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Which Alvin?
Book Alvin! 21 (78%)
Movie Alvin! 3 (11%)
Both, I can't pick! 3 (11%)

Alivn
Topic Started: 20 Nov 2014, 02:11 (4993 Views)
ChinesischSchluckauf 20 Nov 2014, 02:11 Post #11
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[color=blue]Shut up, Mokuba!
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HideousZippleback
20 Nov 2014, 04:16
Neither are scary. It's Excellionor who is the scary one.
Excellinor is like a female Gollum.
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LawOfTheSeas 20 Nov 2014, 05:26 Post #12
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Defender of Insanity and Master of Apologies

I have to say, though I love the film franchise, book Alvin is a better villain.
Book Alvin is great. For starters, he is just so... Evil. It's like he hates life, the universe and everything. He is willing to double-cross any number of people to get his way. He is cunning, dastardly and cruel. He seems to be honest at first, but he is not in reality, which is why he's 'the treacherous'. He will sacrifice anything or anyone to achieve his aim. Don't get me wrong - I prefer the films, but Cressida Cowell is an amazing author, and she captured the intricacies and nuances of Alvin perfectly, as well as his place in the world of Berk and dragons. In a world where everyone is either a brute or a dragon, or some animal life-form, he and Hiccup (and maybe Fishlegs) are the only ones to use their heads, which makes him dangerous, and their sparring good reading.
However, film franchise Alvin is just another brute. The frightening thing about book Alvin was that he so often won. Franchise Alvin just doesn't - not in the same way. Sure, he kidnaps Stoick (which seems slightly implausible, really) and nearly destroys Berk a few times, but he is no book Alvin, if you get my meaning. He' not really that treacherous. He knocks a few henchmen into the water, sure. But is that anything to go by?
I'll admit, he does have a certain backstory, but that was only given as last-minute exposition by the writers, probably to make him appear slightly more deep in terms of character. The story could go on without it. When we compare it to Drago or Dagur, it pales in comparison. I mean, Stoick the Vast is afraid of Drago, when he will happily take on a Monstrous Nightmare, a Night Fury, even distract a Red Death, and he is so afraid of Drago that he would sooner lock the entirety of Berk underground than face him. Dagur is truly deranged, and though he does just appear as a brute who is was spoiled and wants to smashy-smashy kill things, the writers manage to convey his many stages of madness in a good way, even if it is mostly for comedic effect. Again, compare this to Alvin from the series, and he is just another big brute who plans on having revenge on Berk, for no other reason than 'because I said so' or 'because of what happened ages ago and no-one can remember anyway'. He is just a generic villain. Insertable into any situation that needs an over-arching antagonist. All he does is betray a few people and capture some dragons. It's not like Drago, who kills or scars those who displease him.
Definitely, the book Alvin is superior.
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