Abstract

This article examined the extent of reality distortion in Hollywood Herculean contents, to critically analyse how these contents contribute to reality. The specific objectives of the article are to establish the intertextuality of the selected Hollywood films, to critically ascertain the extent of reality distorted by the elements employed and to determine the impact of such distortions on the content of the selected films. To achieve these, relevant concepts and empirical studies have been reviewed and the Reflective Projective Theory is adopted to establish a workable theoretical framework. The article employs discourse analysis as a methodology with emphasis on the critical discourse approach and three films in the Hollywood herculean genre are purposively selected. The selected Hollywood films (the Thunder Force, Wonder Woman and Project Power) are synoptically discussed and the rhetorical tropes and modalities employed in the elaboration of the storylines are also critically analysed. The suggestions embedded in the films are paradigmatically evaluated and the article advocates that to achieve absolute communication and believability, realism distorted actions in film can be replaced with actions that match actual reality in order to address arising societal issues today.

Key Words: Reality Distortion, Screen-Reality, Hollywood, Herculean, Films

^JCMR Journal of Communication and Media Research, Vol. 14, No. 2, October 2022, pp. 169-177

© Association of Media and Communication Researchers of Nigeria (AMCRON).

About the authors

*Emmanuel Nyong Inyang, Ph. D., is a senior lecturer in the Department of Mass Communication, Cross River University of Technology, Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria (recently renamed as University of Cross River State). He teaches development communication, research and film studies. He is a film critic and specializes in film theory and aesthetics.

**Essien Oku Essien is a graduate of the Department of Mass Communication, Cross River University of Technology, Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria (recently renamed as University of Cross River State).

Article Citation

Inyang, E.N. & Essien, E.O. (2022). Reality distortion and its effect on selected Hollywood herculean films. Journal of Communication and Media Research, 14 (2): 169-177.

Full Article

Words: 6,774

Pages: 9

To access full article, click on download.