Level Up.pdf

The Triangle of Weirdness
While the Wizard of Oz features weird characters such as a Tin Man, a
Lion, and a Scarecrow, the land of Oz was a pretty typical fairy tale
location when it was created in the 1900s. The characters of the Wizard
of Oz have desires readers can relate to: courage, love, and wanting to
return home.
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While the main characters of Star Wars are familiar (the young hero, the
princess in distress, the charming rogue), and their desires are familiar (join
the war effort, defeat the villains, get the girl), it is the world of Star Wars that
is weird with its Jawas, Wookies, Jedis, and a Cantina populated by the
craziest- looking scum in the galaxy.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail features typical (if not archetypical)
characters: King Arthur and his knights of the round table. These stalwart
knights travel through medieval England on their quest for the Holy Grail.
However, that quest is filled with weird activities like designing shrubs for
the knights that say “ Ni! ” or being slaughtered by the killer rabbit of
Caerbannog.
It is possible to go too far. Movies like Dune (1984) and The City of Lost
Children (1995), or video games like SkullMonkeys or Muscle Man March,
while incredibly unique and creative, just left many audiences feeling like
they “ didn ’ t get it. ” And nobody likes to feel stupid.