one of a few villains whose henchmen doesn't betray them and gaston is a very good leader in the original since no one ever turns on him or thinks about it
Gaston is everything a person should be. Fighting furries and getting the girl. We learned the wrong lessons from the movie.
honestly the bad he does do kinda feels forced
@@dansmith1661Wasn't it that the girl turns furries into rich people? Or am I misremembering?
17:05 Rourke said earlier "It's big, it's shiny, and it's gonna make us all rich." He turns into something big and shiny, essentially a sentient diamond
YES!!! IVE BEEN WAITING YEARS FOR YOU TO MAKE A REVIEW OF THIS MOVIE!!! (Now I just have to wait for Treasure Planet review…) Atlantis was THAT movie for me as a kid. For years we couldn’t find it anywhere to stream, until Disney plus was created. I have watched this movie at least once every few months just for the nostalgia alone
Okay so in the “boss fight” between Milo and Rourke, I always thought that him turning into crystal was like a cruel irony. He had spent years of his life searching for this thing, and ultimately, it was his own downfall (hence him turning into crystal) the crystal was what he valued most in that moment, and boy did he get it
This man is a prime Disney Villain. We need more like him in the future.
17:10 well crystal is known for selling for a lot of money so i could be argued Roark was consumed by his own greed
🧐
I am surprised Rockotar didn’t mention Rourke’s biggest failing of all (which is also extremely relevant), that of being only concerned with the biggest source of immediate value when a better solution was right under his nose.
As many have pointed out, the movie very clearly shows at the end that they could have taken literally ANYTHING from Atlantis and had riches to spare without hurting anyone. But of course, Rourke has to go for the most valuable item (which theoretically translates to greatest monetary value) in all of Atlantis, regardless of who he has to hurt along the way, a decision equally motivated by greed and pride.
In the end, not only does he fail to get any monetary value from his actions, but he ends up being responsible for the death of many people (including himself) and those that knew to quit before they went too far ended up inheriting everything.
Rourke also considers Life to be a zero-sum game; the only way for him to gain money is for someone else to lose it. That's why he never considers taking just part of Atlantis, even if that would be a favorable outcome for everyone; he does not and cannot conceptualize the world that way.
"The less people know what you truly mean the easier it is to manipulate them"
My gosh I couldn't stop picturing the Cheeto comb over
Another spongebob scene that fits this guy is Mr. Krabs saying, "Am I really about to defile this grave for money? Of course I Am!"
As a lover of this movie and villain, he's such a great villain.
It’s both amazing and tragic how many voice actors in this movie passed away right after this movie came out. They hired some true Hollywood greats just in time.
Not to mention, he's got the freakin Death Korps of Krieg as a private army!
*HAPPY GAS MASK NOISES*
Or Basically TF2 Pyros
He worked in secret for the emperor all along!
@@JonathanGhost42 who do you think wanted to secure an ancient powerful weapon after all
Love this movie, can watch it over and over. God tier compared to the other joke movies they've made the last few years (besides encanto) glad people are loving it nowadays. Gotta do a villain ranking. Love ranking vids
100% agree with you!
Why don’t you have more subs yet?? This is a great analysis we have here. I like Atlantis: The Lost Empire and have always wondered why other people didn’t, so I’m glad to know I’m not alone.
This is a very well-worded and thought-provoking analysis of Rourke.
👏🧐
While I respectfully disagree with his final statement about Rourke being “underrated” and “one of the greatest” Disney villains, I definitely agree with the title of this video (that he is one of the most relevant Disney villains) and most of the observations contained therein.
Happy Thanksgiving Mr. Rockotar!! 17:55 I want to recommend what is arguably one of the best Nickelodeon movies of all time: Rango. When you said “company supplies you the very water you drink”, I instantly remembered Mayor John, who did this very same thing. I hope you would give it a watch and tell us what you think. Have a good day!
I feel that Rourke's change into the crystal monster not only stripped away his outward human shell and showed the true villain from within, but also was a clever way to show Rourke's greed was in fact self-destructive. By being turned into the creature made of crystal that he viewed as just a big diamond, something that his unquenchable greed wanted, along with his dehumanizing of people, he was in turn made into the very thing that he coveted.
Rourke's death was always fairly simple in its message to me. He risked life and limb both during the expedition and over the years to find this crystal, motivated by a pure sense of greed. In the end, the object of that very greed is precisely what killed him.
Being turned into a crystal reminds me of the midas touch.
His greed destroyed em.
I literally watched this movie with my grandma a couple of weeks ago. This movie is pure cinema.
4:39 I have a fan theory that Rourke was the one to actually kill Milos grandfather, with evidence in both the movie and the video games prologue. In the beginning of Trial by Fire, Milos grandfather is not only the guide for the player but the merc crew searching for the journal in iceland. They have to navigate the trecherous artic terrain, and fight their way through native cultists that guard the Sheppards journal. There is a period of time between the games prologue and the start of Milos journey, but based on things said by both Whitmore and Rourke I feel confident Rourke not only killed Milos grandfather but took the missing page in the process. After the Iceland mission, the professor and Whitmore congratulated each other and take the famous 'kissed him on the mouth' photo. While Whitmore began preparations for the next stage of the gentlemans bet, Milos grandfather eagerly returns to the University to showcase his proof of Atlantis. But despite having physical proof to show his colleges, he is still scoffed at and worse accused of forgery. "Those buffoons at the museum, dragged him down, *made* a laughing stock out of him." All of this would be observed by Helga, who would inform Rourke, or observed by Rourke directly (but less likely, he would stand out/less motive to spy). Either way, Rourke knows the professor is in a vulnerable position, and in possession of the journal and knowledge of its contents. He approaches him one night to discuss more about it, and at some point after discovering the true potential treasure in the book, he kills the professor to narrow down the number of people aware of that knowledge. Taking the page, knowing it would be overlooked as just the passing of time, and making the professors death look like a suicide knowing it would be believed even by his closest friend. "He died a broken man." The sadness on Whitmore's face feels like that means more than just him dying unhappy. But he takes his anger out on the museum, wanting to shove that just one shred of proof at them, knowing as well that the journal itself wasnt proof enough. In the end, Rourke practically admits to it with the later statement "you're an idealist, Milo, just like youre grandfather.... Do yourself a favor kid dont be like him... *For once* do the smart thing." Its a threat, but also a confession.
Rourke was such a well done character. I'd love to see a prequel type movie about him-- especially if it would explore his relationship with Helga. I always thought there was something.....more between those two.
OH THEY'RE FUCKIN
A good analysis of Rourke
"I love it when I win" - Lyle Rourke
Sidenote, it's really sad that this movie didn't get the recognition it deserved, this quote would be memed much more if it had.
17:05 I mean, there's the whole "turned into the very thing he was pursuing which was a direct cause of his death" thing. It's not quite as straight-forward as I'm phrasing it here, but that is a top tier ending. Even Fullmetal Alchemist uses it.
Well It’s Good That You’re Back From Your Peter Pan 2 Review And I Would Love To See You Review Disney’s Hercules With A TH-camr Named Mythology Guy
These are one of the types of movies that should get a life action reboot. Anyway, I really enjoyed the video and your deep dive into the characters, viewpoints and motivations.
THing is just that Diseny sucks in making life action. Now more than ever, too.
Congratulations Rockotar as Rourke puts it "You just won the Solid gold cupi doll" for this incredible well put together video, still enjoying it after rewatch, keep up the good work 👏🏅
Rourke was killed by the treasure he was willing to sacrifice everyone around himself to get, and he was killed by turning into it. Yes, there is strong literary symbology there.
YES! ATLANTIS DESERVES MORE LOVE!
Underrated TH-camr incoming
You forgot to mention though that Dr. Sweet actually turned on Rourke eariler when Rourke mortally wounded the king. That really says something there if you ask me. Because it shows that as a medic physically hurting people is not something he likes doing and refusing to do that is more important than money to him.
Dr. Sweet's heritage may also have played a role in his decision.
He's Black, *and* of an American Indian nation. He's not just seen the results of colonial violence, he's probably lived it.
@ Possibly although nothing in his backstory says he witnessed it but he might have since he was born in 1872. Additionally while I am not normally one to say something like this, he is also notably a example of a diverse character done right since not only is his mix heritage realistic for the time period but he isn’t diverse just for the sake of being diverse, there is more to his character then just him being diverse as well. Many companies these days especially Disney ironically should have used this film as a study on how you write a diverse character well but sadly they don’t with one of the reasons clearly being that this film bombed at the box office even though not all films that bomb at the box office are bad.
As a doctor, he takes an oath. That's why he agreed to go. He wasn't okay with hurting peoppe, as he shouldn't be
Love your videos alot glad I caught you when you were small.
I love the touch of the Metroid music in this video, a game that captures the sense of exploration.
Villain or not, Rourke gets some of the BEST lines in the film:
"Tell Cookie to melt the butter and bring out the bibs! I want that lobster served on a silver platter!"
"Next time, get it in writing!"
"I consider myself an even-tempered man! It takes A LOT to get under my skin! But CONGRATULATIONS!
You just won the solid gold kewpie doll!"
Thank you for puting the music titles throughout the video. I swear, nobody else does that. Great essay. Id give you an A.
i like how you added short clips from other cartoons and films, brilliant editing
its because hes been searching for crystals power only to by it is symbol of his greed consuming leading to his destruction
Thanks!
You're very welcome.
The video game background music you included in this retrospect were all a very nice touch, especially the Metroid Prime and Dread tracks.
It's should be noted how Rourke contrasts with milo, being taller and more muscular compared to milo's shroter, lankier frame, as wella s beign clearly older, and he has a lot of loyal followers while milo has no friends at all let alone employees. Milo's goofy while rourke's more serious if initially personable, and milo's super awkward while rourke is always careful about what he says and does and is constant control. Hell one could even reach for the fact that Milo is drawn in a more cartoonier manner comapred to rourke.
all this to say we're given visual contrasts between the two to visually compare them as characters from the outset, which becomes important as it becomes clear that rourke is not only the villain of the movie but Milo's nemesis specifically. We were shown from the start that these two men were different and were opposing each other.
I love this guy. Makes me want to see you talk abt my fav villain: Johnsilver. Since ur talking abt another disney underrated feature here
Great observations and analysis! It makes me appreciate the writing of Atlantis even more.
I thought Rourke was scary because he feels realistic and seems reasonable much of the time. His villainous acts hit harder that way.
Still got golden memories of this film when it came out when it was out in theatres especially with the introduction with the giant submarine & robot.
If I could like this video twice, I would
Edit: OMG I GOT HEARTED
I rewatched this movie today and adored it. It went from 8/10 to 9/10 overall and is now in my top 10 Disney films. Thanks for reminding me of this masterpiece.
That's why I love this movie so much. Rourke is easily what twist villain should be. First at the start decent and somewhat nice until over time in the middle parts of the story does he truly reveal his plans and no longer around the nice persona to reach his true baddest goals of gaining wealth and power from Atlantis.
and of course his grouchiness could be exused at just being comedically annoyed by milo...until the reveal and you realise that, no, he jsut dislikes milo cause he's an asshole
The fact that he turns to crystal is also a very symbolic ending. Crystals are generally highly valued, to the point that slave labor is common in some crystal industries (diamond mining being the most well-known), so for him to die in that way is a metaphor for his own greed turning against him.
Now that you ask, the symbolism of him being consumed by the crystal is clearly a symbolism for him being consumed by his greed, being litterally turned into a monster by it
One thing I like about this movie is that the pursuit of money isn't necessarily evil, there is some nuance to consider. Sure, Roark's ulterior motives and self-serving exploitation makes him evil, but the crew shows that monetary pursuit is often the avenue to enable a better life for yourself and loved ones, and that it doesn't have to come at the cost of others. The crew still achieved wealth, but they earned it.
Absolutely - Audrey Ramirez being Exhibit A. ☺️ She wants her dad to have a comfy retirement.
The situation with the Internet Archive is actually _even more ridiculous_ than you may have thought - there isn't even any effect on the publisher's profits.
Avengers assemble was my introduction into comics along with the cartoon Young Justice.
@@cityatsea8507 glad it got you interested, but I just wish it wasn't so aimless and generic, and actually followed the plots from the comics and made an effort to actually tell an interesting story (I know they sort of tried in the latter seasons, but it felt halfhearted and too little too late).
I don't think Avengers Assemble is unwatchable per say, but it is EXTREMELY below average compared to what it should be.
he's soo callous that he tosses his girlfriend like she's nothing another thing about him is he's super super realistic over history this is soo true like with Colombus and with what happened to Egypt it's interesting to see how a fictional antagonist can be this realistic
I'm getting the feeling you don't actually know anything about Columbus in writing this. Actually, I know you don't. Greed was so far from the guy's mind in his first expedition it's a sign of ignorance to claim otherwise. Some actions like not paying a bonus to the lookout for spotting land and claiming he saw it first or at the same time was a bit greedy and a sign of having a bit of an ego, but the whole reason he went on the expedition was wanting to fund a new Crusade against the Muslims invading eastern Europe and to retake what in now Israel. Literally everything from modern Morocco to Turkey along the Mediterranean used to be Christian until invaded by Arab and Turkish armies. You can agree or disagree with his motives, but to claim the man's main motivation was greed shows a poorer understanding of him than even a basic cultural osmosis should create.
@John-fk2ky your inventing your own narrative that was columbus quest to make as much money as possible and it's correct he wanted to fund more expeditions but he tricked the native Americans, befriended them, then took all their gold and land for himself just like Rorhk
Women are just prizes throughout history after all.
Wow this is definitely an underrated movie!
I still need to see this movie.
I like to think that Rourke’s transformation into his crystal form illustrates the "corruption" that can come from within. This contrasts with Kida’s crystal form, which was represented by her purity, smooth, a luminous and vibrant blue color, and almost translucent look.
Rourke, on the other hand, is depicted with a dull blue hue, jagged and cracked edges, and splits running through him like veins-his current form seemingly "cracking" under the pressure inside him. The bright red light emanating from his core symbolizes the corruption of his soul, consumed by greed and his utter disregard for human life. It suggests that his form is barely able to contain this corruption and is on the verge of shattering. The red glow could also be linked to the Heart of Atlantis, which often turns that color when it senses danger, marking Rourke as an enemy.
On another note, as much as I enjoyed the current ending, I thought another interesting conclusion would be if, after Milo cuts him with the shard, Rourke notices the crystal spreading through his arm. In a desperate move, he thrusts his arm into the blades of the blimp, severing it before the crystal can completely take over. This would highlight his "I’ll do whatever it takes to get what I want" mentality. It would also give Milo a brief advantage in their fight, but ultimately, Rourke starts to lose consciousness from blood loss, allowing Milo the opportunity to push him over the edge to his death. However, Milo could still save him, showing that, while Milo was determined to do everything in his power to save Kida, he wouldn’t sacrifice another person’s life for his own goals-choosing the harder, more humane path, unlike Rourke, who had no qualms about sacrificing Helga and would have done to Milo.
With Rourke being saved in this way, there could be a chance for his return. With some bits of the crystal remaining in the stump of his severed arm, it would regenerate the arm but in crystal form. Infecting Rourke at a much slower than what was seen in the current ending, it would begin to affect his mental state. As the crystal works its way to his brain, he might start to hear voices-perhaps the spirits of those who passed through the Heart of Atlantis, tormenting him and fueling his desire for revenge against those he blames for his transformation. This would make him more reckless and ruthless, offering a darker, more unhinged version of Rourke.
He's quite wise villain. The expedition didn't think about finding any survivours, yet he planned to hire people who are not just typical yes men (like his ordinary conscripts), but also carefully selected specialists.
And the only thing that "made" him a villain were the Atlanteans, after all.
This is honestly the best character analysis on why Rourke works as a villain for the movie. It really makes me smile to see people making analysis focusing on this movie and it's becoming one of my favorite Disney movies. The themes of greed, politics and anti-capitalism applying to him as a villain really are trying to get to me, but this video really helped. I'd love to see more people to character analysis on every significant character in Atlantis The Lost Empire. Such as why Milo chose to believe in his morals and beliefs and not let anything change him.
Technically the turning into crystal may be viewed same as in "the golden antilope". He wanted the treasure, he became that treasure.
I mean, Rourke was literally killed by the thing he tried to steal and profit from. So symbolism seems to me that he was killed by greed.
4:10 my favorite line from Doof in the entire series
"Oh boy, guess what day it is, it's villain analysis day!"
>Video was posted on Election Day in the united states
I've always kind of seen the turning to crystal as his end, as a direct reference to a Midas Touch. He only wants money, has only ever wanted money, to the point where it becomes his biggest down fall by way of turning what he cares for most into something precious. For Midas, his family into gold, for Rourke, himself to crystal.
I think my favorite thing about Rourke is that he comes across as competent and that if you removed the scenes from him being the villain onwards and the two small "something is not right" scenes before it, his outward presentation is so good that you could have had him as a slightly grumpy but competent and arguably admirable expedition leader without changing anything else. You could literally tell a completely different story from the point they found Atlantis onwards with no prior changes and have Rourke not be the villain. At the same time nothing earlier feels contradictory to him being the villain, unlike, say Hans, in Frozen. That to me is the sign of an excellently written twist villain.
Ooh I have something embarrassing to tell you. I've never watched Atlantis, which, if you say the villain, there is good. I mean, if he is, I might watch It. Should I watch this movie
It's a good movie, I would recommend it.
@@Edwinaoptokay.I'll watch it, but where can I find it though?Is the question and how many are there?In fact
It's on Disney plus, or you could buy it on disc (though if you haven't seen it, buying it without knowing for sure if you like it could be a risk). Don't know where else.
Awesome video analysis on Disney's most underrated and best twist villain. Like none of their other twist villains came close to the same level of good writing ever since.
Ngl, I love avengers assemble. Grew up with it as a kid. It kinda sucks now, but the earlier seasons were peak.
Now I wonder whether Disney should re-release Atlantis and Treasure planet in the theaters
Can you please do a review of Brother Bear's Themes?
What's fun about him is that you never feel like you're being preached to. He's A CHARACTER with an opinion, and sure, the other characters disagree, but how hard is it to believe that most people aren't particularly skippy with genocide?
The man is voiced by a classic Western actor, who did regular westerns as well as comedy westerns, and he played in a great comedy western with Mel Gibson called "Maverick."
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
This movie, too. It better get a 4k release, by golly!
This movie has the best body language, movements, animation, and some of the best sound effects.
This dude's rant about Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes is on par with my passion for The Spectacular Spider-Man!
Also, I think Lyle Rourke's transformation into a crystal was meant to symbolize that he became the very object he wanted a profit off of. Also that moment Rourke was frozen may have been an ironic twist to his comment about Milo becoming "part of the exhibit".
James Garner delivers a stellar performance with Rourke. I don't think you could've gotten a better performance from another actor for this role.
Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest heroes was an AMAZING show! I need to rewatch it sometime soon!
Rourke is so underrated as a villain
Excellent video. I really appreciate the love for Rourke as a villain, since he often gets called a basic, money-loving bad guy with no depth. He does a lot with his wit and manipulation skills.
One thing I don’t see enough people talk about is that how Rourke isn’t really a twist villain; the actual twist is that the rest of the crew is in on it as well. Rourke does come off as pretty shady throughout the movie, and there are multiple clues to his true nature (his face is covered up on his file, he’s the first one off the sub despite being its captain, etc.). The crew (or at least the named ones) mostly come off as likable and relatable, and eventually gain respect for Milo as they travel to Atlantis. When Rourke and the crew confront Milo and Kida, it hurts to see all of them silently standing behind Rourke, reduced from real characters down to just grunts for an obviously evil guy. While it’s not surprising that they eventually go back to Milo’s side, it is still satisfying to see them come to their senses. They crucially go back to being themselves and therefore return to being much more likable, and instantly redeem themselves by following Milo in the effort to save Kida. This all works so well because they have an obviously evil character in Rourke to contrast them against.
I love the detail of Rourke saying, “P.T. Barnum was right…”
The quote he’s referring to is, “there’s a sucker born every minute…”
Corporate logic: I may be making 300% profit thousands of times a minute for a fair honest price. But I could be making double or triple since Im the only one selling.
and this can also be used for Disney themselves these days, considering of how they care more about money than their loyal fanbase, and how little they care about us
I’m curious, and I have a question, what are your thoughts on The Polar Express? Since the movie turns 20 on November 10th. I’m curious as to what your thoughts are and where it would rank in a tier (S to F)
That would be very suiting thank you for the suggestion.
I saw this film recently and ADORED it. Just- wow. Lyle took me by surprise ngl, the writing is just- wow. He’s scarily realistic as a villain, but that’s WHY he works so well.
8:37 I watch that scene over and pver and it awlays blows my mind everytime I analyze the statements
If you gave back every stolen artifact from a Museum you'd be left of an empty building.
Money doesn't grow on trees, to which I say Money is made from paper an paper is made from trees.