the hero's journey examples movies

The 12 Best Movies That Follow the Hero's Journey

These movies use the monomyth to spectacular results.

Everyone who's interested in how stories are made is bound to have heard the term "the Hero's Journey." Also known as the monomyth, it's a story archetype coined and popularized by Joseph Campbell in the mid-1900s when he noticed that heroes in myths typically go through the same 17 stages in their journey, from the call to adventure that gets the character out of their comfort zone, to the freedom to live found at the end of the ordeals in their adventure.

This narrative template has served as the basis and inspiration of countless stories throughout history – including numerous outstanding films. From a grand fantastical story like Star Wars , to something more grounded in reality like O Brother, Where Art Thou? , these movies don't always follow every single one of the steps outlined by Campbell, but they stick to more than enough to call each of them a hero's journey . A tried-and-true way of telling successful stories that resonate with audiences of all ages and nationalities, movies that follow the Hero's Journey, if well-written, are always a delight like no other.

12 'Men in Black' (1997)

Barry sonnenfeld's campy sci-fi comedy.

One of the most iconic movies you may not know is based on Marvel comics , Men in Black is the story of a cop ( Will Smith ) who, after a chase with an otherworldly being, is recruited by an organization that monitors and polices alien activity on Earth. There's something for every sci-fi fan to enjoy in this movie, from visually stunning special effects to mind-blowing action and just the right amount of humor.

Men in Black follows the Hero's Journey nearly to a tee , from Agent J getting the call to join the mission of protecting the planet from alien threats and initially refusing the call, to him finally learning to master his two worlds and become the hero he was meant to be. The result is a thrilling sci-fi action adventure that doesn't get nearly enough praise nowadays, with a heroic protagonist that's a joy to follow through his journey.

Men In Black

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11 'O Brother, Where Art Thou?' (2000)

Joel and ethan coen's take on an old classic.

The Coen brothers are masters of making some of the most entertaining crime movies, and O Brother, Where Art Thou? is definitely one of their best. Loosely based on Homer 's The Odyssey , it's about three fugitives roaming the southern U.S. in search of treasure with the law hot on their heels. Unlike the Greek classic, however, the Coens' crime film has great Southern American music, traditional Western tropes, and stars George Clooney , Tim Blake Nelson , and John Turturro .

The characters in O Brother, Where Art Thou? encounter mentors, face challenges, and go through profound transformations , just like the heroes in the monomyth do. The ensuing adventure is as humorous as it is exciting, an offbeat adaptation of a massively important and influential classic. You can't go wrong with a well-written and well-directed Coen brothers movie, so O Brother should easily please all cinephiles' palates.

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10 'Batman Begins' (2005)

Christopher nolan's reinvention of the caped crusader.

Movies with Hero's Journey archetypes are fun enough as they are, but mix those elements with a superhero origin story, and you get one of the best entries in the superhero genre . That's what Batman Begins is, as it reinvents the story of Bruce Wayne's ( Christian Bale ) origins as the vigilante hero Batman, by placing the character on a journey to become the guardian that his beloved Gotham City deserves.

Christopher Nolan's first installment in his Dark Knight Trilogy feels more like a character-driven thriller than a traditional superhero film, in the best sense possible. The director cleverly fits Bruce's process of becoming the Dark Knight into Campbell's monomyth , showing audiences how the hero is eventually able to master his new identity to save his city.

Batman Begins

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9 'The Matrix' (1999)

Lana and lilly wachowski's game-changing extravaganza.

When the Wachowskis released The Matrix before the turn of the century, the world was taken by storm, and the sci-fi genre in films would never be the same again. In the movie that cemented him as an action star, Keanu Reeves plays Neo, a man who joins a group of insurgents in their fight against the powerful computers who rule Earth. To this day, The Matrix still receives praise as one of the best sci-fi movies ever .

With its visual innovations, clever cinematography, and unique philosophical themes that have been endlessly analyzed throughout the years, The Matrix was unlike anything audiences had seen before at the time of its release . Perhaps one of the main reasons why its story clicked so well with viewers around the world was because it closely follows the stages of the Hero's Journey, as Neo goes from an average Joe to an all-powerful hero.

Neo (Keanu Reeves) believes that Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), an elusive figure considered to be the most dangerous man alive, can answer his question -- What is the Matrix? Neo is contacted by Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss), a beautiful stranger who leads him into an underworld where he meets Morpheus. They fight a brutal battle for their lives against a cadre of viciously intelligent secret agents. It is a truth that could cost Neo something more precious than his life.

8 'Kung Fu Panda' (2008)

Mark osborne and john stevenson's martial arts adventure.

For those that think that family animated movies are exclusively for children, Kung Fu Panda is the perfect mind-changing watch. It follows Po ( Jack Black ), a lazy panda who dreams of being a kung fu hero, as he's thrust into a journey of discovering his destiny as the Chosen One. There are many examples of the Hero's Journey in movies that logically follow the same structure, but the creative things that Kung Fu Panda does with the archetype are entirely its own .

Just like all the compelling heroes of Campbell's model, Po is called to action, goes through several life-threatening ordeals with help from friends and allies, and finds that the power to be the guardian of the Valley of Peace comes from within. Sprinkled with hilarious humor, outstanding voice acting, and some of the best action in any animated film , it's undoubtedly one of DreamWorks Animation's best efforts.

Kung Fu Panda

7 'finding nemo' (2003), andrew stanton's love letter to fatherhood.

Hero's Journey movies are usually action-focused epics, and not often family-friendly stories about fish. That only makes Finding Nemo even more special. It's the story of Marlin ( Albert Brooks ), a timid clownfish who, after his son Nemo ( Alexander Gould in one of the best child voice performances in animated cinema) is kidnapped, sets out to find him against all the threats that the deep blue sea has to offer.

Though Finding Nemo isn't your typical kind of hero's journey, where the story is much more intimate and the biggest threats that the characters face are mostly internal, it very much follows the formula. What finds itself transformed in the end is the relationship between Marlin and Nemo, in one of the most touching endings of Pixar's filmography.

Finding Nemo

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6 'The Wizard of Oz' (1939)

Victor fleming's timeless musical classic.

An exciting adventure that uses both black-and-white and beautiful color , through a fantastical land that any movie fan would love to live in, The Wizard of Oz follows Dorothy ( Judy Garland ) in her journey through the magical land of Oz, searching for a mysterious wizard who can send her back home.

The movie was an absolute sensation when it came out, and even after more than three-quarters of a century, it's still remembered as one of the greatest American movie masterpieces. The stages of the monomyth are clear in The Wizard of Oz : the ordinary world is Kansas, Dorothy crosses a very literal threshold to a vastly different world, and her journey of transformation is full of faces both friendly and menacing.

The Wizard of Oz

5 'the lion king' (1994), roger allers and rob minkoff's twist on shakespeare.

1994's The Lion King is a movie that needs no introduction. Many would say that it's the best-animated movie to ever come out of Disney, and it's fully understandable, thanks to its timeless songs and the animated film's brilliant depiction of grief . It's the grand and epic story of Simba ( Matthew Broderick ), a lion cub prince who's tricked into exile by his uncle Scar ( Jeremy Irons ), who wishes to have the throne for himself.

The animation is majestic, with some really charming character designs, and the story is compelling from beginning to end. Its philosophical themes of identity and self-discovery are beautiful, and the way they're conveyed through a classic hero's journey structure in The Lion King is simply perfect . The film is in certain ways an adaptation of William Shakespeare 's Hamlet , but its fidelity to Campbell's monomyth is much more interesting to dissect.

The Lion King (1994)

4 'harry potter' saga (2001 - 2011), warner bros.' magical journey through hogwarts.

The Harry Potter series features not just one, but eight of the movies that best follow the Hero's Journey. From Chris Columbus 's Sorcerer's Stone to David Yates 's Deathly Hallows — Part 2 , the franchise follows the coming-of-age story of the titular character ( Daniel Radcliffe ) and his two best friends, as they grow to become key players in a war against an evil wizard.

Everyone has a different favorite installment in the series, but every Harry Potter movie plays an equally crucial role in the overarching narrative of the story, which very closely follows the monomyth . Not only that, but each film follows a smaller version of the general model as well. It's probably what makes these movies so easy to enjoy, since they so faithfully walk along the lines laid out by Campbell and so many filmmakers from before 2001.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

An orphaned boy enrolls in a school of wizardry, where he learns the truth about himself, his family and the terrible evil that haunts the magical world.

3 'The Lord of the Rings' Trilogy (2001 - 2003)

Peter jackson's walk to mordor.

There are countless things that make Peter Jackson 's The Lord of the Rings trilogy one of the best fantasy film franchises of all time, and one of the most important is the fact that all three installments in the trilogy truly feel like part of a greater whole, as they collaborate in telling the story of Frodo ( Elijah Wood ), the Fellowship of the Ring, and their efforts to destroy the greatest tool of an evil tyrant terrorizing Middle-earth.

Of course, the monomyth-following template was already there, set in stone by the legendary J.R.R. Tolkien when he wrote what's undoubtedly one of the best series of fantasy books in history. Even yet, the way Jackson and company built on top of that, telling a story that feels undeniably cinematic, is admirable beyond measure.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

2 'citizen kane' (1941), orson welles's groundbreaking masterpiece.

When Orson Welles made his passion project Citizen Kane , he probably had no idea that he was making what would in the future be referred to as the single greatest film of all time by thousands of people, as well as one of the most essential movies of the '40s . Inspired by magnate William Randolph Hearst , it's a character study about a group of reporters trying to decipher the last words of Charles Foster Kane (Welles), a powerful newspaper tycoon.

Citizen Kane is an entirely unique picture, and the way it's structured is just as well. Citizen Kane follows Campbell's monomyth formula in a very non-traditional way , which only makes it more of a groundbreaking story. There are plenty of good reasons for its fame, and that's certainly one of the biggest.

Citizen Kane

1 'star wars' (1977), george lucas's revolutionary space opera.

Perhaps no movie more famously follows the Hero's Journey archetype than Star Wars , with George Lucas having taken direct inspiration from Campbell . The hero in this particular story is Luke Skywalker ( Mark Hamill ), a young farm boy who's thrown into an adventure far greater than anything he'd encountered before, joining the Rebellion against the dictatorial Galactic Empire.

One of the best space operas of all time, Star Wars showcases what makes the monomyth such an effective way of telling stories and celebrating the art of storytelling itself. Luke is a deeply compelling hero, his journey is incredibly entertaining, and all the allies and villains that he encounters along the way are equally iconic. As far as modern myths go, Star Wars is certainly one of the best.

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope

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Movies That Follow The Hero's Journey, Ranked By How Well They Use The Monomyth

Vote up the movies that most effectively use the hero's journey.

While there are always exceptions, nearly every film relies on some kind of narrative structure. In its most simplistic form, this structure has a beginning, middle, and end. There are problems and solutions. The main character changes and grows. Viewers are inherently familiar with these elements, but may not be aware of their inner workings.

One of the most widely-used storytelling methods is the monomyth - better known as the hero's journey - which was described and codified by writer Joseph Campbell. There are 17 stages to this narrative pattern that can be split across three acts: Departure, Initiation, and Return. In a nutshell, a hero's journey movie sees the protagonist embark on an adventure or quest. Along the way, they face obstacles that make them question themselves and their purpose. Even though they inevitably hit rock bottom, the hero perseveres and grows into a new person in the end.

While Campbell's full structure includes 17 stages, let's quickly break down the 7 main ingredients:

The Ordinary World - The hero lives a familiar and simple life

Call to Adventure - The hero is presented with a challenge in the unknown world, but is reluctant

Crossing the Threshold - The hero decides to enter the unknown world to take on the challenge

Trials - While meeting mentors and helpers, the hero must overcome obstacles that lead to the main challenge

The Abyss - Setbacks accumulate and leave the hero with a sense of hopelessness

Atonement - Through reflection and aid from others, the hero regains their way

The Return - The hero resumes their quest, overcomes the main challenge (the climax), then returns to the familiar world as a changed person

With that basic understanding of how the monomyth works, take a look at the biggest movies that follow the hero's journey to storytelling success.

Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope

What Is The Journey? Luke Skywalker finds out his father was a Jedi and joins Obi-Wan Kenobi, Han Solo, Chewbacca, and two droids to rescue Leia Organa from the Galactic Empire.

What Trials Do They Face?  At first, Luke is unsure if he's worthy of learning how to become a Jedi and wield the magical power called the Force. However, after his aunt and uncle are killed by Stormtroopers, he embarks on a journey with Obi-Wan and begins to learn the ways of the Jedi. He is pulled into a world he knows nothing about, as he's forced to adapt on the fly, survive, and face the seemingly impossible threats of the Empire and Darth Vader. The danger only grows when Obi-Wan is struck down by Vader, leaving Luke without a teacher.

How Do They Overcome?  While Luke hasn't reached the point where he is the Jedi Master everyone knows here, he starts to believe in his own abilities and trust the power of the Force. He successfully taps into the Force to destroy the Empire's world-destroying weapon, the Death Star, and gains the confidence to join the Rebels in the ongoing fight against the Empire.

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The 'Lord of the Rings' Trilogy

What Is The Journey?  The young hobbit Frodo Baggins travels to Mount Doom in Mordor to destroy the powerful One Ring and bring an end to the evil reign of the Dark Lord Sauron.

What Trials Do They Face? Frodo embarks on a literal journey of considerable length, spanning three films. Every twist and turn signals a new threat as the forces of evil try to stop him from reaching Mordor. With each step, he must also resist the temptation of power that the One Ring presents - everyone who has carried it before has become corrupted at some point. As Frodo struggles with the belief that his willpower is not strong enough to resist the ring, his friends and allies, in particular his best friend Samwise Gamgee, aid and encourage him on his quest.

How Do They Overcome? Frodo realizes he isn't an island and needs to rely on the help of others. He shows the ultimate act of bravery by letting go of the burden of believing he is the only one who can complete this mission on his own and accepts the importance and assistance of the Fellowship around him. With Sam's help getting him to Mount Doom and pulling him  back from the brink at the last moment, Frodo completes the mission and returns home to the Shire, irrevocably changed by what he's been through. 

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

What Is The Journey?  11-year-old orphan Harry Potter, who has been mistreated his whole life by his uncaring aunt and uncle, discovers he is a wizard. What's more, he's a legend among wizards for defeating the Dark Lord Voldemort as an infant. Now, as he attends the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he must live up to the massive expectations on him as "Boy Who Lived” while Voldemort threatens to rise again.

What Trials Do They Face?  For so long, Harry believes himself to be a nobody. Learning of his true heritage is full of joy and uncertainty, as he has great expectations to live up to, but no magic experience whatsoever. He must learn everything about this world from scratch, while withstanding the pressure of everyone watching him more closely because of who he is. Despite the belief and guidance of mentors such as Albus Dumbledore, Rubeus Hagrid, and Minerva McGonagall, he also has a laundry list of people waiting and rooting for him to fail. Harry also doesn't have the luxury of time on his side either, as whispers about Voldemort's return surface.

How Do They Overcome? Harry embraces his natural curiosity and bravery, facing up to unknown challenges even without the certainty that he'll win. He also forms tight bonds with his friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, who have his back no matter how grim the situation gets. Together, they navigate past magical traps and secure the Sorcerer's Stone before Voldemort - whose spirit has been lurking inside of one of their teachers, Professor Quirrell - can use it to restore his life. Harry rises to the challenge and accepts that he will likely have to face Voldemort again in the future.

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What Is The Journey?  Computer hacker Thomas Anderson, AKA Neo, suspects something isn't right in the world around him, and discovers what everyone perceives to be real is simply a facade to conceal what's actually taking place. When a mysterious mentor named Morpheus offers Neo the infamous red pill, Neo must forget everything he knows of the world and embrace a new truth.

What Trials Do They Face?  Neo is told he's the chosen one who needs to liberate humanity from its enslavement by the machines. However, he lacks the knowledge and skills to fight back against the Matrix, which requires him to change his way of thinking and develop the skills to manipulate the Matrix, which can extend to slowing down time and bending bullets. Morpheus opens his eyes to the reality of what's happening, but Neo is in a race against time to fulfill the prophecy while keeping the pesky agents - who could double as Ray-Ban models - at bay.

How Do They Overcome?  Neo accepts the prophecy that he's the chosen one. He lets go of everything he thought was real to ascend to a higher plain of existence and embrace his destiny to show other humans that freedom is possible.

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What Is The Journey? Teen Peter Parker gets bitten by a radioactive spider, giving him superpowers; however, he needs to learn how to use these special - and sticky - abilities for the greater good of mankind.

What Trials Do They Face? The young Peter loses his mentor, Uncle Ben, and questions if he has the inner strength to juggle life as a teenager and fighting crime as the masked superhero known as Spider-Man. At the same time, a highly powered and deadly villain known as the Green Goblin rises in the city and offers Spider-Man a place by his side. Peter feels a moral obligation to his uncle's teachings and declines the offer, but now he needs to dodge the never-ending pumpkin bombs hurled at him by the Goblin, whom he soon discovers is his best friend's father.

How Do They Overcome? Peter finally understands his uncle's teachings: “With great power comes great responsibility.” He fights the Green Goblin, knowing that this battle will change both Spider-Man and Peter in the end. Finally, he accepts that his life will never be the same again because his powers are both a gift and curse that he needs to learn how to use for the benefit of all - yes, even J. Jonah Jameson, who sees him as a menace.

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What Is The Journey? After escaping evildoers, genius-billionaire-playboy-philanthropist Tony Stark realizes he has used his influence, intelligence, and tech for all the wrong reasons. Now, he plans on using his abilities for the benefit of the world.

What Trials Do They Face? After being captured by terrorists, Tony's heart requires technological intervention from scientist Ho Yinsen to keep on ticking, which acts as both a reminder of the power and danger of his creations. Using a newfound appreciation for life and understanding from Yinsen of how his selfishness caused strife, he needs to learn how to harness all his abilities into fighting the very people he used to do business with. At the same time, he meets resistance from some within his company, like Obadiah Stane, who opposes Stark's desire of ceasing extremely profitable weapons manufacturing.

How Do They Overcome? Tony's cockiness, though initially a flaw, turns out to be his biggest asset, as he refuses to accept the status quo. Redirecting his unrestrained confidence from selfish pursuits towards making the world a better place, he becomes the hero no one believed he could be, putting a stop to Stane's plots to take over Stark Industries sell more and more weapons. In the ultimate showboating act and declaration of defiance, he reveals himself to the world as Iron Man, daring anyone to stop him.

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The Lion King

What Is The Journey? After the death of his father Mufasa in a stampede, the young Simba runs away into exile, believing himself to be responsible for the traumatic event. However, he must return to reclaim leadership of the Pride Lands from his uncle, Scar, in order to save the animal kingdom.

What Trials Do They Face?  Due to Scar's manipulation, Simba feels incredible guilt over his father's death. Consequently, he tries to forget who he really is as he lives a carefree life with his pals, Timon and Pumbaa. It takes a combined effort from Nala and Rafiki, plus a message from his father on the other side, to remind Simba of who he is: the rightful king. At the same time, Simba is afraid to return after being away so long, especially due to the danger presented by Scar and his army of hyenas who now control the Pride Lands.

How Do They Overcome? Simba remembers the lessons he learned from his father about the qualities of being a king and how being afraid is never a bad thing. He finds the courage to face his past to create a new future. At the same time, his guilt is unburdened when Scar reveals his role in Mufasa's death, which gives Simba a renewed purpose to fight his uncle. He eventually takes his rightful place as the king of the Pride Lands.

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Finding Nemo

What Is The Journey?  Meek and overprotective clownfish father Marlin must find the courage to embark on an unpredictable quest into the darkest reaches of the ocean to bring his son, Nemo, back home.

What Trials Do They Face?  Marlin fears his own shadow, treating life with the utmost caution and preferring the mundane over adventure. With his son gone, he needs to swim out of his comfort zone in more ways than one. He braves the dangers and uncertainties of the ocean, searching hard and refusing to give up on his son. Joining Marlin is the forgetful Dory, who teaches Marlin more about the importance of living in the moment and experiencing the fun of not knowing what happens next. 

How Do They Overcome? There are two major lessons that Marlin learns in the process of finding Nemo: first, he is brave and doesn't need to live his life in a state of paralyzing fear. Secondly, Nemo is more than capable of looking after himself, so it's up to Marlin to let go and allow his son to live life with all the risks that entails.

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Kung Fu Panda

What Is The Journey? A bumbling panda and kung fu fan, Po is unwittingly selected as the Dragon Warrior, a prophesied hero. However, neither Po nor others believe it to be true.

What Trials Do They Face?  Po is shocked to be named the Dragon Warrior, since he knows he tumbled into a scenario rather than being intentionally selected. He isn't a natural martial artist and struggles under the training of Master Shifu. It also doesn't help that the Furious Five - a group Po adores - don't believe in the poor panda. To make matters worse, the dangerous snow-leopard Tai Lung is on the loose and Po will need to build his skills quickly in order to face him.

How Do They Overcome? Po uses his lovable personality to win over others, while he develops an unorthodox martial arts style. As he progresses and his heart proves to be his greatest strength, he starts to believe in his potential and realizes he is special in his own way.

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Batman Begins

What Is The Journey?  After the death of his parents, Bruce Wayne trains his mind and body to become Gotham City's protector and the scourge of every criminal.

What Trials Do They Face? Due to his family's high profile, Bruce is burdened with carrying on the legacy of the Wayne name and being a public figure. Internally, he harbors a strong desire for justice to eradicate the city's corrupt criminal justice system. Knowing he will need to shed the Wayne name and become something else, Bruce embarks on an arduous journey to learn from the greatest masters as he trains his mind and body as a weapon to fight crime. However, his choice to become a symbol of justice rather than executioner results in his former master, Ra's al Ghul, turning into his enemy and threatening to burn Gotham City.

How Do They Overcome?  As Batman, Bruce honors the code of standing for justice and believing his actions can inspire hope, even when it would be easier snapping necks and putting bullet holes in fiends. Despite the adversity he faces and the limits he is pushed to, he remembers the promise he made on his parents's grave to protect Gotham City, carrying that with him as he embraces his new purpose as Batman.

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The Wizard of Oz

What Is The Journey?  Dorothy Gale dreams of a better life away from Kansas, “Somewhere Over The Rainbow.” However, when she her dog Toto get swept up in a tornado and land in the magical, colorful world known as Oz, she needs to follow the yellow brick road to the Emerald City and speak to the mysterious Wizard about helping her get back to Kansas.

What Trials Do They Face? From the get-go, Dorothy is in a pickle, as she's stuck in an unknown place. Complicating things more, her house lands on the Wicked Witch of the East, which upsets her sister, the Wicked Witch of the West. Now, not only does Dorothy need to make her way on foot to the Emerald City and find the Wizard of Oz with help from her motley crew of companions, but she also needs to keep looking over her shoulder because the Witch has nefarious plans for her. Then, to top it all off, Dorothy finds out the Wizard is a fraud, and it appears to be like there's no way back to Kansas.

How Do They Overcome? Despite the uncertainty, Dorothy learns to embrace the weird and wonderful land of Oz, and learns a lot from her companions, the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion. So, when she finds out she can tap her heels and wish her way back to Kansas, she does so. Once she sees her friends and family again, she realizes that there's truly no place like home.

What Is The Journey? As cracks appear in her seemingly idyllic life in Barbieland, Barbie ventures to the real world to find the child playing with her who is connected to her sudden worries about mortality.

What Trials Do They Face?  Barbie's sense of inadequacy kicks off when she starts to feel imperfect in a perfect world. It causes her to have an existential crisis about who she is and what defines her. This isn't exactly helped when she experiences the harshness of the real world, either. Even once she finds her “child” - who turns out to be an adult woman named Gloria - she needs to evade Mattel corporate employees trying to capture her, and also deal with Ken, who comes to believe that turning Barbieland into a patriarchal society is the only way to bring value to who he is.

How Do They Overcome? Barbie learns it's important to form her own self-identity, embracing the messy parts of life that bring meaning. She also shows compassion and empathy toward Ken and his brethren, encouraging the citizens of Barbieland to treat each other equally and in a way that doesn't devalue anyone else. Finally, after a meeting with Mattel co-founder Ruth Handler, Barbie decides to write her own story and become a human rather than an idea.

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Men in Black

What Is The Journey?  After NYPD officer James Darrell Edwards III impresses the mysterious Agent K, he is enlisted into a top-secret organization known as the Men in Black, which is responsible for keeping an eye on extraterrestrial life on Earth.

What Trials Do They Face?  Taking the alias of Agent J, James is thrown into the deep end as he tries to wrap his head around the MIB's rules and dealing with extraterrestrials. K isn't exactly the most fun-loving, friendly mentor, either, so J frequently feels like he's letting himself and everyone else down by not being good enough. Among all this inner turmoil, there is a genuine alien threat to deal with, too, and it's up to J and K to avert a massive inter-species war. 

How Do They Overcome?  J trusts his natural instincts and abilities, while also applying everything he has learned from K to save the day. Ultimately, he discovers that K wasn't training him to be his partner, but his replacement. The student becomes the master in a bittersweet but moving passing-of-the-torch moment.

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What Is The Journey?  Paraplegic marine Jake Sully infiltrates the Na'vi tribe of the planet of Pandora through the use of an avatar as part of a mission for the Resources Development Administration (RDA). After he spends some time among the tribe, he begins to question his loyalties, especially as he falls in love with a Na'vi named Neytiri.

What Trials Do They Face?  Sully needs to keep the purpose of his mission a secret to the Na'vi, as they cannot know his real reason for being on Pandora. As he learns more about the nature of Na'vi life and their respect for each other and the world, he becomes torn about what he should do. The RDA promises him they will help walk again if he gives them what they want, while the Na'vi provide a honest way of life. However, the RDA holds all the power here, as they can simply disconnect his body from his avatar.

How Do They Overcome? Sully chooses love and loyalty to the Na'vi over the RDA, revealing the truth to the tribe. While it's a difficult decision that risks his own safety, he finds himself inspired by the Na'vi way of life and chooses to be on the right side of history. Thankfully, the Na'vi come through for him, as well, and he ends up permanently inhabiting his avatar body and becoming a part of their community.

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10 Good Movie Examples Showing the Hero’s Journey

• April 18, 2022

The Hero’s Journey is an old literary device that appears in a wide variety of stories throughout human history. As such, it has also featured in many popular films since the dawn of cinema.

Although there are some deviations, the hero’s journey usually consists of a cyclical story with some main narrative beats. An ordinary person receives a call to adventure that requires them to leave their known, comfortable life for the unknown. They may refuse this call, but they soon reach a threshold where they need to answer it, which begins their transformation over the course of the story. They then set out on their journey, typically with the aid of a helper and/or mentor. They face challenges and temptations before experiencing a revelation that results in growth and change. The hero then atones and confronts the final conflict. At last, they are rewarded for their efforts and return to a known existence.

The following are ten films in a variety of genres that serve as great examples of the hero’s journey. Given the nature of this subject as an entire narrative story arc, do note that spoilers may be discussed for all films below.

Movie Examples Showing the Hero’s Journey

1. the lord of the rings trilogy (2001-2003).

This classic high fantasy epic is one of the most recognized depictions of the hero’s journey in fiction. The story centers around a hobbit named Frodo, who comes into possession of the Ring of Power, an object of evil that will doom the world if it falls into the wrong hands. With the aid of his mentor figure, the wizard Gandalf, Frodo must leave his idyllic homeland of the Shire and travel across the realm of Middle Earth to see the Ring destroyed. A powerful story about the horrors of war and how the bonds of fellowship carry people through the darkest times, The Lord of the Rings knows who the true heroes are and how they are ultimately changed by their experiences.

Duration: 2h 58m (The Fellowship of the Ring); 2h 59m (The Two Towers); 3h 21m (The Return of the King)

Rating: All PG-13

2. Star Wars (1977)

Almost everyone has heard of Star Wars, and it also happens to be a strong depiction of the hero’s journey. Farmboy Luke Skywalker lives an uneventful life on the remote desert planet of Tatooine. That changes when he comes into possession of a pair of droids holding secret information vital to the resistance against the Empire. He then must set out to ensure the stolen plans for the Empire’s new superweapon, the Death Star, are delivered to the resistance so they stand a chance of destroying it. With the help of his mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, he learns the ways of the Jedi, an ancient order of mystical knights. Throughout the story, Luke transforms into a Jedi Knight and true hero. The original film, released in 1977, was an instant sensation that changed the art of filmmaking forever.

Duration: 2h 1m

3. Black Panther (2018)

Many superhero films also follow the hero’s journey, but 2018’s groundbreaking Black Panther, part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is one of the best examples. Upon the death of his father, T’Challa becomes king of the hidden African nation of Wakanda. Throughout the story, he goes through death and rebirth and is challenged by the antagonist’s viewpoint. The end sees a return and atonement as he leads his nation and his people forward. Hailed as a breakthrough for Black storytelling and representation, Black Panther is a shining example of a film done right on all counts.

Duration: 2h 14m

Rating: PG-13

4. Airplane! (1980)

This irreverent, hilarious comedy film actually follows the story of the hero’s journey quite closely. A spoof of the earlier airline disaster movie Zero Hour! (1957), Airplane! follows former fighter pilot Ted Striker as he boards a plane in a desperate attempt to keep his ex-girlfriend, Elaine, who is working as a flight attendant, from leaving him. Struggling with the guilt of a command decision he made that saw his entire squadron destroyed, Ted is forced to grapple with his fears and take control of the plane when the flight crew becomes incapacitated due to bad fish. Well-known for throwing silly jokes at the audience non-stop, Airplane! has earned its reputation as one of the funniest films ever made.

Duration: 1h 28m

5. The Matrix (1999)

The Matrix follows the hero’s journey almost step by step. In it, regular office worker Thomas Anderson moonlights as a hacker known as Neo. When he is contacted by the mysterious and seemingly superhuman Trinity and Morpheus, Neo learns that the world in which humans live is a massive simulation run by machines and that he may be “the chosen One” who will save humanity from its prison. The film adheres to the death and rebirth aspect of the hero’s journey, as only through doing so can Neo become what he is destined to be. With a strong story, deep philosophy and jaw-dropping special effects, The Matrix remains a touchstone of cinematic brilliance that has kept audiences talking for years.

Duration: 2h 16m

6. The Lion King (1994)

Disney’s The Lion King tells the story of Simba, a young lion from the Pride Lands, as he learns to follow in his father’s footsteps to become king. Wrenched from his childhood life when his treacherous uncle Scar murders his father, Simba flees from the Pride Lands to the jungle where he would rather start a new life. But as the rightful king, he learns that he cannot hide from his destiny forever and that he must return to the Pride Lands and confront Scar once and for all. A classic animated film with beautiful animation, an unforgettable story and a stellar soundtrack, The Lion King will long be remembered as one of the best animated films ever made.

7. Avatar (2009)

James Cameron’s Avatar turned heads when it was released in 2009 for the film’s astonishing special effects which revolutionized motion capture technology. The hero of the story is Jake Sully, a former Marine who has been rendered paraplegic. He is sent to the alien world of Pandora as part of a program to put human beings in control of artificial bodies of the indigenous Na’vi that can survive in the planet’s environment. Jake begins seeing Pandora in a different light through his interactions with the Na’vi woman Neytiri and, realizing that plundering the planet for its natural resources is wrong, Jake seeks his atonement by fighting with the Na’vi to protect their home.

Duration: 2h 42m

8. Hacksaw Ridge (2016)

Aside from science fiction and fantasy films, war movies are another genre where the hero’s journey story is common. Hacksaw Ridge, directed by Mel Gibson, is based on the true story of World War II medic Desmond Doss, the only recipient of the Medal of Honor who joins the war efforts as a conscientious objector. Doss signs up to become a combat medic after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor but steadfastly refuses to take life, which earns him scorn and even arrest. After sticking to his pledge and saving dozens of people during the Battle of Okinawa, he returns home to have his heroism finally recognized.

Duration: 2h 19m

9. Spirited Away (2001)

Winner of the second-ever Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, Spirited Away is the crowning achievement of Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki, who has had a long and storied career producing lauded, beloved films. The hero of the story is 10-year-old Chihiro, who, along with her parents, wanders into the spirit world. When her parents are turned into pigs as punishment after eating food that doesn’t belong to them, she is left alone and afraid. With the aid of her helper, the mysterious young man Haku, she begins working at a bathhouse under the eye of the sinister Yubaba. Having to stay in this strange new world, Chihiro must adapt and grow if there is to be any hope of saving her parents and returning to the human world.

Duration: 2h 5m

10. The Hunger Games Series (2012-2015)

Living in one of the poorest districts of the dystopian nation Panem, Katniss Everdeen receives her call to adventure when her younger sister is selected to participate in the titular Hunger Games. A brutal competition where children fight to the death for the entertainment of Panem’s elite, Katniss does the only thing she can – volunteers to take her sister’s place. Suddenly thrust in front of the cameras, she quickly becomes a real symbol for a growing resistance movement against the Capitol. Challenged by the part she must play and the horrors she witnesses, she is forever changed by her experiences.

Duration: 2h 22m (The Hunger Games); 2h 26m (Catching Fire); 2h 3m (Mockingjay – Part 1); 2h 17m (Mockingjay – Part 2)

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What Your 6 Favorite Movies Have in Common [Infographic]

By Sara McGuire , Jun 25, 2018

It’s a story we’ve seen many times over: an unlikely hero embarks on a journey that has been thrust upon them.

Along the way, the hero make some allies and enemies, maybe even fall in love. At the outset, they become stronger and wiser than they were when they embarked on their journey.

No matter what the genre or setting of the story is, the central narrative follows the hero’s journey structure. This is known in literary circles as the “monomyth” or, in pop culture, as the “h ero’s journey” .

Here are 6 iconic movies that follow the hero’s journey:

This infographic shows the progression of the hero’s journey in six iconic movies: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001), Star Wars (1977), The Matrix (1999), Spider-Man (2002), The Lion King (1994) and The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-2003). Click to enlarge.

CREATE A TIMELINE INFOGRAPHIC

Want to learn how to create your own timeline infographic ? Scroll to the bottom of this article for a quick timeline design guide.

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A very brief history of the hero’s journey

The monomyth was first conceptualized by Joseph Campbell in his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces (1949).

In Campbell’s monomyth, the hero embarks on a circular journey comprised of seventeen stages. The book identifies a narrative pattern throughout works of mythology (and narrative in general).

The monomyth has since been adapted and condensed into twelve stages by Hollywood executive Christopher Vogler.

Vogler developed his version of the monomyth while working at Disney, and once you recognize the pattern, you’ll be able to identify it in some capacity in almost any film. He’s the one who popularized calling it the “hero’s journey,” and his version focuses specifically on movie narratives.

The 12 stages of Vogler’s hero’s journey

Let’s break down each step in the hero’s journey (warning, many GIFS ahead).

1. The Ordinary World

The hero is introduced in their ordinary world. The mundane ordinary world is presented in stark contrast with the “special world” that the hero will enter when they accept their quest.

In Spider-Man , Peter Parker is introduced as a regular, particularly nerdy teen in Queens–quite the opposite of the kickass crime-stopper he becomes.

2. The Call to Adventure

The initiating incident of the story takes place. The hero is introduced to the challenge or problem that their quest will seek to overcome.

In Star Wars , the call to adventure comes in the form of Princess Leia’s message, delivered by R2-D2.

3. Refusal of the Call

The hero hesitates to accept the call to adventure. This could be because they don’t feel they have the skills to take on the quest or they don’t want to leave the life they know.

In The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Frodo is reluctant to leave his comfortable and familiar life in the Shire in order to face the unknown dangers that await him on his journey.

4. Meeting with the Mentor

The hero meets a wise, usually older, woman or man. The mentor guides the hero in gaining the supplies and knowledge needed to embark on the adventure. However, the mentor can only go so far with the hero.

In The Matrix , this is where Neo meets Morpheus, who tells him to take the red pill or the blue pill.

5. Crossing the First Threshold

The hero commits wholeheartedly to the adventure and integrates into the special world. There is no turning back from this point.

In Spider-Man , Peter crosses the threshold when he catches the thief who killed his Uncle Ben and realizes that he must use his powers to stop crime.

6. Tests, Allies and Enemies

The hero explores the special world, faces trial, and makes friends and enemies along the way.

In Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone , this is the part where Harry adjusts to life in the Wizarding world, makes friends with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, and becomes enemies with Draco Malfoy.

7. Approach to the Innermost Cave

The hero draws closer to the center of the story and the special world. Often, this “innermost cave” is where the “object” or “elixir” of the quest is hidden. The object of the quest may be an actual treasure or a symbolic achievement.

The innermost cave takes the form of the Death Star in Star Wars ; Luke and his companions must infiltrate the ship to save Leia.

8. The Ordeal

The hero is pushed to the brink of death or loss and faces the greatest challenge yet. It is through this struggle that the hero experiences a process of death and rebirth (figuratively or literally).

In The Lion King , Simba’s ordeal means he must face the guilt he feels for his father’s death and reclaim his right to Pride Rock, which has been taken over by Scar.

9. The Reward

The hero experiences the consequences of surviving death (figuratively or literally) and retrieves the object of their quest. It’s often at this point that the hero has a love scene with their love interest and reconciles with their enemies.

In Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone , Harry passes the obstacles barring the Philosopher’s Stone and discovers that the stone has appeared in his pocket.

10. The Road Back

The hero returns to the ordinary world or continues onward to an ultimate destination, but their trials aren’t over just yet. They are often pursued by a vengeful force that they must face.

In the Lord of the Rings trilogy, this is where Gollum confronts Frodo at the ledge of the volcano and tries to take the Ring back from him.

11. The Resurrection

The hero emerges from the special world fundamentally changed by their experiences.

In The Lion King , Simba learns the truth that it was Scar who orchestrated Mufasa’s death. Simba throws Scar off Pride Rock in order to reclaim his place as king.   

12. Return with the Elixir

The hero brings with them the object of their quest, which they use to better the ordinary world in some way–whether it’s through knowledge, a cure, or some form of protection.

In The Matrix , armed with the knowledge of the truth, Neo delivers a message to the Matrix that he will save humanity.   

What can we learn from the hero’s journey?

Not surprisingly, the hero’s journey has been adopted by content marketers because it acts as a framework for effective storytelling.

The lesson we can take away from the hero’s journey is similar to the lesson we took away from our creepypasta study . The formulas that are recycled again and again in narrative are in place because they work. It’s the same with formulas for design , or any other aspect of creation.

View the Full Infographic

But while a story revolving around a protagonist’s change makes for a solid base plot, there need to be significant variations to the story, characters, and setting to make the story new and exciting.  Otherwise, you end up with empty clichés and forgettable stories.

This is a lesson that extends beyond movie makers and fiction writers to content creators in general.

Whether you want to make an infographic , write an informative blog post , create a marketing plan or even plan a lesson , the hero’s journey can offer you a basis of how an effective “plot” or content strategy progresses.

How to create your own timeline infographic

Do you want to create your own timeline infographic ? You don’t need years of design experience to make one—just start with an infographic template .

Follow these steps to create your own timeline infographic:

• Create an outline for your timeline infographic
• Pick a layout for your timeline infographic
• Create the framework for your timeline
• Add dates, text, and images to your timeline infographic
• Embellish your timeline infographic with colors , fonts , and decorative shapes
• Download and share your timeline infographic

1. Create an outline for your timeline infographic

Before you get started, make an outline of the information that will be in your timeline. Outline the number of events and the order in which they’ll appear your timeline. Include headers and descriptions for each event, and any design notes you want to keep in mind.

For example, here’s part of the outline for the Google I/O timeline infographic we made:

2. Pick a layout for your timeline infographic

Next, plan how you want to lay out your information. There are several basic timeline layouts you can use.

The tree timeline layout , which has one central line with even branching off from it:

USE THIS TIMELINE INFOGRAPHIC

The snake timeline layout , which winds back and forth across the page (great for saving space):

CREATE THIS INFOGRAPHIC TEMPLATE

And the step-by-step layout , which looks like a more traditional process infographic :

3. Create the framework for your timeline

Once you’ve picked which timeline layout you want to use, it’s time to plot out your timeline. Map out each event and figure out how the information will be arranged on the page.

If you’re using a timeline template , then the framework will already be laid out for you. All you have to do is input your information, add or take away events, and customize the design.

4. Add dates, text, and images to your timeline infographic

With a framework in place, start to fill in your timeline dates, text, and any supporting images. Don’t worry too much about style at this point–you can jazz up the design after you’ve laid out all the information.

5. Embellish your timeline infographic with colors, fonts, and icons

Once you’re happy with how your information is laid out, you can spice up your design. Think about what kind of mood you want your timeline infographic to have. Then, pick a color scheme that reflects that mood. Similarly, pick fonts that reflect the theme of your timeline.

You can also embellish your timeline design with icons. Icons are perfect for emphasizing and visualizing important points on your timeline.

You’re done! Download your timeline and share it with your audience.

For more detailed instructions, read our guide How to Create a Timeline Infographic in 6 Steps .

Check out our other pop culture infographics:

Every Betrayal Ever in Game of Thrones 

7 Essential Design Principles We Can Learn From Star Wars

What Netflix’s Top 50 Shows Can Teach Us About Font Psychology

What Disney Villains Can Tell Us About Color Psychology

The Hogwarts Guide to Company Culture

The infographic in this article was created by Joanna Lu.

10 Movies That Follow the Hero’s Journey

 Discover the most famous examples of movies that follow  the hero’s journey . 

Hollywood offers many outstanding examples of screenwriting and filmmaking. Once you know to look for the hero’s journey , you can find dozens of popular films that use the hero’s journey. Basically, watch for films where an ordinary person hears a call to adventure, meets a mentor of some sort, and team-up with an ally and or a group of friends to defeat a common villain or foe. Along the way, they should acquire some powers, face setbacks, and change fundamentally. They’d be every Marvel and recent superhero movie, then!

1. Star Wars

2. harry potter, 3. iron man, 4. the lion king, 5. the wizard of oz, 6. the lord of the rings , 7. spiderman, 8. the matrix, 9. the goonies, 10. the karate kid, final word on movies that follow the hero’s journey, is there a classic story that heroes are frequently based on, what are the individual stages of the hero’s journey.

Without a doubt, one of the greatest examples of a movie series that follows the hero’s journey is the 1978 movie Star Wars   Episode IV by George Lucas. The follow-up movies also follow this framework.

We meet Luke Skywalker as a young farm boy. After receiving a call to adventure from R2D2, he goes on a journey to rescue Princess Leia and defeats the Empire. He encounters mentors like Obi-Wan Kenobi and villains like Darth Vader. Through this journey, Luke discovers his true identity as a Jedi Knight and returns a hero, albeit fundamentally changed. Similarly, other characters in the Star Wars franchise also experience their versions of the hero’s journey, such as Anakin Skywalker, Rey, and even Finn. The results are somewhat less enjoyable.

Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling follows the hero’s journey to the letter throughout multiple movies . The call to adventure comes in the form of a letter inviting him to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Once at Hogwarts, Harry faces a series of trials and obstacles as he learns about magic, makes friends or allies, and fights villains or: the dark wizard, Lord Voldemort.

Our hero faces many challenges and tests, like The Chamber of Secrets (a movie of its own), the Triwizard tournament, and the Deathly Hallows (another movie). Throughout the series, Harry Potter evolves from a young 11-year-old prodigy wizard into a hero who saves the Hogwarts Universe. For more, check out our guide to the best British authors .

If you are looking for the perfect archetype of the hero, check out the Iron Man movies… or any Avengers or recent Marvel movie. Tony Stark, in particular, follows the hero’s journey framework.

He starts as a somewhat obnoxious wealthy arms dealer before a near-death experience. He returns with new powers and changes the world for good. The Iron Man movies employ many hero’s journey tropes. Stark meets more than his fair share of villains and allies! In effect, Ironman or Tony Stark becomes a type of mentor in future Marvel movies that also use this framework.  

Most people have a special place in their hearts for Disney, thanks partly to The Lion King . You follow Simba as he grows from a lion cub into the pack’s leader. Even though it is devastating when his father, Mufasa, passes away, watching him grow up is still a fantastic experience. Then, he challenges his uncle, Scar, who spends a lot of time in his cave. The Lion King can also be a great introduction to the world of Disney. It’s also family-friendly.

Not all hero’s journey movies are recent releases. Consider this entry from the world of classic Hollywood. Released in 1939, in The Wizard of Oz , we meet a young heroine, Dorothy, as she seeks to help a bunch of people who each have their personal flaws. You can watch Dorothy fight against evil witches, save her friends, and learn more about herself. Expect classic movie lines like “Follow the yellow brick road” and “Happiness is the most important thing!”

The Lord of the Rings is a classic high fantasy work that follows the hero’s journey throughout three books. We meet Frodo, a Hobbit, seeking to save Middle Earth by destroying the One Ring. He travels with friends and allies like Samwise and Gandalf and faces off against villains and sorcerers like the Saruman and Sauron. The books are somewhat heavier than the movies, but both will lead you on a fantastical adventure. The series is filled with monsters, magic, and more twists and turns than you can count. If you want to see the hero’s many stages unfold, consider following Frodo from the Shire to Mordor. For more, check out our guide to the best fantasy authors .

The Spiderman franchise is another popular Marvel (and Sony) series that repeatedly uses the hero’s journey. There are numerous Spiderman universes, each of which has its own Peter Parker and variations on the hero’s journey. Peter Park, aka Spiderman, gains the ability to shoot amazingly strong webs from his wrists. He also acquires superhuman strength, stamina, and speed.

Throughout the movies, Spiderman teams up with friends and allies (including Tony Stark) to defeat villains like Dr. Octopus, Electro, and the Green Goblin. Spiderman: No Way Home (2021) is the best movie from the franchise as it incorporates all of these elements, heroes, and villains. Check out these essays about films .

Alongside Star Wars , The Matrix is the most popular recent example of a movie using the hero’s journey. Viewers follow Neo as he meets his mentor Morpheus and escapes the matrix. He acquires new powers, defeats a cadre of secret agents, and shows the rest of us that we’ve been living in a dream. The movie series has plenty of action scenes, numerous espionage examples, and an amazing adventure as Neo seeks to learn more about himself, where he came from, and what the future holds. It’s an excellent example of a dystopian work and also compelling science-fiction. It’s just a shame the sequels pale in comparison to the original.

Directed by Richard Donner and released in 1985, this film follows a group of friends, known as the “Goonies,” who live in the “Goon Docks” neighborhood of Astoria, Oregon. They discover an old treasure map in the attic of one of the member’s houses. This call to adventure causes them to seek a treasure to save their neighborhood from being turned into a golf course.

They face many obstacles and challenges along the way, including booby traps set by the treasure’s original owner and a group of criminals searching for the treasure. The Goonies discover an underground cavern and a shipwrecked pirate ship, where the treasure is located. Eventually, the group finds the treasure, but they must also escape the pursuing criminals and a collapsing cavern. The gang returns home to save the neighborhood and bond as a group. One of the stars of The Goonies is Sean Astin, who’s also part of the principal cast in Lord of the Rings .

Released in 1984 and remade years later as a Netflix show, The Karate Kid recounts the story of Daniel LaRusso. He moves with his mother to a new city, where a group of karate students bullies him. He meets a wise and skilled karate master named Mr. Miyagi, who agrees to teach Daniel karate to defend himself.

Mr. Miyagi trains Daniel in the art of karate, both physically and mentally. Mr. Miyagi uses tasks such as painting a fence and sanding the floor to teach Daniel the principles of balance, focus, and discipline. A famous quote from his mentor Mr. Miyagi? “Wax on, wax off.”

Daniel enters a karate tournament to face off against the bullies and the tournament’s reigning champion, Johnny Lawrence. He’s the leader of the group that bullied Daniel. With Mr. Miyagi’s guidance, Daniel defeats Johnny and wins the respect of his peers. Per the classic hero’s journey framework, Daniel learns important life lessons and develops self-confidence and self-worth. 

These are just a few movies that follow the hero’s journey. Even though not all of them perfectly mirror Joseph Campbell’s monomyth , all the heroes mentioned hear a call to adventure, meet mentors and friends and face off against a villain or foe. Through this journey, they become a different person and change the world. Of course, many different characters play a role in the hero’s journey. Check out our article on the different character archetypes.

Whether you are watching a fantasy movie, a science fiction film, a thriller, or a comedy, see if you can identify individual stages along the hero’s journey. The power of myth is everywhere, one you know to look for! For more insights like this, check our list of great essays about heroes.

FAQs About Movies That Follow the Hero’s Journey

Every movie is slightly different, but many mirrors The Odyssey by Homer. This tale is regarded as one of the classics regarding heroes. The story follows Odysseus as he encounters trials and tribulations along the way. Many of the popular hero movies of today have some of the same elements as The Odyssey. 

The individual stages of the hero’s journey in the template include the Ordinary World, The Call to Adventure, the refusal of the call, the meeting with the mentor, the crossing of the first threshold, tests and allies along the road of trials, the innermost cave, and the supreme ordeal.

There are of course many different characters who play a role in the hero’s journey. Check out our article on the different character archetypes .

Meet Rachael, the editor at Become a Writer Today. With years of experience in the field, she is passionate about language and dedicated to producing high-quality content that engages and informs readers. When she's not editing or writing, you can find her exploring the great outdoors, finding inspiration for her next project.

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Finding the Hero’s Journey in Crowd Favorite Films

By sara mcguire.

Any movie pop culture buff will probably be familiar with the Hero’s Journey. A contemporary version of Joseph Campbell’s Monomyth , the Hero’s Journey is an archetypal plot structure that forms the basis of almost every movie in Hollywood.

Christopher Vogler, the man who condensed the Hero’s Journey into the twelve stages we’re most familiar with, developed the archetype while working at Disney. Christopher Vogler’s Hero’s Journey As a very brief reminder, the twelve stages of Vogler’s Hero’s Journey are:

• The Ordinary World: The hero is introduced in the ordinary world.
• The Call to Adventure: The initiating conflict alerts the hero to the adventure.
• Refusal of the Call: The hero is hesitant to accept the call to adventure in the special world.
• Meeting with the Mentor: The mentor introduces the hero to the special world and guides them in training to embark on the adventure.
• Crossing the First Threshold: The hero passes the point no return and commits wholeheartedly to the adventure.
• Tests, Allies and Enemies: The hero explores the special world and makes friends and enemies along the way.
• Approach to the Innermost Cave: The hero draws closer to both the heart of the special world and the heart of the story.
• The Ordeal: The hero faces their greatest challenge yet and undergoes a process of “death” and “rebirth.”
• The Reward: The hero experiences the consequences of surviving “death” and obtains the object of their quest.
• The Road Back: The hero begins their return to the ordinary world but a final trial faces them.
• The Resurrection: The hero emerges from the special world changed by their experiences and the wisdom they’ve gained.
• Return with the Elixir: The hero returns to the ordinary world with their special object, which they use to make the ordinary world better.

Movies That Follow the Hero’s Journey

One of the most commonly cited examples is Star Wars , which does follow the plot structure very closely, except that Luke encounters his Mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, before he refuses the call to adventure. Still, Luke’s classic heroism, the trials he faces against the Dark Side, and the allies he gains along the way are so textbook that Star Wars lends itself very well to the Hero’s Journey. It was the unique setting, compelling characters and other original details that made the story so exciting when it was released--but it’s a combination of these unique elements and the tried and true plot structure that make it a classic. The Hero’s Journey crops up in virtually every iconic movie you can think of over the last fifty years. Take one of Disney’s biggest successes: The Lion King (1994). The movie follows Simba, the young heir to Pride Rock, who is tricked into exile by his uncle Scar. In reality, Scar wants to usurp the throne and become king, but Simba is led to believe that he was the one who caused his father’s death.  When Scar tells Simba he must leave at once, Simba answers the call to adventure and finds himself alone in the unknown desert. He is found by Timon and Pumbaa, his two mentor figures, who introduce him to a “hakuna matata” lifestyle in the jungle (the “Special World”). Simba’s greatest trial is introduced by his reunion with his childhood friend, Nala. She tells Simba about the about Scar’s wrath and encourages him to return to Pride Rock and take back his rightful role as king. This could be seen as a repeating of the call to adventure phase and it also represents the approach to the innermost cave.  His greatest ordeal is facing not only Scar (physical), but also the guilt he feels for the death of his father, Mufasa (emotional). The “elixir” that he ultimately returns to the “Ordinary World” with is his clear conscience and the knowledge that his father will live on within him. Spider-Man (2002) also follows the Hero’s Journey perfectly, despite being in an entirely different story in terms of characters, setting, and genre. Peter Parker is a meek, nerdy boy living in Queens. He receives his call to adventure when a genetically-engineered spider bites him on a school trip to the Oscorp lab and he develops spider-like powers. At first, he uses his powers frivolously to gain money in an underground wrestling ring, a refusal of the “call” to use his powers to fight crime. Uncle Ben is his mentor (a mentor who dies earlier than most mentors), who offers him an iconic piece of advice: “With great power comes great responsibility.” When uncle Ben is killed by a runaway thief outside of Peter’s wrestling venue--the very same thief that Peter allowed to escape--Peter crosses the threshold and enters the symbolic “special world” where he uses his powers to fight crime. After his trials facing the Green Goblin and saving love-interest Mary-Jane, the “elixir” he gains is knowledge of the dark side of life (after all, his best friend’s father, Norman Osborn, turns out to be the Green Goblin) and the resolution that he must use his powers to protect the city and the people he loves. Where the resolution of Simba’s story was a happy one, Peter Parker’s story ends on a bittersweet note--this shows that while a plot may have the same core structure, the stories can still vary greatly between them. The Heroine’s Journey What the infographic above does not include are movies featuring heroines who follow the same plot structure. Such movies exist, popular examples being The Hunger Games and The Wizard of Oz , but they are far fewer than their male-centric counterparts. That’s why, in response to the Hero’s Journey, literary and pop culture theorists have developed the Heroine’s Journey. The most well-known interpretation of the Heroine’s Journey was developed by Maureen Murdock. Like the Hero’s Journey, the Heroine’s Journey is cyclical and takes place between the “Ordinary World” and the “Special World”, however, the stages are focused on the heroine’s process of rejection and re-acceptance of the feminine. This archetypal plot structure is much less known than the Hero’s Journey, but more film enthusiasts are starting to use it as a framework to analyze stories. Movies that follow the Heroine’s Journey include Room (2015), Brave (2012) and Inside Out (2015). As films with female protagonists become more and more prominent in mainstream film, we’re probably going to see more and more films that follow the Heroine’s Journey. I know I’m excited to see what movies are to come. Maybe we’ll also start to see some Heroine’s Journey infographics pop up. For now, the Hero’s Journey is a plot structure that continues to guide crowd favorite films.

About Sara McGuire

Sara McGuire is a Creative Content Specialist at Venngage infographics . In her free time she enjoys baking, reading graphic novels and poetry, and hanging out with her cat.

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The Art of Narrative

Learn to write.

A Complete Guide to The Hero’s Journey (or The Monomyth)

Learn how to use the 12 steps of the Hero’s Journey to structure plot, develop characters, and write riveting stories that will keep readers engaged!

Before I start this post I would like to acknowledged the tragedy that occurred in my country this past month. George Floyd, an innocent man, was murdered by a police officer while three other officers witnessed that murder and remained silent.

To remain silent, in the face of injustice, violen ce, and murder is to be complicit . I acknowledge that as a white man I have benefited from a centuries old system of privilege and abuse against black people, women, American Indians, immigrants, and many, many more.

This systemic abuse is what lead to the murder of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Sandra Bland, Eric Garner, Treyvon Martin, Philando Castile, Freddie Gray, Walter Scott, Tamir Rice and many more. Too many.

Whether I like it or not I’ve been complicit in this injustice. We can’t afford to be silent anymore. If you’re disturbed by the violence we’ve wit nessed over, and over again please vote this November, hold your local governments accountable, peacefully protest, and listen. Hopefully, together we can bring positive change. And, together, we can heal .

In this post, we’ll go over the stages of Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey, also known as the Monomyth. We’ll talk about how to use it to structure your story. You’ll also find some guided questions for each section of the Hero’s Journey. These questions are designed to help guide your thinking during the writing process. Finally, we’ll go through an example of the Hero’s Journey from 1997’s Men In Black.  

Down at the bottom, we’ll go over reasons you shouldn’t rely on the Monomyth. And we’ll talk about a few alternatives for you to consider if the Hero’s Journey isn’t right for your story.  

But, before we do all that let’s answer the obvious question- 

What is the Hero’s Journey?

The Hero’s Journey was first described by Joseph Campbell. Campbell was an American professor of literature at Sarah Lawrence College. He wrote about the Hero’s Journey in his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces . More than a guide, this book was a study on the fundamental structure of myths throughout history. 

Through his study, Campbell identified seventeen stages that make up what he called the Monomyth or Hero’s Journey. We’ll go over these stages in the next section. Here’s how Campbell describes the Monomyth in his book:

“A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.” 

Something important to note is that the Monomyth was not conceived as a tool for writers to develop a plot. Rather, Campbell identified it as a narrative pattern that was common in mythology. 

George Lucas used Campbell’s Monomyth to structure his original Star Wars film. Thanks to Star Wars ’ success, filmmakers have adopted the Hero’s Journey as a common plot structure in movies. 

We see it in films like The Matrix , Spider-man , The Lion King , and many more. But, keep in mind, this is not the only way to structure a story. We’ll talk about some alternatives at the end of this post. 

With that out of the way, let’s go over the twelve stages of the Hero’s Journey, or Monomyth. We’ll use the original Men In Black film as an example (because why not?). And, we’ll look at some questions to help guide your thinking, as a writer, at each stage. 

Quick note – The original Hero’s Journey is seventeen stages. But, Christopher Vogler, an executive working for Disney, condensed Campbell’s work. Vogler’s version has twelve stages, and it’s the version we’re talking about today. Vogler wrote a guide to use the Monomyth and I’ll link to it at the bottom.)

The 12 Stages of The Hero’s Journey 

The ordinary world .

This is where the hero’s story begins. We meet our hero in a down-to-earth, or humble setting. We establish the hero as an ordinary citizen in this world, not necessarily “special” in any way. 

Think exposition . 

We get to know our hero at this stage of the story. We learn about the hero’s life, struggles, inner or outer demons. This an opportunity for readers to identify with the hero. A good idea since the story will be told from the hero’s perspective. 

Read more about perspective and POV here.

In Men In Black, we meet our hero, James, who will become Agent J, chasing someone down the streets of a large city. The story reveals some important details through the action of the plo t. Let’s go over these details and how they’re shown through action. 

Agent J’s job: He’s a cop. We know this because he’s chasing a criminal. He waves a badge and yells, “NYPD! Stop!” 

The setting: The line “NYPD!” tells us that J is a New York City cop. The chase sequence also culminates on the roof of the Guggenheim Museum. Another clue to the setting. 

J’s Personality: J is a dedicated cop. We know this because of his relentless pursuit of the suspect he’s chasing. J is also brave. He jumps off a bridge onto a moving bus. He also chases a man after witnessing him climb vertically, several stories, up a wall. This is an inhuman feat that would have most people noping out of there. J continues his pursuit, though. 

Guided Questions

• What is your story’s ordinary world setting? 
• How is this ordinary world different from the special world that your hero will enter later in the story? 
• What action in this story will reveal the setting? 
• Describe your hero and their personality. 
• What action in the story will reveal details about your hero? 

The Call of Adventure

The Call of Adventure is an event in the story that forces the hero to take action. The hero will move out of their comfort zone, aka the ordinary world. Does this sound familiar? It should, because, in practice, The Call of Adventure is an Inciting Event. 

Read more about Inciting Events here. 

The Call of Adventure can take many forms. It can mean a literal call like one character asking another to go with them on a journey or to help solve a problem. It can also be an event in the story that forces the character to act. 

The Call of Adventure can include things like the arrival of a new character, a violent act of nature, or a traumatizing event. The Call can also be a series of events like what we see in our example from Men In Black.  

The first Call of Adventure comes from the alien that Agent J chases to the roof of the Guggenheim. Before leaping from the roof, the alien says to J, “Your world’s going to end.” This pique’s the hero’s interest and hints at future conflict. 

The second Call of Adventure comes after Agent K shows up to question J about the alien. K wipes J’s memory after the interaction, but he gives J a card with an address and a time. At this point, J has no idea what’s happened. All he knows is that K has asked him to show up at a specific place the next morning. 

The final and most important Call comes after K has revealed the truth to J while the two sit on a park bench together. Agent K tells J that aliens exist. K reveals that there is a secret organization that controls alien activity on Earth. And the Call- Agent K wants J to come to work for this organization.  

• What event (or events) happen to incite your character to act? 
• How are these events disruptive to your character’s life? 
• What aspects of your story’s special world will be revealed and how? (think action) 
• What other characters will you introduce as part of this special world? 

Refusal of the Call

This is an important stage in the Monomyth. It communicates with the audience the risks that come with Call to Adventure. Every Hero’s Journey should include risks to the main characters and a conflict. This is the stage where your hero contemplates those risks.  They will be tempted to remain in the safety of the ordinary world. 

In Men in Black, the Refusal of the Call is subtle. It consists of a single scene. Agent K offers J membership to the Men In Black. With that comes a life of secret knowledge and adventure. But, J will sever all ties to his former life. No one anywhere will ever know that J existed. Agent K tells J that he has until sunrise to make his decision.

J does not immediately say, “I’m in,” or “When’s our first mission.” Instead, he sits on the park bench all night contemplating his decision. In this scene, the audience understands that this is not an easy choice for him. Again, this is an excellent use of action to demonstrate a plot point. 

It’s also important to note that J only asks K one question before he makes his decision, “is it worth it?” K responds that it is, but only, “if you’re strong enough.” This line of dialogue becomes one of two dramatic questions in the movie. Is J strong enough to be a man in black? 

• What will your character have to sacrifice to answer the call of adventure? 
• What fears does your character have about leaving the ordinary world? 
• What risks or dangers await them in the special world? 

Meeting the Mentor 

At this point in the story, the hero is seeking wisdom after initially refusing the call of adventure. The mentor fulfills this need for your hero. 

The mentor is usually a character who has been to the special world and knows how to navigate it. Mentor’s provides your hero with tools and resources to aid them in their journey. It’s important to note that the mentor doesn’t always have to be a character. The mentor could be a guide, map, or sacred texts. 

If you’ve seen Men In Black then you can guess who acts as J’s mentor. Agent K, who recruited J, steps into the mentor role once J accepts the call to adventure. 

Agent K gives J a tour of the MIB headquarters. He introduces him to key characters and explains to him how the special world of the MIB works. Agent K also gives J his signature weapon, the Noisy Cricket. 

• Who is your hero’s mentor? 
• How will your character find and encounter with their mentor? 
• What tools and resources will your mentor provide? 
• Why/how does your mentor know the special world? 

Crossing the Threshold 

This is the point where your hero finally crosses over from the ordinary world into the special one. At this point, there is no turning back for your hero. 

Your hero may not cross into the special world on their own. Or, they may need a dramatic event that forces them to act.

At this point, you’ll want to establish the dramatic question of your story. This is the question will your reader wants to answer by the end of your story. A dramatic question is what will keep your audience reading. 

Once J decides to commit to the MIB Agent K starts the process of deleting J’s identity. The filmmakers do a great job communicating the drastic nature of J’s decision. This is done through, again, action and an effective voice-over. J’s social security number is deleted, and his fingerprints are burned off. He dons a nondescript black suit, sunglasses, and a sick-ass Hamilton watch . 

This scene is immediately followed by a threatening message sent by aliens called the Arquillians. They tell the MIB they will destroy the Earth unless J and K can deliver a galaxy. The only problem is no one knows what the galaxy is. So, we get our story question. Can J and K find and deliver the MacGuffin before the Earth is destroyed? 

Read more about MacGuffins here.

• What event will push your hero into the special world? 
• Once they enter the special world, what keeps them from turning back?
• What is the dramatic question you will introduce?
• How will your hero’s life change once they’ve entered the special world?

Tests, Allies, Enemies

This is stage is exactly what it sounds like. Once they’ve entered the special world, your hero will be tested. They will learn the rules of this new world. Your hero’s mentor may have to further teach your hero. 

The hero will also begin collecting allies. Characters whose goals align with those of your hero’s. People who will help your hero achieve their goal. These characters may even join your hero on their quest. 

And this is also the point where your hero’s enemy will reveal themselves. Now, you’ve may have hinted at, or even introduced the villain in the earlier stages. But, this is where the audience discovers how much of a threat this villain is to your hero. 

Read more about creating villains here. 

J and K arrive at the city morgue to investigate the body of a slain member of Arquillian royalty. While there, J encounters the villain of the film. He is lured into a standoff with Edgar. Edgar isn’t Edgar. He’s a 10 foot tall, alien cockroach wearing an “Edgar suit.” 

J doesn’t know that yet, though. 

Edgar has also taken a hostage. He threatens the life of Dr. Laurel Weaver who has discovered the truth about aliens living on Earth. Dr. Weaver becomes an ally of J’s as he continues his search for the Arquillian’s galaxy. 

J is faced with a new test as well. Just before he dies, the Arquillian alien tells J that the galaxy is on Orion’s Belt. J must discover the meaning behind this cryptic message if he hopes to save Earth. 

• Who is the villain of your story, and what is their goal?
• Who are your hero’s allies?
• How will your hero meet them? And, How do everyone’s goals align? 
• How will your hero be tested? Through battle? A puzzle? An emotional trauma? 

Approach to the Inmost Cave

The inmost cave is the path towards the central conflict of your story. In this section, your hero is preparing for battle. They may be regrouping with allies, going over important information, or taking a needed rest. This is also a part of the story where you may want to inject some humor. 

The approach is also a moment for your audience to regroup. This is an important aspect of pacing. A fast-paced story can be very exciting for the audience, but at some point, the writer needs to tap the breaks. 

This approach section gives your audience time to process the plot and consider the stakes of your conflict. This is also a good time to introduce a ticking clock, and it’s perfect for character development. 

In Men, In Black the Approach the Inmost Cave involves an interview with a character called Frank the Pug. Frank is a Pug breed of dog. He’s an alien in disguise. 

Frank knows important details about the conflict between the Arquillians and Edgar. This is one of the funnier scenes in an overall funny film. 

Read more about alliteration here… jk. 

Frank also gives J a vital clue to determine the location of the Arquillian’s galaxy. They also discover that the galaxy is an energy source and not an actual galaxy. 

Finally, we have the arrival of the Arquillian battleship come to destroy Earth. They give the MIB a warning. If the galaxy is not returned in one hour the will fire on the planet. So, we have a literal ticking clock. 

• Where and how will your hero slow down and regroup? 
• What information or resources will they need to go into the final battle? 
• How can you introduce some humor or character development into this section? 
• What kind of “ticking clock” will you introduce to increase the stakes of your final act? 

The Ordeal 

The Ordeal is about one thing, and that’s death. Your hero must go through a life-altering challenge. This will be a conflict where the hero faces their greatest fears. 

It’s essential that your audience feels as if the hero is really in danger. Make the audience question whether the hero will make it out alive. But, your story’s stakes may not be life or death, such as in a comedy or romance. 

In that case the death your character experiences will be symbolic. And, your audience will believe that there’s a chance the hero won’t achieve their goal. 

Through the ordeal, your hero will experience death whether that be real or symbolic. With this death, the hero will be reborn with greater powers or insight. Overall, the ordeal should be the point in which your character hits rock bottom. 

The Ordeal in Men In Black comes the moment when J and K confront Edgar at the site of the World’s Fair. In the confrontation with Edgar, K is eaten alive by Edgar. At this moment J is left alone to confront death. The audience is left to wonder if J can defeat Edgar on his own. 

Guided Questions 

• What death will your hero confront? 
• What does “rock bottom” mean for your character? 
• How will your hero be changed on the other side of this death event? 

Reward or Seizing the Sword

At this point in the story, your hero will earn some tangible treasure for all their trouble. This can be a physical treasure. In the context of the monomyth, this is often referred to as the elixir or sword. 

However, the reward can be inwardly focused. Your hero might discover hidden knowledge or insight that helps them vanquish their foe. Or, your hero can find their confidence or some self-actualization. This reward, whatever it is, is the thing that they will take with them. It is what they earn from all their hard-fought struggles. 

Once K is eaten J seems to be on his own with a massive alien cockroach. This is a pretty bad spot for the rookie agent. What’s worse is the Arquillian clock is still ticking. Edgar, the cockroach, is about to escape Earth, with the galaxy, sealing the planet’s fate. 

All seems lost until J claims his reward. In this case, that reward comes in the form of an insight J has about Edgar. Being a giant cockroach, J realizes that Edgar may have a weakness for his Earth-bound counterparts. So, J kicks out a dumpster and starts to smash all the scurrying bugs under his foot. 

J guesses correctly, and Edgar is momentarily distracted by J’s actions. Edgar climbs down from his ship to confront J. Agent K, who is still alive in Edgar’s stomach, can activate a gun, and blow Edgar in two.  J’s reward is the knowledge that he is no longer a rookie, and he is strong enough for this job. J also captures a physical treasure. After Edgar has exploded, J finds the galaxy which Edgar had swallowed earlier in the film. In this scene, both dramatic questions are answered. The MIB can save the world. And, J is strong enough for the MIB.  

• What reward will your hero win?
• A physical treasure, hidden knowledge, inner wisdom, or all of the above? 

The Road Back 

At this point, your hero has had some success in their quest and is close to returning to the ordinary world. Your hero has experienced a change from their time in the special world. This change might make your hero’s return difficult. Similar to when your hero crossed the threshold, your hero may need an event that forces them to return. 

The road back must be a dramatic turning point that heightens stakes and changes the direction of your story. This event will also re-establish the dramatic question of your story. This act may present a final challenge for your hero before they can return home. 

In Men In Black, the road backstage gets a little tricky. The film establishes that when J crosses the threshold he is not able to go back to the ordinary world. His entire identity is erased. Having J go back to his life as a detective would also undo his character growth and leave the audience feeling cheated. Luckily, the filmmakers work around this by having K return to the ordinary world rather than J. 

After Edgar is defeated, K tells J that he is retiring from the MIB and that J will step in as K’s replacement. The movie establishes early that agents can retire, but only after having their memory wiped. So, K asks J to wipe his memory so that he can return to a normal life. Once again, J has to grapple with the question of whether he is strong enough for this job. Can he bring himself to wipe K’s memory and lose his mentor forever? Can he fill K’s shoes as an MIB agent? 

• How will your hero have to recommit to their journey? 
• What event will push your hero through their final test? 
• What final test will your hero face before they return to the ordinary world? 

Resurrection 

This is the final act of your story. The hero will have one last glorious encounter with the forces that are set against them. This is the culminating event for your hero. Everything that has happened to your hero has prepared them for this moment. 

This can also be thought of as a rebirth for your hero. A moment when they shed all the things that have held them back throughout the story. The resurrection is when your hero applies all the things they’ve learned through their journey. 

The final moment can be a physical battle, or again, it can be metaphorical. This is also a moment when allies return to lend a last-minute hand. But, as with any ending of a story, you need to make sure your hero is the one who saves the day. 

So, here’s where things start to get a little clumsy. There are a couple of moments that could be a resurrection for our hero J. It could be the moment he faces off with Edgar. This is right before Edgar is killed. But, it’s K that pulls the trigger and kills Edgar. Based on our explanation J needs to be the one who saves the day. Maybe by stalling for time J is the one responsible for saving the day? It’s hard to say what the filmmakers’ intention was here. 

The second moment that could represent a resurrection for J might be when he wipes K’s memory. It is the final dramatic hurdle that J faces before he can become a true Man in Black. But, this moment doesn’t resolve the conflict of the film. 

Notice that the Hero’s Journey framework isn’t always followed to the letter by all storytellers. We’ll get back to this point at the end of the article. 

• What final challenge will your hero face? 
• How will your hero use the skills they’ve used to overcome their last challenge?
• How will your hero’s allies help save the day?  

Return with the Elixir

The ending of your story. Your hero returns to the ordinary world, but this time they carry with them the rewards earned during their journey. They may share these rewards with others who inhabit the ordinary world. But most important, is that you show that your hero has changed for the better. 

The elixir represents whatever your hero gained on their journey. Remember, the elixir can be an actual physical reward like a treasure. But, the elixir can also be a metaphorical prize like knowledge or a feeling of fulfillment.  This is a moment where your hero will return some sort of balance to the ordinary world. 

Be sure to show that the journey has had a permanent effect on your hero. 

In the final scene of the movie, we see that J has taken on a mentor role for Dr. Weaver, an MIB recruit now. He has physically changed- his clothes are more representative of his personality. This physical transformation is meant to show that J has fully embraced his new life and journey. No longer a rookie, J has stepped into his mentor, K’s, role. 

• How will you show that your character has changed from their journey? 
• What reward will they bring back to the ordinary world? 
• In what way will they change the ordinary world when they return? 

Should I Use the Hero’s Journey for My Story? 

This is a question you should ask yourself before embarking on your journey. The Monomyth works well as a framework. This is pretty obvious when you realize how many films have used it as a plotting device. 

But there’s a downside to the popularity of the Monomyth. And that’s that audiences are very familiar with the beats of this kind of story. Sure, they may not be able to describe each of the twelve sections in detail. But, audiences know, intuitively, what is going to happen in these stories. At the very least, audiences, or readers, know how these stories are going to end. 

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. If your story is exciting, well-paced, and the stakes are high, people aren’t going to mind some predictability. But, if you want to shock your readers- 

(And if you’re interested in how to shock readers with a plot twist, click here. )

this might not be the best story structure. And, despite how popular it is, the hero’s journey ain’t the only game in town when it comes to story structure. And, you can always take artistic liberty with the Hero’s Journey. The fact that audiences are expecting certain beats means you have an opportunity to subvert expectations. 

You can skip parts of the hero’s journey if they don’t fit your plot. With my example, Men In Black it was difficult to fit the story neatly into the hero’s journey framework. This is because aspects of the movie, like the fact that it’s a buddy comedy, don’t always jive with a hero’s journey. Agent K has an important character arch, and so he ends up killing the villain rather than J. But, K’s arch isn’t at all a hero’s journey. 

The point is, don’t feel locked in by any single structure. Allow yourself some freedom to tell your story. If there’s no purpose to a resurrection stage in your story then skip it! No one is going to deduct your points. 

With that said, here are a few resources on the Hero’s Journey, and some alternate plot structures you’ll want to check out! 

This post contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links

Further Reading on Plot Structure and the Hero’s Journey

If you’d like to learn more about the Hero’s Journey, or Monomyth, why not go straight to the source? The Hero With 1000 Faces is a collection of work written by Joseph Campbell. His version of the hero’s journey has 17 stages. This is less of a writing manual and more of an exploration of the evolution of myth and storytelling through the ages. 

The Seven Basic Plots , by Christopher Booker, is another academic study of storytelling by Christopher Booker. Booker identifies seven basic plots that all stories fit into. They are: 

• Overcoming the Monster
• Rags to Riches
• Voyage and Return

The Snowflake Method is a teaching tool designed by Randy Ingermanson that will take you through a step-by-step process of writing a novel. The Snowflake Method boils down the novel-writing process six-step process. You will start with a single sentence and with each step you build on that sentence until you have a full-fledged novel! If you’re love processes then pick up a copy of this book today.  

In The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers, Hollywood consultant, Christopher Vogler teaches writers how to use the Hero’s Journey to write riveting stories.

Resources: 

Wikipedia- Joseph Campbell

Wikipedia- Hero With 1000 Faces

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The 17 Steps of The Hero’s Journey and Their Manifestations in Film

Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces is a fantastic work of anthropology. In it he outlines the idea of “The Hero’s Journey”, which has 17 “steps”. Campbell postulates that all cultures share these 17 fundamental steps in their mythologies and stories. Storytellers have used Campbell’s ideas to make some of the most iconic literature and film in recent history.

This is not to say that every story features every step. This is also certainly not the only framework with which to analyze stories. The idea of there being a universal way of deciphering stories, and consequently better understanding the human experience, is not new. Italian playwright Carlo Gozzi claimed that there were 36 “dramatic situations”, renowned journalist Christopher Booker published his magnum opus work called The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories , and even Aristotle was publishing works focusing on how drama should be told and why.

This topic is large and it can get pretty deep. People get doctorates in these sorts of subjects, and it can range from using a simple plot analysis device like this one…

…to discussions of the collective unconscious and Jungian archtypes based in Greek Mythology and our subconscious.

This article will illustrate and explain each step of the Hero’s Journey, as proposed by Campbell, by discussing its manifestations in films. Some of these examples are extremely well known, some are not, and some are curveballs that you may not have thought of before. This article will also compare and contrast movies of different eras and genres to better illustrate these steps, as well as to differentiate between various frameworks. Sometimes The Hero’s Journey doesn’t really apply to a story. That doesn’t make the movie bad, nor does it make it good. Art is a human thing, and often times it cannot be put perfectly into a box.

This list is certainly not meant to be exhaustive, nor is it meant to provide picture perfect examples of each step. There’s always room for interpretation. Being aware of these different steps and different frameworks, however, really makes your film viewing experience that much richer.

1. Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) and “The Call to Adventure”

It is important to note that Campbell asserts that the steps in the Hero’s Journey correspond to the “journey” we all take in becoming fully functioning members of society. They can be seen as representations of stages we go through while we “grow up”. The first step in the adventure of growing up is having the urge to actually go on this adventure. Why would we want to leave the comfort of our childhood homes? Well there are plenty of reasons.

Maybe there is some threat to our home, and we have to go out to stop it. Maybe there is something we must obtain or do in order to prove ourselves as full grown adults and as worthy recipients of something only adults have; a family of our own for example. Or maybe it is simply the curiosity and desire to grow as people. No matter what the motivation is, it calls us out of our normal lives into something new, mysterious, and wonderful.

The Call to Adventure stage is just that; the part of the story where an ordinary person, living in an ordinary place, is called away for whatever reason to go on a journey and return (or not return) later having accomplished what they set out to do (this is referred to as “the boon” by Campbell).

This stage is not just another word for the “inciting incident”, which is often used in other frameworks of analysis. Often times the inciting incident and the Call to Adventure coincide, but there is certainly a distinct difference that should be explained. An inciting incident is simply the ‘narrative hook’ that gets the story going. While a Call to Adventure is almost always the inciting incident, not all inciting incidents are calls to adventure.

There are hundreds of examples for this delineation. Take John Carpenter’s Halloween. The inciting incident in that story is when Michael Myers escapes from the insane asylum. It is at this point that the audience goes, “Oh snap! He’s gonna go APE on some unsuspecting and lustful teens who are neglecting their duties as babysitters!” Everything else before that was just exposition. This incident, incites the interest of the audience. No one cared that Michael Myers was some troubled kid. No one cared why he murdered his sister, or what his therapy sessions were like (Sorry Rob Zombie).

That scene is not a call to adventure. Michael Myers isn’t called to do anything here. If he was called to do anything it was years ago during his time in the asylum. Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) isn’t called to do anything here either. You could argue she has her own call when Michael shows up to town and starts killing people, but the inciting incident of Halloween has nothing to do with Laurie arming herself with a phallic weapon to overcome a walking nightmare plaguing her town.

Not seen: An average person living an average life

Furthermore, in Star Wars: A New Hope, the inciting incident is the first scene of the movie. We get the fantastic visual storytelling of that space battle. We learn that there is a lopsided war going on between good and evil, and the side of good is in need of “A New Hope” (Ohh…I get the title now…). That first sequence is what gets the story going and the audience hooked. The Call to Adventure happens about a half hour later when Obi Wan asks Luke to come learn about the ways of the force.

We are going to talk about Star Wars later in another step, so let us return now to The Hobbit and discuss how this perfectly illustrates the call to adventure.

The Scene: An Unexpected Party

Bilbo Baggins wants nothing more than to be totally ordinary. His main points of pride are his garden, strict adherence to Hobbit culture, and making up new reasons to have 6 meals per day without being a professional body-builder. Basically, he doesn’t want to grow up and experience the world.

Until one day, a very strange wanderer claiming to be a wizard bids him join a company of dwarves and travel to a far off mountain to help reclaim their kingdom from a man-eating fire-breathing world-destroying megalomaniacal dragon.

Initially, Bilbo, as any sane person would, refuses this call to adventure (see next step), but is later called again when there is an ‘unexpected party’ at his house and he decides to not be a giant wuss, but rather someone who can easily be manipulated and guilted into things…er…I mean be an adventurer.

The dwarves bust in and give Bilbo a much needed dose of culture shock. Bilbo really understands that this proposition is real, and he has feelings of inadequacy. He sees a chance to make a difference not only for these dwarves, but maybe for himself too. He understands what he is setting out to do. His goals are clear, and he is soon off on a life changing and fulfilling journey.

Without this push, he would have just stayed at home and not changed.

Excuse me sir, is this the “Epic Biker Beard Party”?

2. George Lucas’s Star Wars: A New Hope (1977) and “The Refusal of the Call”

In this step of the journey, the hero decides, for whatever convenient reason, not to go on this journey. This is metaphoric for refusing to grow-up or embrace change and the result of which is stagnation in development.

Nobody likes a man-child. Everyone tends to look down on grown adults who refuse to act their age and reject responsibility. We have all had moments though, where we didn’t really want to leave and grow up. Part of us did sure, but some part of us didn’t want to leave our friends and loved ones for the unknown. If we always chose what was easy and safe, we never would have left living in caves. We would have been bogged down in stagnation, complacency, and ignorance. Accepting the call to adventure is accepting the desire for more knowledge and the ability to benefit others around you. Rejecting it is accepting death in our development.

Now, not every refusal of the call is an impetus for a manifestation of death, however, death shows the hero that there can be no life for them where they are now, and they are thus compelled to start their quest.

The Scene: The Destruction of Luke’s Homestead

After Luke is rescued from ISIL Sand People by Obi-Wan, and having refused to join Obi Wan in going to Alderaan to train in the force because he has to “help with the harvest” (ironically the same thing every girl ever said to Luke when explaining why she could not go on a date), Luke comes back home and realizes that everyone he knows and loves is dead. He now accepts the call to adventure, and starts his journey. Initially he wanted to join to learn more about his father (and therefore himself through family history), and learn about this mysterious thing called ‘the force’. He also talks about joining the rebellion and seeking adventure outside the boring life of the farm. Now, he has nothing holding him back. In fact, he might even have more motivation through feelings of revenge.

If this did not happen, Luke would just be a basement dweller at his Aunt’s house…like all of us

Another great example of this is in Sam Rami’s Spiderman (2002) when Peter Parker refuses to fight crime and lets the criminal escape after robbing the sleazy fight promoter. Peter is then hit with the death of his uncle, who was like a father to him. It is very clear that this moment of death, spurs Peter onto the path of fighting for justice and using his powers for good. He learns very quickly that selfish indulgence of his powers leads to death.

You know what is odd…why did they give him a pillow to rest his head on…but nothing to try and stop the bleeding?

3. John Milius’s Conan the Barbarian (1982) and “Supernatural Aid”

This is where our hero is equipped with tools necessary to defeat the evil that they will encounter later on. How could Perseus have defeated the Gorgon monster Medusa without the weapons given to him by the Gods? Or how could James Bond save the world without the amazing gadgets given to him by Q-Branch? Grounded in reality, how can we succeed in the world without gaining knowledge and harnessing skills passed down to us through our society?

The Scene: The Tomb of the Atlantean Sword

Conan has recently been released by his owners and literally sent out into the wild to fend for himself. At first this seems great! Finally, our hero can begin his quest for revenge. Except for one problem; he has no equipment or supplies.

Even though he is fueled with battle hardened combat skills from the gladiator pit to exact revenge on Thulsa Doom for the murder of his family, his first act of freedom includes running for his life from a pack of wild dogs hell bent on making him their next meal.

Our great and powerful hero, seemingly powerless against some mangy mutts, is at a low point. So low in fact, that in an attempt to escape, he accidentally discovers a cave and falls beneath the earth. There he discovers the tomb of an ancient king, perhaps once not unlike himself, and receives the Atlantean sword! He uses this sword to empower himself (as phallic objects normally do in stories), and embark on his quest to solve the riddle of steel and exact revenge. (Note the obvious symbolism in descending beneath the earth and arising again more powerful, this comes up a lot and not just at your local Sunday School.)

4. Chris Columbus’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001) and “Crossing the First Threshold”

Here our hero journeys outside of his ‘normal’ world and enters the exotic world of his journey. This step often involves magic to cross the threshold between worlds. However, it can be a boat ride from England to Normandy and you can be met by a hail of bullets like in Saving Private Ryan.

Here we, as well as the hero, are introduced to all the players in the new world. We learn the rules of the world, its layout, what is at stake, and so much more information. This is particularly potent in Sci-Fi and Fantasy films, where the hero is often a “Fish out of water”, and things can be explained to him and see for the first time. We, likewise, learn and experience all of it with the hero for the first time.

The Scene: Diagon Alley

Harry and Hagrid have just used magic to cross from the normal world into the bustling world of wizardry. Harry’s jaw is practically on the floor as he looks at all the new sights, sounds, people, animals, and strange shops around him. It truly speaks to the skillful writing of J.K. Rowling. Harry has no idea how any of this works, or where he should go, or who he should associate with, or anything else at all. He and Hagrid, while moving forward through the streets (and thus the plotline where Harry acquires and learns important things), drop a lot of expository dialogue in this scene and it introduces a vast new world for the hero and the audience.

5. Jonathon Demme’s The Silence of the Lambs (1991) and “The Belly of the Whale”

The hero is deep in this new world at this stage. They experience the dangers and mysteries first hand, and learn how to endure them in order to later harness and focus their strengths to accomplish their ultimate goal. Courage and steadfastness are paramount for the hero at this stage. The first threshold is majestic and wonderful, but this stage is often fraught with dread and terror.

The Scene: Clarice in the ‘Belly’ of the Insane Asylum

The whole plot of this movie hinges on Clarice Starling getting advice (supernatural aid) from Hannibal Lecture (mentor) in order to stop Buffalo Bill before he kills again (her boon). To get to this source of great power, she must travel through a rouges’ gallery of the criminally insane. She, and the audience, witness just how different and dark this world is that she must enter, literally and metaphorically. She is now far from the safe FBI training grounds, and stares down the edge of an abyss full of real monsters.

4 Replies to “The 17 Steps of The Hero’s Journey and Their Manifestations in Film”

Great article. Could have wished you had found better examples for a couple, namely Zardoz and Avatar, as both these movies are pretty bad.

Brilliant piece. Love to see Campbell in movie parameters. Thank you.

[…] Versão animada e resumida da jornada do herói. A estrutura narrativa que serve de base para boa parte das histórias fantásticas. O conceito foi criado por Joseph Campbell e é frequentemente encontrado em blockbusters. […]

Zardoz is BAD? Veronica Clarke, it’s clear to me that you are retarded, ignorant piece of shit and you have no taste in movies. Harry Potter is bad, Star Wars are terrible, Hobbit is a pile of cgi crap, Count Monte Christo is abomination, V for Vendetta is watered down shit, Avatar Hook and Narnia are childish and pointless, Last Crusade is a bit silly and instead to pick on any of those steaming lumps of turd, you decided to pick on Zardoz? How dare you, you clueless, useless, brainless piece of shit!!!!!!

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Unraveling The Concept of The Hero’s Journey in Filmmaking

This podcast featuring christopher vogler opens up a lot of storytelling ideas..

Many great stories, whether told through the written word or on the silver screen, share a common thread—a hero's journey. The Hero's Journey is a narrative structure that has been a fundamental part of storytelling for centuries, and it continues to be a powerful tool in filmmaking.

One of my favorite screenwriting books is ' The Writer’s Journey ', which details Joseph Campbell's journey through storytelling and takes the writer's POV.

This was the first book I read on screenwriting and one of the best.

Christopher Vogler wrote the book, and he was recently on the Film Crux podcast talking about these concepts. So check out the podcast and we'll talk after.

What is the Hero's Journey?

'Star Wars'

I figured that after the podcast you may need a refresher on Joseph Campbell and his concept of The Hero's Journey. This not a new concept; it dates back to ancient mythology and has been used by countless cultures throughout history.

Campbell was a scholar of comparative mythology and wrote a book called "The Hero with a Thousand Faces." He identified a common pattern in myths and stories from around the world, a pattern he called the monomyth or the Hero's Journey .

The Hero's Journey is a template that outlines the stages a hero typically goes through in a story. While there may be variations and adaptations, the core structure remains consistent.

It begins with the hero's ordinary world, followed by a call to adventure, a journey into the unknown, encounters with allies and enemies, a transformation or revelation, and finally, a return to the ordinary world with newfound wisdom or gifts.

A Diagram of The Hero's Journey

The Hero's Journey Diagram

Wikipedia Commons

The Hero's Journey is often depicted as a circular diagram, with each stage connected to the next in a cycle. there are many different names for the story beats in the circle.

The image above is from Wikipedia.

Here's a linear representation of Campbell's idea with beats I use when writing.

• Ordinary World : The hero's normal life before the adventure begins.
• Call to Adventure : The hero receives a call to leave their ordinary world and embark on a journey.
• Refusal of the Call : The hero hesitates or resists the call initially.
• Meeting the Mentor: The hero encounters a mentor or guide who provides advice or assistance.
• Crossing the Threshold : The hero commits to leaving the ordinary world and entering the unknown.
• Tests, Allies, and Enemies : The hero faces challenges, makes allies, and encounters adversaries.
• Approaching the Cave : The hero gets closer to the central challenge or conflict.
• Ordeal : The hero faces a major test, often their most significant challenge.
• Reward : The hero overcomes the ordeal and gains a reward or insight.
• The Road Back: The hero begins the journey back to the ordinary world.
• Resurrection : The hero faces one final, climactic challenge.
• Return with the Elixir: The hero returns to the ordinary world, transformed, and brings something valuable back.

Examples of The Hero's Journey in Film

'The Matrix'

Warner Bros.

Many iconic films have embraced the Hero's Journey structure to great effect. Here are a few examples:

• Star Wars : George Lucas drew heavily from Joseph Campbell's work when creating the Star Wars saga. Luke Skywalker's journey from a farm boy on Tatooine to a Jedi Knight follows the Hero's Journey pattern closely.
• The Lord of the Rings : J.R.R. Tolkien's epic fantasy trilogy, adapted into films by Peter Jackson, showcases the Hero's Journey through Frodo's quest to destroy the One Ring.
• The Matrix: The Wachowskis used the Hero's Journey to guide Neo's transformation from a computer hacker to "The One" who can save humanity.
• The Wizard of Oz: Dorothy's adventure in the Land of Oz is a classic Hero's Journey, complete with a call to adventure, allies, adversaries, and a return home with newfound wisdom.

How Filmmakers Utilize the Hero's Journey

• Creating Relatable Characters: One of the most significant advantages of the Hero's Journey in filmmaking is its ability to create relatable characters. Audiences connect with heroes who face challenges, make sacrifices, and experience personal growth. By following this narrative structure, filmmakers can craft characters that resonate with viewers on a deep emotional level.
• Building Tension and Conflict: The Hero's Journey provides a built-in framework for tension and conflict. As the hero progresses through the various stages, they encounter obstacles, adversaries, and setbacks, keeping the audience engaged and invested in the story's outcome.
• Engaging Audiences on an Emotional Level: The Hero's Journey is not just about physical challenges; it's also about the hero's internal journey. Filmmakers can use this structure to explore the hero's emotions, fears, and desires, allowing the audience to connect with the character on an emotional level.
• Crafting Memorable Endings: The return of the hero to the ordinary world at the end of their journey often leaves a lasting impact on the audience. Filmmakers can use this moment to deliver powerful messages, resolutions, or open-ended conclusions that leave viewers thinking long after the credits roll.

More Reading on The Hero's Journey

The Lion King (2019)

This is No Film School, of course we've written about this concept many times before. so here are some articles for you to peruse as well...

• What Are the Fundamentals of the Hero's Journey?
• What Is the 'Call to Adventure' in Storytelling?
• Joseph Campbell's Monomyth: A Brief History and Introduction
• Puppets Reenact Your Favorite Movie Moments to Explain Joseph Campbell’s ‘Hero’s Journey’
• The Other Hero's Journey: The Emotional Struggle of Screenwriting
• Over 48 Hours of Joseph Campbell Lectures Released for Free on Spotify
• This Supercut Takes You Through the Hero's Journey of over 50 Iconic Films

The Hero's Journey is a storytelling archetype deeply embedded in our collective consciousness. It provides filmmakers with a powerful tool to engage and captivate audiences.

By understanding and utilizing this narrative structure, filmmakers can create compelling stories with relatable characters, tension, and emotional depth.

Whether you're crafting a space opera or an intimate drama, the Hero's Journey remains a timeless blueprint for successful storytelling in filmmaking.

Let me know what you think in the comments.

• The Other Hero's Journey: The Emotional Struggle of Screenwriting ›
• This Supercut Takes You Through the Hero's Journey of over 50 Iconic Films ›
• What Are the Fundamentals of the Hero's Journey? ›
• Writing 101: What Is the Hero's Journey? 2 Hero's Journey ... ›
• The Hero's Journey: Joseph Campbell on His Life and Work (The ... ›
• Hero's journey - Wikipedia ›

The Best Erotic Thriller Movies

What can the best erotic thrillers teach you about genre and sensuality .

Are you a fan of lighting a candle, pouring a glass of wine, dimming the lights, and turning on an adult erotic thriller movie? There's something about taking time out of your day to watch a sensual movie that feels like you're being bad... in a good way.

While these movies don't get as much focus now, they used to be event movies. Parents would get babysitters and head out to the theater, ready for a night away from their kids and a night to rekindle their connection... also, maybe murder? (Yup, a lot of these movies have murders in them, as well.)

While erotic thrillers are still made, they are not as popular of a genre right now. But that means they're primed for a comeback. Hollywood moves in cycles, and your next script or film could be the one that sets off the domino effect.

If you want to work on a sexy thriller, you need to understand the tropes, know the best movies that came before you, and tap into all that erotic suspense for your characters and storytelling.

Let's dig into the genre together and figure out what makes erotic thrillers so... steamy.

What the Best Erotic Thriller Movies Teach Us About the Genre

In his book Hollywood’s Dark Cinema: The American Film Noir , Robert Barton Palmer wrote “perhaps the most popular genre in the 1990s, the so-called erotic thriller [...] is a direct descendant of the classic film noir.” If noir was where the erotic thriller is born, we have now had decades where it could become fully formed in our world.

Steamy thrillers come from the thriller genre, and usually have elements of suspense and even mystery. The best erotic thrillers can capture everything we love about the thriller genre while also turning us on.

They have to be sexy!

Erotic Thriller Definition

The erotic thriller is the intersection between romance, softcore sex film, and thriller. The erotic thriller movie is a subgenre of thrillers. It's defined by its fantasy element and illicit romantic escapades.

These types of films usually contain scenes of softcore sexuality, some nudity, and erotic acts.

While the level of explicitness varies, these films are built around sex, and usually have sex central to the plot.

Erotic Thriller Tropes

When you turn on one of the top erotic thrillers, you expect to see some sexuality and nudity. They don't have to be in there. But it definitely is a trope . Usually, you find sexual tension between the two leads. This tension can lead to manipulation, foul play, and the occasional sex scene. Affairs, conspiring to kill a spouse, obsessive characters, and even the use of sexy Venetian blinds all play a big part in this subgenre.

Risque content is what drove this genre to be incredibly popular in the 80s and 90s. In fact, it's estimated that almost 300 erotic thriller films were made in the 1990s alone.

But it's not just sex that sells. There's also the thriller aspect you have to honor. Are there scenes of danger, murder, or suspense? Then how do you weave sexiness into the storyline? There should be an element of romance as well.

Nina K. Martin says in Sexy Thrills: Undressing the Erotic Thriller , "The predominating syntax that shapes these films combines romanticized, 'erotic' appeal with a dangerous 'thriller' narrative—a 'pleasure/danger' principle."

What Are the Best Erotic Thrillers?

It's so hard to come up with a list when there are so many titles that fit this bill. I tossed and turned over whether or not to include a movie like Gone Girl or 9 1/2 Weeks . I also kept thinking about how many of these movies Mickey Rourke has been in, like Angel Heart and even The Wrestler.

There are older movies that fit the bill, and even newer ones that feel like they are just pushing the boundaries. So many famous directors have tried their hands at them. How can you ignore great artists like Adrian Lyne, who almost exclusively worked on that genre for a long period? And Brian De Palma, who constantly pushed us out of our comfort zones. Dressed to Kill and Body Double could easily be on this list. They're so amazing and worth it for anyone to seek out.

There are also many subcategories that cover lots of different life experiences, like black erotic thrillers , queer erotic thrillers , and period erotic noir .

The best seduction movies and sexy thrillers have to really capture the audience. It's not just about their releases—they need to cross into the cultural lexicon. Think about movie titles that people still talk about today. The scenes they inspire, the pervasive way they seep into popular culture.

When I think about the best erotic thrillers, I try to come up with a list of movies like Basic Instinct .

The Best Erotic Thrillers

After some research, I had a few days of watching some steamy content, and I decided to venture out into making my list of top 11 erotic thrillers.

I know there are probably some I'm missing! Either way, this is my list of the top ones I've seen. You're allowed to disagree and to come up with other titles. I want to hear them! But for my money, these are the best adult thriller movies for me.

11. Devil In A Blue Dress

A film that introduced us to Easy Rawlins, a WWII veteran who takes a case he doesn't want because of money he doesn't have. This film exposes the underbelly of Los Angeles in a way only a mix of noir can provide. Denzel Washington and Don Cheadle steal scenes from one another as the mystery here unravels.

This one's biggest sex scene was actually left on the cutting room floor. Instead, it focused on the idea of eroticism and how it can motivate our worst impulses.

10. Lust, Caution

I saw this movie at the State Theatre in State College, Pennsylvania. It was a packed house. I mean, you don't often get an NC-17 film playing on a college campus—but this was an Ang Lee film—it was high art! This movie uses its lust in so many clever ways. It shows seduction, romance, attachment, and eventually betrayal so well.

You can track the thrilling beats as a spy seduces her target for assassination. The movie also keeps you on the edge of your seat, constantly upping the stakes and the danger.

9. The Talented Mr. Ripley

This incredible movie shows how one man can become obsessed with another, and fool everyone into thinking he's someone else. While not having the explicit sex of others on the list, this movie has so much sensuality and lust. Matt Damon's Tom Ripley is fit, witty, and desperately clinging to a fantasy. Jude Law's Dickie is so easy to despise. And Gwyneth Paltrow's Marge is pulled between the nightmare she thinks is happening and the even worse nightmare happening behind her back.

It's a thrilling movie that teases so much more under the surface.

8. Single White Female

A title that's part of the cultural lexicon, this movie is about obsession and betrayal. It also changed the way we viewed picking roommates.

Directed by Barbet Schroeder, this was a rare erotic thriller that feels like it was made without the male gaze. It pulls in elements of horror, slasher, and more psychological thrillers to build out a fun and satisfying story that keeps unfolding until the last frame.

7. Fatal Attraction

This was the movie that started the run on erotic thrillers in the late 80s and early 90s. Again, obsession takes center stage here as a man has an extramarital affair he can't escape. It was supposed to be a one-night stand for Michael Douglas' character, but Glenn Close's character keeps coming back for more. And eventually, violence comes into play.

6. Wild Things

I'm not sure there's a movie that's more famous for just one scene like Wild Things . Even the cover of the VHS at Blockbuster is burned into my brain. Denise Richards and Neve Campbell straddling Matt Dillion in a pool. But outside of that famous three-way is a taut and exciting thriller that keeps delivering twist after twist until the very last frame of the film, and even into the credits. It's a neverending list of plants, payoffs, and double-crosses that will always leave you wanting more.

This is the Wachowski siblings' first film. This sexy crime thriller features Gina Gershon as an ex-con who seduces the wife of her crime boss neighbor. Her witty repartee with Jennifer Tilly kicks this film up a notch, as they banter back and forth, exposing deep feminist themes. The movie helped launch the career of the Wachowskis, who then went on to Matrix fame.

4. Eyes Wide Shut

From the first frame to the last frame, this Stanley Kubrick masterpiece tells the story of a husband and wife in a fight. The husband exits out into the night, sneaking his way into a sex cult, causing a young woman to be murdered, and somehow living to tell the tale.

There are incredible scenes of extended conversations, tensions as Tom Cruise's character slips deeper into the underbelly of society, and the ultimate payoff. Maybe the grass is not greener out there. Meanwhile, Nicole Kidman's character deals with how her husband perceives her and how she sees their marriage growing.

I wish Alfred Hitchcock were around to make more of these kinds of movies. But I wanted to add one to the list that I felt helped build the mold of these kinds of films for the modern era. Vertigo is the ultimate obsession film, with Jimmy Stewart subverting audience expectations and playing a man desperate for love and attention. The movie has been homaged so many times many people forget what it was about.

A man becomes obsessed with someone else's wife, who then dies, and then he sees a woman who looks exactly like her. Everything after this movie helped build erotic thrillers as we know them today.

2. Body Heat

Absolutely one of my favorite overall moves on the list. This one understood the assignment.

It is about a heatwave, takes place mostly at night, shows us real-world scoundrels like sleazy lawyers and shady auto mechanics, and has a murder that may not be happening the way we think. Kathleen Turner's performance in this movie is nothing short of amazing. She plays the seductress who may have more than meets the eye and absolutely haunts every hallway and furtive glance delivered in this masterpiece.

1. Basic Instinct

It's hard to peg the most famous erotic thriller, but I bet it's this one. From the leg crossing, to the ice pick, to the sex scenes, to the big reveals, to the murders, blood, and violence, this amazing erotic thriller delivers on everything we have come to expect from the genre and more. It's sexy and scary and full of dangerous escapades.

Catherine Tramell is one of the best movie villains of all time, one who you think has to be guilty—but you also have no idea how that can be true.

Of course, this movie comes with its own baggage. In Sharon Stone's recent memoir , she talks about how she was duped into shooting the leg uncrossing scene. "After we shot Basic Instinct, I got called in to see it. Not on my own with the director, as one would anticipate, given the situation that has given us all pause, so to speak, but with a room full of agents and lawyers, most of whom had nothing to do with the project. That was how I saw my vagina-shot for the first time, long after I’d been told, “We can’t see anything—I just need you to remove your panties, as the white is reflecting the light, so we know you have panties on.” Yes, there have been many points of view on this topic, but since I’m the one with the vagina in question, let me say: The other points of view are bullshit."

The director, Paul Verhoeven responded in Variety , saying “My memory is radically different from Sharon’s memory. That does not stand in the way and has nothing to do with the wonderful way that she portrayed Catherine Tramell. She is absolutely phenomenal. We still have a pleasant relationship and exchange text messages. But her version is impossible. She knew exactly what we were doing. I told her it was based on a story of a woman that I knew when I was a student who did the crossing of her legs without panties regularly at parties. When my friend told her we could see her vagina, she said, ‘Of course, that’s why I do it.’ Then Sharon and I decided to do a similar sequence.”

This is obviously a complicated issue but the film remains and achievement for all those involved.

1. Double Indemnity

Yeah, I have two number-one flicks. I had to go with the original erotic thriller, the Billy Wilder classic. This movie has it all. A Raymond Chandler and Wilder screenplay, Barabara Stanwyck as the femme fatale, and a murder with so many suspects you can't blink.

Absolutely one of the best films of all time, and certainly one of the most erotic, even while combatting the Hays Code.

Erotic Thrillers on Netflix

While erotic thrillers have not survived the studio's lust for tentpole films, we have seen them picked up on streamers like Netflix, who understand adults need entertainment and want to watch things after the kids go to bed.

Netflix has made movies like 365 Days, You Get Me, Dark Forces, and Offering to the Storm . Netflix has made a name creating sexy and erotic thrillers they know people will enjoy thanks to their algorithm.

The Future of Erotic Thrillers in Hollywood

While streamers seem to be the best place to have these kinds of films seen, I think Hollywood would bring them back in a big way. Right now, the only real erotic thrillers that are greenlit are based on big intellectual properties, like 50 Shades of Grey . That trilogy was a massive box-office success and brought butts into the seats and out of the house.

Hollywood studios are always going to be looking for movies that bring people out to see them. A few years ago, they bet big on A Simple Favor , a Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick erotic thriller that absolutely paid off.

If you can get marquee talent interested, you can still find your movie playing at the local box office. The idea is to write scripts or create projects that are so sensual, sexy, and thrilling that people cannot wait at home to find out what happens.

Summing Up Erotic Thriller Movies

Sexy thrillers and the best seduction movies will always have a place in Hollywood. They were big when movies were still finding their place in this world and will continue to be popular across different mediums. We've seen a lot of these titles move to TV, but there is still the occasional erotic film that breaks through and becomes part of the cultural lexicon.

The top sex thrillers will always have a place at the box office and an audience to see them. So if you have ideas to create the next best steamy thriller, get writing that screenplay today.

Erotic thrillers might be the right genre for you.

Let us know your favorites or some lesser-known gems in the comments.

I can't wait to watch them.

What Are The Best Fantasy Movies of All Time?

What are the best science fiction movies of all time, dji launches its most affordable drone ever with dji mini 4k, stop bailing on your concept halfway though your screenplay, what are the best adventure movies of all time, get educated with canon's new 'explorers of light' filmmakers, an interview with ai artist paul trillo about his new sora-powered music video, what is a crane shot, how to use your voice to make socially-driven films, how the coin toss scene in 'no country for old men' grounds the theme.

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Great adventures: five examples of a hero’s journey.

• March 2, 2020
• TEDxMileHigh Admin
• Art & Design

It’s the common thread woven throughout all storytelling. A lens that can be applied to any film or work of literature where each story will look the same. This arc of character and plot development is called the hero’s journey, and it’s everywhere.

In part one of this series , we learned what the hero’s journey is and the steps a character must take in order to fulfill their quest. We also learned that this story arc is relatable to us because our lives follow a similar pattern. If you still aren’t convinced that the hero’s journey permeates the fictional world, here are five great examples of a hero’s journey from different classics.

Spoiler Alert: If you are unfamiliar with any of these books or movies, skip them! We discuss the entirety of the story, including the end. 

Examples of a Hero’s Journey in Five Stories

This 2009 sci-fi blockbuster became the top-grossing film of all time just 47 days after it premiered. Its success is largely due to the incredible Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI) characters and visual effects that are vibrantly convincing. Underlying messages and morals such as the importance of a peoples’ culture and land conservation accompany the film. While all of these elements play a role in the resounding praise of this film, there’s another reason people loved the film: the main character followed a typical hero’s journey.

Jake Sully starts out as a paraplegic former Marine. He is chosen to be a bodyguard for a research team on a search for a new energy source on the planet Pandora. While on their mission, Sully meets Neytiri, a native of Pandora, and is quickly accepted by her and her people. Sully is then faced with the moral choice to continue his work with the team he came with, and thus destroy the sacred native land, or join the native tribes and fight back against his own people. In the end, he helps save the land and its people and makes a permanent transition from his human body to the able-bodied avatar. 

Sully’s time on Pandora is the perfect example of a hero’s journey: 

• Separation: He is called to his adventure as a bodyguard, separating himself from his otherwise ordinary life
• Initiation: The initiation stage involves his meeting Neytiri and his introduction to her native tribe, and his moral dilemma of helping the natives of Pandora or staying with his team
• Return: His return is marked by the triumph of the natives. He returns to the tribe, physically changed from a human to one of their own, and mentally a new being with a new purpose

2. Marvel’s Spiderman

Another dominating movie franchise is Marvel’s The Avengers and the superhero spin-offs that it consists of. The movies have been a force to be reckoned with in the box office. However, each character had their start as a part of a comic book. Perhaps one of the most classic of this comic-book-hero-turned-movie-star is Spiderman.

The most recent adaptation of this beloved character is in the Marvel Avenger movies and the spin-off hits. In case there is any question that he is a hero, here is his journey in three steps:

• Separation: After the iconic spider bite, Peter Parker discovers his spider-like powers, prompting his new superhero life. He needs to adapt to life as a teenager with superpowers and fight crime at the same time
• Initiation: Tony Stark (a.k.a. Iron Man) and the other Avenger superheroes recruit him to help them in their battle against their extraterrestrial enemies
• Return: In the end, Spiderman returns as Peter Parker to his normal high school life, but is changed by the knowledge of his bigger responsibility as a superhero

Marvel’s Avenger version of Spiderman follows the classic hero’s journey, but we can see a major emphasis on the introduction of a mentor throughout Parker’s adventure. Iron Man serves as a father-like figure and helps Parker not only navigate his newfound superpowers but also how to harness them and use them for good. 

  3. The Wizard of Oz

A beloved novel-turned-film story that includes wicked witches, ruby slippers, and flying monkeys. This film is known for its brilliant use of color to separate real life from the fantasy world of Oz, as well as its iconic song “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” Dorothy’s journey, however, is different from other examples of a hero’s journey because she is a woman. (In part one we learned about the difference between a hero and heroine’s journey, and Dorothy’s yellow-brick-road path embodies a classic example.)

• Separation: After the twister drops her house in the magical land of Oz, and coincidentally on top of the Wicked Witch of the East, all Dorothy wants is to return home to Kansas
• Initiation: On her adventure, she meets three iconic friends, the scarecrow, the tin man, and the lion. They ultimately help her defeat her enemy, the Wicked Witch of the West and find the Emerald City 
• Return: Dorothy returns home to her family in Kansas only to realize she’s been on an incredible independent adventure

Like Spiderman, Dorothy also has a mentor: Glenda. She advises Dorothy to seek the Wizard of Oz at the end of the yellow brick road. 

The key to a heroine’s journey is overcoming society’s expectations of women . Dorothy does this several times throughout the film, like when she longs for adventure when the expectation is that she lives on her family’s farm. Or the expectation that her new, male friends will help her when she ultimately helps them. Finally, when Dorothy returns home on her own, proving she doesn’t need to rely on her uncles or anyone else to get what she wants.

The other stages of Dorothy’s quest make it one of the many examples of a hero’s journey, but it is this power that she finds as a woman that distinguishes her as a heroine.

4. To Kill A Mockingbird

This Pulitzer-Prize winning novel is at once a coming-of-age story and an attack of racism in the depression-ridden South. The main character and heroine, Scout Finch, grows up conflicted between how she feels and how other people think she should feel.

• Separation: When Atticus, Scout’s father, and a prominent lawyer, agrees to defend a black man in court, the implications are felt by the entire family. The two kids are alienated at school for their father’s decision
• Initiation: Their initiation stage takes up the bulk of the story. Atticus remains a prominent mentor to Scout and her conflicted societal views. The elusive Boo Radley remains a friend and helper although never showing his face. The conflict of this novel is woven throughout the story. Scout struggles to understand the racial views of those around her. There is also major discontent from the Maycomb townspeople surrounding Atticus’s decision to defend a black man
• Return: In the end, Scout finally puts a face to the name when Boo Radley saves her and her brother from a man who disapproved of their father’s case in court. She also realizes that regardless of what other people think, it’s better to do the right thing than cave into societal pressures

Scout can be seen as a heroine on her journey because she defies the expectations of her as a young girl. She also disregards what society thinks of her interactions with black people. She sees no problem with her father defending a black man in court. Although she can feel the discontent from those around her, Scout understands that a person deserves equal treatment despite their race, and she spends most of the novel making that point.

Disney characters and movies follow the hero’s journey.

• Separation: Aladdin lives as a poor “street-rat” until he fatefully meets the Genie in the Cave of Wonders. With the Genie’s help, Aladdin is transformed from poor bread-stealer to Prince Ali in order to win the heart of Princess Jasmine
• Initiation: Aladdin is confronted with not only Jafar, the hand to the Sultan but also the moral struggle of living a lie in order to impress the person he loves
• Return: In the end, Aladdin realizes no magical genie power can truly give him what he wants. After defeating Jafar, he admits to lying about who he is and why he felt he needed to be someone he wasn’t

The emphasis of the return in Aladdin’s hero journey is what is important. He met the Genie and was pushed into this magical adventure as Prince Ali. With the Genie at his side as his mentor, he is able to defeat Jafar, but he realizes the Genie can’t help him with everything. The lesson Aladdin learns about being himself in order to get what he wants is important. It proves that he has had what he needed all along—that is all he will ever need.

The Moral of the Story

From comic books to blockbusters, Pulitzer-Prize novels to classic films, these works have seen varying levels of success. Some were the biggest movies of all time and some were classic novels that are still read generations later. Despite the details in each piece, all of these stories follow the same narrative archetype—the arc of the hero’s journey.

These examples of a hero’s journey are five of many, but they are also proof that this story arc can be applied to any piece of film or literature. I encourage you to apply this arc to any and all of your favorite stories—including your own life.

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Hero's Journey 101: How to Use the Hero's Journey to Plot Your Story

Dan Schriever

How many times have you heard this story? A protagonist is suddenly whisked away from their ordinary life and embarks on a grand adventure. Along the way they make new friends, confront perils, and face tests of character. In the end, evil is defeated, and the hero returns home a changed person.

That’s the Hero’s Journey in a nutshell. It probably sounds very familiar—and rightly so: the Hero’s Journey aspires to be the universal story, or monomyth, a narrative pattern deeply ingrained in literature and culture. Whether in books, movies, television, or folklore, chances are you’ve encountered many examples of the Hero’s Journey in the wild.

In this post, we’ll walk through the elements of the Hero’s Journey step by step. We’ll also study an archetypal example from the movie The Matrix (1999). Once you have mastered the beats of this narrative template, you’ll be ready to put your very own spin on it.

Sound good? Then let’s cross the threshold and let the journey begin.

What Is the Hero’s Journey?

The 12 stages of the hero’s journey, writing your own hero’s journey.

The Hero’s Journey is a common story structure for modeling both plot points and character development. A protagonist embarks on an adventure into the unknown. They learn lessons, overcome adversity, defeat evil, and return home transformed.

Joseph Campbell , a scholar of literature, popularized the monomyth in his influential work The Hero With a Thousand Faces (1949). Looking for common patterns in mythological narratives, Campbell described a character arc with 17 total stages, overlaid on a more traditional three-act structure. Not all need be present in every myth or in the same order.

The three stages, or acts, of Campbell’s Hero’s Journey are as follows:

1. Departure. The hero leaves the ordinary world behind.

2. Initiation. The hero ventures into the unknown ("the Special World") and overcomes various obstacles and challenges.

3. Return. The hero returns in triumph to the familiar world.

Hollywood has embraced Campbell’s structure, most famously in George Lucas’s Star Wars movies. There are countless examples in books, music, and video games, from fantasy epics and Disney films to sports movies.

In The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers (1992), screenwriter Christopher Vogler adapted Campbell’s three phases into the "12 Stages of the Hero’s Journey." This is the version we’ll analyze in the next section.

For writers, the purpose of the Hero’s Journey is to act as a template and guide. It’s not a rigid formula that your plot must follow beat by beat. Indeed, there are good reasons to deviate—not least of which is that this structure has become so ubiquitous.

Still, it’s helpful to master the rules before deciding when and how to break them. The 12 steps of the Hero's Journey are as follows :

• The Ordinary World
• The Call of Adventure
• Refusal of the Call
• Meeting the Mentor
• Crossing the First Threshold
• Tests, Allies, and Enemies
• Approach to the Inmost Cave
• Reward (Seizing the Sword)
• The Road Back
• Resurrection
• Return with the Elixir

Let’s take a look at each stage in more detail. To show you how the Hero’s Journey works in practice, we’ll also consider an example from the movie The Matrix (1999). After all, what blog has not been improved by a little Keanu Reeves?

#1: The Ordinary World

This is where we meet our hero, although the journey has not yet begun: first, we need to establish the status quo by showing the hero living their ordinary, mundane life.

It’s important to lay the groundwork in this opening stage, before the journey begins. It lets readers identify with the hero as just a regular person, “normal” like the rest of us. Yes, there may be a big problem somewhere out there, but the hero at this stage has very limited awareness of it.

The Ordinary World in The Matrix :

We are introduced to Thomas A. Anderson, aka Neo, programmer by day, hacker by night. While Neo runs a side operation selling illicit software, Thomas Anderson lives the most mundane life imaginable: he works at his cubicle, pays his taxes, and helps the landlady carry out her garbage.

#2: The Call to Adventure

The journey proper begins with a call to adventure—something that disrupts the hero’s ordinary life and confronts them with a problem or challenge they can’t ignore. This can take many different forms.

While readers may already understand the stakes, the hero is realizing them for the first time. They must make a choice: will they shrink from the call, or rise to the challenge?

The Call to Adventure in The Matrix :

A mysterious message arrives in Neo’s computer, warning him that things are not as they seem. He is urged to “follow the white rabbit.” At a nightclub, he meets Trinity, who tells him to seek Morpheus.

#3: Refusal of the Call

Oops! The hero chooses option A and attempts to refuse the call to adventure. This could be for any number of reasons: fear, disbelief, a sense of inadequacy, or plain unwillingness to make the sacrifices that are required.

A little reluctance here is understandable. If you were asked to trade the comforts of home for a life-and-death journey fraught with peril, wouldn’t you give pause?

Refusal of the Call in The Matrix :

Agents arrive at Neo’s office to arrest him. Morpheus urges Neo to escape by climbing out a skyscraper window. “I can’t do this… This is crazy!” Neo protests as he backs off the ledge.

#4: Meeting the Mentor

Okay, so the hero got cold feet. Nothing a little pep talk can’t fix! The mentor figure appears at this point to give the hero some much needed counsel, coaching, and perhaps a kick out the door.

After all, the hero is very inexperienced at this point. They’re going to need help to avoid disaster or, worse, death. The mentor’s role is to overcome the hero’s reluctance and prepare them for what lies ahead.

Meeting the Mentor in The Matrix :

Neo meets with Morpheus, who reveals a terrifying truth: that the ordinary world as we know it is a computer simulation designed to enslave humanity to machines.

#5: Crossing the First Threshold

At this juncture, the hero is ready to leave their ordinary world for the first time. With the mentor’s help, they are committed to the journey and ready to step across the threshold into the special world . This marks the end of the departure act and the beginning of the adventure in earnest.

This may seem inevitable, but for the hero it represents an important choice. Once the threshold is crossed, there’s no going back. Bilbo Baggins put it nicely: “It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.”

Crossing the First Threshold in The Matrix :

Neo is offered a stark choice: take the blue pill and return to his ordinary life none the wiser, or take the red pill and “see how deep the rabbit hole goes.” Neo takes the red pill and is extracted from the Matrix, entering the real world .

#6: Tests, Allies, and Enemies

Now we are getting into the meat of the adventure. The hero steps into the special world and must learn the new rules of an unfamiliar setting while navigating trials, tribulations, and tests of will. New characters are often introduced here, and the hero must navigate their relationships with them. Will they be friend, foe, or something in between?

Broadly speaking, this is a time of experimentation and growth. It is also one of the longest stages of the journey, as the hero learns the lay of the land and defines their relationship to other characters.

Wondering how to create captivating characters? Read our guide , which explains how to shape characters that readers will love—or hate.

Tests, Allies, and Enemies in The Matrix :

Neo is introduced to the vagabond crew of the Nebuchadnezzar . Morpheus informs Neo that he is The One , a savior destined to liberate humanity. He learns jiu jitsu and other useful skills.

#7: Approach to the Inmost Cave

Time to get a little metaphorical. The inmost cave isn’t a physical cave, but rather a place of great danger—indeed, the most dangerous place in the special world . It could be a villain’s lair, an impending battle, or even a mental barrier. No spelunking required.

Broadly speaking, the approach is marked by a setback in the quest. It becomes a lesson in persistence, where the hero must reckon with failure, change their mindset, or try new ideas.

Note that the hero hasn’t entered the cave just yet. This stage is about the approach itself, which the hero must navigate to get closer to their ultimate goal. The stakes are rising, and failure is no longer an option.

Approach to the Inmost Cave in The Matrix :

Neo pays a visit to The Oracle. She challenges Neo to “know thyself”—does he believe, deep down, that he is The One ? Or does he fear that he is “just another guy”? She warns him that the fate of humanity hangs in the balance.

#8: The Ordeal

The ordeal marks the hero’s greatest test thus far. This is a dark time for them: indeed, Campbell refers to it as the “belly of the whale.” The hero experiences a major hurdle or obstacle, which causes them to hit rock bottom.

This is a pivotal moment in the story, the main event of the second act. It is time for the hero to come face to face with their greatest fear. It will take all their skills to survive this life-or-death crisis. Should they succeed, they will emerge from the ordeal transformed.

Keep in mind: the story isn’t over yet! Rather, the ordeal is the moment when the protagonist overcomes their weaknesses and truly steps into the title of hero .

The Ordeal in The Matrix :

When Cipher betrays the crew to the agents, Morpheus sacrifices himself to protect Neo. In turn, Neo makes his own choice: to risk his life in a daring rescue attempt.

#9: Reward (Seizing the Sword)

The ordeal was a major level-up moment for the hero. Now that it's been overcome, the hero can reap the reward of success. This reward could be an object, a skill, or knowledge—whatever it is that the hero has been struggling toward. At last, the sword is within their grasp.

From this moment on, the hero is a changed person. They are now equipped for the final conflict, even if they don’t fully realize it yet.

Reward (Seizing the Sword) in The Matrix :

Neo’s reward is helpfully narrated by Morpheus during the rescue effort: “He is beginning to believe.” Neo has gained confidence that he can fight the machines, and he won’t back down from his destiny.

#10: The Road Back

We’re now at the beginning of act three, the return . With the reward in hand, it’s time to exit the inmost cave and head home. But the story isn’t over yet.

In this stage, the hero reckons with the consequences of act two. The ordeal was a success, but things have changed now. Perhaps the dragon, robbed of his treasure, sets off for revenge. Perhaps there are more enemies to fight. Whatever the obstacle, the hero must face them before their journey is complete.

The Road Back in The Matrix :

The rescue of Morpheus has enraged Agent Smith, who intercepts Neo before he can return to the Nebuchadnezzar . The two foes battle in a subway station, where Neo’s skills are pushed to their limit.

#11: Resurrection

Now comes the true climax of the story. This is the hero’s final test, when everything is at stake: the battle for the soul of Gotham, the final chance for evil to triumph. The hero is also at the peak of their powers. A happy ending is within sight, should they succeed.

Vogler calls the resurrection stage the hero’s “final exam.” They must draw on everything they have learned and prove again that they have really internalized the lessons of the ordeal . Near-death escapes are not uncommon here, or even literal deaths and resurrections.

Resurrection in The Matrix :

Despite fighting valiantly, Neo is defeated by Agent Smith and killed. But with Trinity’s help, he is resurrected, activating his full powers as The One . Isn’t it wonderful how literal The Matrix can be?

#12: Return with the Elixir

Hooray! Evil has been defeated and the hero is transformed. It’s time for the protagonist to return home in triumph, and share their hard-won prize with the ordinary world . This prize is the elixir —the object, skill, or insight that was the hero’s true reward for their journey and transformation.

Return with the Elixir in The Matrix :

Neo has defeated the agents and embraced his destiny. He returns to the simulated world of the Matrix, this time armed with god-like powers and a resolve to open humanity’s eyes to the truth.

If you’re writing your own adventure, you may be wondering: should I follow the Hero’s Journey structure?

The good news is, it’s totally up to you. Joseph Campbell conceived of the monomyth as a way to understand universal story structure, but there are many ways to outline a novel. Feel free to play around within its confines, adapt it across different media, and disrupt reader expectations. It’s like Morpheus says: “Some of these rules can be bent. Others can be broken.”

Think of the Hero’s Journey as a tool. If you’re not sure where your story should go next, it can help to refer back to the basics. From there, you’re free to choose your own adventure.

Are you prepared to write your novel? Download this free book now:

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So you are ready to write your novel. excellent. but are you prepared the last thing you want when you sit down to write your first draft is to lose momentum., this guide helps you work out your narrative arc, plan out your key plot points, flesh out your characters, and begin to build your world..

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The Hero’s Journey

What is the Hero's Journey in Literature?

Crafting a heroic character is a crucial aspect of storytelling, and it involves much more than simply sketching out a brave and virtuous figure. The hero's journey definition is not the typical linear narrative but rather a cyclical pattern that encompasses the hero's transformation, trials, and ultimate return, reflecting the profound and timeless aspects of human experience. The writer's journey in this endeavor goes beyond the external actions of the hero and delves into the character's inner world. The hero arc is the heart of the narrative, depicting the character's evolution from an ordinary person to a true hero.

Narratology and Writing Instructions for Heroic Characters

Related to both plot diagram and types of literary conflict , the ”Hero’s Journey” structure is a recurring pattern of stages many heroes undergo over the course of their stories. Joseph Campbell, an American mythologist, writer, and lecturer, articulated this cycle after researching and reviewing numerous myths and stories from a variety of time periods and regions of the world. He found that different writers take us on different journeys, however, they all share fundamental principles. Through the hero's trials, growth, and ultimate triumph, the narrative comes full circle, embodying the timeless pattern of the hero cycle. Literature abounds with examples of the hero cycle, illustrating how this narrative structure transcends cultural boundaries and remains a fundamental element of storytelling. This hero cycle in literature is also known as the Monomyth, archetype . The most basic version of Joseph Campbell's Monomyth has 12 steps, while more detailed versions can have up to 17 steps. His type of hero's journey diagram provides a visual roadmap for understanding the various stages and archetypal elements that protagonists typically encounter in their transformative quests. The wheel to the right is an excellent visual to share with students of how these steps occur. Hero's journey diagram examples provide a visual roadmap for understanding the various stages and archetypal elements that protagonists typically encounter in their transformative quests. Exploring the monomyth steps outlined by Joseph Campbell, we can see how these universal narrative elements have shaped countless stories across cultures and time periods.

Which Story Structure is Right for You?

The choice of story structure depends on various factors, including the type of story you want to tell, your intended audience, and your personal creative style. Here are some popular story structures and when they might be suitable:

• The Hero's Journey: Use this structure when you want to tell a story of personal growth, transformation, and adventure. It works well for epic tales, fantasy, and science fiction, but it can be adapted to other genres as well.
• Three-Act Structure: This is a versatile structure suitable for a wide range of genres, from drama to comedy to action. It's ideal for stories that have a clear beginning, middle, and end, with well-defined turning points.
• Episodic or Serial Structure: If you're creating a long-running series or a story with multiple interconnected arcs, this structure is a good choice. It allows for flexibility in storytelling and can keep audiences engaged over the long term.
• Nonlinear Structure: Experiment with this structure if you want to challenge traditional narrative conventions. It's suitable for stories where timelines are fragmented, revealing information gradually to build intrigue and suspense.
• Circular or Cyclical Structure: This structure is great for stories with recurring themes or for tales that come full circle. It can be particularly effective in literary fiction and philosophical narratives.

Ultimately, the right story structure for you depends on your creative vision, the genre you're working in, and the narrative you want to convey. You may also choose to blend or adapt different structures to suit your story's unique needs. The key is to select a structure that serves your storytelling goals and engages your target audience effectively.

What is a Common Theme in the Hero's Journey?

A common theme in the hero's journey is the concept of personal transformation and growth. Throughout the hero's journey, the protagonist typically undergoes significant change, evolving from an ordinary or flawed individual into a more heroic, self-realized, or enlightened character. This theme of transformation is often accompanied by challenges, trials, and self-discovery, making it a central and universal element of hero's journey narratives.

Structure of the Monomyth: The Hero's Journey Summary

This summary of the different elements of the archetypal hero's journey outlines the main four parts along with the different stages within each part. This can be shared with students and used as a reference along with the hero's journey wheel to analyze literature.

Part One - Call to Adventure

During the exposition, the hero is in the ordinary world , usually the hero’s home or natural habitat. Conflict arises in their everyday life, which calls the hero to adventure , where they are beckoned to leave their familiar world in search of something. They may refuse the call at first, but eventually leave, knowing that something important hangs in the balance and refusal of the call is simply not an option.

Part Two - Supreme Ordeal or Initiation

Once the hero makes the decision to leave the normal world, venture into the unfamiliar world, and has officially begun their mysterious adventure, they will meet a mentor figure (a sidekick in some genres) and together these two will cross the first threshold . This is the point where turning back is not an option, and where the hero must encounter tests, allies and enemies . Obstacles like tests and enemies must be overcome to continue. Helpers aid the hero in their journey.

Part Three - Unification or Transformation

Having overcome initial obstacles, in this part of the heroic cycle, the hero and their allies reach the approach . Here they will prepare for the major challenge in this new or special world. During the approach, the hero undergoes an ordeal , testing them to point near death. Their greatest fear is sometimes exposed, and from the ordeal comes a new life or revival for the hero. This transformation is the final separation from their old life to their new life. For their efforts in overcoming the ordeal, the hero reaches the reward . The hero receives the reward for facing death. There may be a celebration, but there is also danger of losing the reward.

Part Four - Road Back or Hero's Return

Once the hero achieves their goal and the reward is won, the hero and companions start on the road back . The hero wants to complete the adventure and return to their ordinary world with their treasure. This stage is often referred to as either the resurrections or atonement . Hero's journey examples that showcase the atonement stage often highlight the protagonist's inner turmoil and the difficult decisions they must make to reconcile with their past and fully embrace their heroic destiny. The hero becomes "at one" with themselves. As the hero crosses the threshold (returning from the unknown to their ordinary world), the reader arrives at the climax of the story. Here, the hero is severely tested one last time. This test is an attempt to undo their previous achievements. At this point, the hero has come full circle, and the major conflict at the beginning of the journey is finally resolved. In the return home, the hero has now resumed life in his/her original world, and things are restored to ordinary.

Popular Hero's Journey Examples

Monomyth example: homer's odyssey.

Monomyth examples typically involve a hero who embarks on an adventure, faces trials and challenges, undergoes personal transformation, and returns home or to society with newfound wisdom or a significant achievement, making this storytelling structure a powerful and timeless tool for crafting compelling narratives.

The hero's journey chart below for Homer’s Odyssey uses the abridged ninth grade version of the epic. The Heroic Journey in the original story of the Odyssey is not linear, beginning in media res , Latin for “in the middle of things”.)

To Kill a Mockingbird Heroic Journey

Did you know that many popular movies have heroes that follow this type of journey? It is true! In the "Star Wars" movies, Hollywood film producer George Lucas creates a journey for Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia. In "The Lion King", Simba goes on quite the adventure that ends in a final battle with his uncle Scar, a major turning point in the film before the hero returns to save his land. In "The Wizard of Oz", Dorothy takes on the role of the epic hero as she teeters between the two worlds of Kansas and Oz. These are just a few of the many examples of Campbell's theory in the cinematic realm.

Classroom Applications and Uses

Example exercises.

Create your own hero's journey examples using the Storyboard That Creator! Customize the level of detail and number of cells required for projects based on available class time and resources.

• Students identify the stages of the heroic journey in a piece of literature by creating one cell depicting each of the twelve steps.
• Students create storyboards that show and explain each stage found in the work of literature, using specific quotes from the text which highlight each part of the journey.
• Students create an outline of their own original story that follows the monomyth stages.

Common Core

• ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.3 : Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme
• ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.7 : Analyze the representation of a subject or a key scene in two different artistic mediums, including what is emphasized or absent in each treatment (e.g., Auden’s “Musée des Beaux Arts” and Breughel’s Landscape with the Fall of Icarus)
• ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.6 : Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products, taking advantage of technology’s capacity to link to other information and to display information flexibly and dynamically
• ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.2 : Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source
• ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.3 : Analyze the impact of the author’s choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story or drama (e.g., where a story is set, how the action is ordered, how the characters are introduced and developed)
• ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.7 : Analyze multiple interpretations of a story, drama, or poem (e.g., recorded or live production of a play or recorded novel or poetry), evaluating how each version interprets the source text. (Include at least one play by Shakespeare and one play by an American dramatist.)
• ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.6 : Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information
• ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.2 : Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) in order to make informed decisions and solve problems, evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source and noting any discrepancies among the data

Related Resources

• Plot Diagram and Narrative Arc
• Types of Conflict In Literature
• What is an Archetype?
• The Odyssey Teacher Guide
• Types of Heroes in Literature

How Teachers Can Use The Concept of The Heroic Journey To Help Students Better Understand Character Development In Literature

Introduce the concept of the heroic journey.

Teachers can introduce the concept of the heroic journey to students and explain the different stages involved in the journey. This will provide a framework for students to better understand how characters develop throughout the story.

Analyze Characters Using the Heroic Journey

Teachers can guide students through the stages of the heroic journey and ask them to identify where the character is in the journey. This will help students to understand the character's development and how their actions and decisions are influenced by the different stages of the journey.

Compare and Contrast Character Journeys

Teachers can ask students to compare and contrast the journeys of different characters within a story or across multiple stories. This will help students to gain a deeper understanding of how the heroic journey is used to develop characters in literature and how it can be applied across different genres and cultures.

Discuss the Role of Character Motivation

Teachers can encourage students to think critically about the motivations of characters at each stage of the journey. This will help students to understand why characters make certain decisions and how their motivations contribute to their development.

Apply the Concept to Real-Life Situations

Teachers can encourage students to apply the concept of the heroic journey to real-life situations. This will help students to see how the journey applies not only to literature, but also to their own lives and experiences.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Hero's Journey

What is a "monomyth" or the "hero's journey" in literature.

In comparative mythology, the monomyth, or the hero's journey, is the series of stages that can be applied to a variety of stories from all genres. It involves a hero who is called to pursue an adventure, undergoes an ordeal, achieves their goal and returns home transformed.

What are the 12 Stages of the Hero's Journey in literature?

• Ordinary World
• Call to Adventure
• Meeting the Mentor / Helper
• Crossing the Threshold
• Test / Allies / Enemies

What is a common theme in the hero's journey?

The Hero's Journey usually follows the path of the main character from childhood or young adulthood through maturity. It is about the common human experiences of growth, challenges and change that are relatable to us all.

Why should students learn about the hero's journey?

The hero's journey is relevant for students in that it demonstrates the possibility of overcoming adversity and the potential for growth and change that is within us all. It is a common theme of literature and movies that once students understand, they will be able to identify over and over again. It is helpful for students to make the text-to-self connection and apply this thinking to their own life as a "growth mindset" . They can see that they are on their own hero's journey and that everyone has the ability to overcome obstacles to achieve their goals and affect positive change in their lives and the lives of others.

What are some of the best examples of the hero's journey?

The hero's journey stages appear in more books than students may realize! Here are just a few examples of popular books that contain the monomyth structure:

• The Graveyard Book
• The Hunger Games
• To Kill a Mockingbird
• The Odyssey
• The Lions of Little Rock
• Wednesday Wars
• One Crazy Summer
• Out of My Mind
• Brown Girl Dreaming
• The Lightning Thief
• The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
• The Stars Beneath Our Feet
• Fish in a Tree

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Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey: A Better Screenplay in 17 Steps

• What is a Scene
• What is The Three Act Structure
• What is Story Structure
• What is a Story Beat
• What Is a Plot
• Plot vs Story
• What is a Non-Linear Plot
• What is a Plot Device
• What is Freytag’s Pyramid
• Screenplay Structure Examples
• What is a Story Mountain
• Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey
• What is Save the Cat
• Dan Harmon’s Story Circle
• What is Aristotle’s Poetics
• What is Exposition
• What is an Inciting Incident
• What is Rising Action
• What is the Climax of a Story
• What is the Falling Action
• What is Denouement
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• Best Inciting Incident Examples
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• Write Your Script For Free

dds are that if you’ve had any interest in writing a script within the past fifty years you’ve heard of the Hero’s Journey. A writer you got drinks with swore by it, a film professor suggested you read about it.  Or you overheard the barista at your local coffee shop talking about how Die Hard is a picture-perfect template for it. But… what is it? I’ll explain all of the Hero’s Journey’s 17 steps and provide examples in the modern canon. Then you can kick writer’s block and get a strong script into the hands of agents and producers.

Watch: The Hero's Journey Explained

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• Call to Action
• Refusal of Call
• Supernatural Aid
• Crossing The Threshold
• Belly of the Whale
• The Road of Trials
• Meeting the Goddess
• Atonement With the Father
• The Ultimate Boon
• Refusal of Return
• Magic Flight
• Rescue from Without
• Crossing the Return Threshold
• Master of Two Worlds
• Freedom to Live

Hero’s Journey Examples

The monomyth featuring three of your favorite franchises!

The hero's journey begins, 1. call to action.

Adventure is calling. Will your hero pick up?

The initial step in the first act of the Hero’s Journey - known as the departure - is the “call to action." The Hero is beckoned to go on a journey. Think Frodo Baggins meeting Gandalf. Or the Owl inviting Harry Potter to Hogwarts. 

If having a tall wizard extend a hand may be a little too on the nose for you, don't worry. This comes in all forms. In   Citizen Kane , the mystery surrounding Charles Foster Kane’s final words is the call to action for the reporter, Jerry Thompson, to get to work.

The Hero Hesitates

2. refusal of call.

Next is the Hero’s “refusal of call.” The Hero initially balks at the idea of leaving their lives. The Shire is beautiful, after all, who wants to embark on a dangerous journey across the world? 

This refusal is typically because of a duty or obligation they have at home. Be it family, or work, it’s something our Hero cares deeply about. But, as pressure mounts, they eventually succumb and decide to leave with the help of “supernatural aid.”

The Hero Receives Assistance

3. supernatural aid.

Once the Hero has committed themselves to embarking on whatever that quest may be (keep in mind, a Hero’s Journey can apply to a modern, emotional story, as well), they receive “supernatural aid.”

Individuals give the Hero information or tools at the start of their journey to help their chances of completing the task. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and it definitely wasn’t built alone. Every hero has a set of allies helping them get the job done. From Luke, Han, and Chewie to Harry, Ron, and Hermoine, these teams are iconic and nearly inseparable.

The tools provided come in handy as the Hero begins…

The Hero Commits

4. crossing the threshold.

Now the hero ventures into a new, unfamiliar world where the rules and dangers are unknown. They’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto, and that becomes evidently clear when monkeys start flying. 

This stage often requires a few examples to crystalize the change in environment from familiar to dangerous. The contrast is key to play up how ill-prepared they initially are.

The Hero is Challenged

5. belly of the whale.

Next thing you know, we're in “the belly of the whale.” The first point of real danger in the Hero’s Journey. Taken from the Biblical story of Jonah entering a literal whale’s belly, it’s here that the dangers we’ve been warned about are manifested into tangible characters. Like hungry Orcs with swords.

This is Jonah moments before actually being in the belly of the whale.

Now our Hero must make a decision to continue and, in turn, undergo a personal metamorphosis in the process. 

They will not be the same individual at the end of this tale as they were in the beginning.  This must be made clear while in the belly of the whale, as we enter Initiation, or act two. Which is the longest slice of the Hero’s Journey pie.

This part is filled with the most failure and risk, and ends with the climax. But first, it starts with... 

The Hero is Tested

6. the road of trials.

“Road of trials” is a set of three tests that the Hero must take. Usually they will fail at least one of these tests. This could be a montage. It could also be a series of obstacles leading to a smaller goal in the journey. 

Here is where the Hero learns to use his or her tools and allies while on their way to a...

The Great Advisor

7. meeting the goddess.

At this point in the monomyth, our Hero needs a break to adjust perspective and digest the ways they've changed. It’s here that they meet with an advisor, or a trusted individual, who will help them gain a better insight into the next steps of the journey. Frodo met with Galadriel, an elf who enlightened him with visions of potential futures.

This is Frodo meeting with the goddess

Luke met Leia, and the two formed of a bond of kinship, motivating them to commit more to their cause. This individual doesn’t have to be a woman, but whoever it is our hero will gain something from the wisdom they impart.

But no good deed goes unpunished, and as we reward our Heroes in storytelling, we must also tempt them to failure.

The Hero is Torn

8. temptation.

Much like “road of trials,” “temptation” is a test in the Hero’s Journey. It presents a set of, well… temptations... that our Hero must either overcome or avoid. These temptations pick and pull at the insecurities of the Hero. A microcosm can be found in our own everyday lives with the simple act of getting out of bed.

The temptation to stay in the cozy confines of our comforters (and comfort zones) can be strong and sometimes overwhelming. This must be manifested in our story with some type of a cheap way out. Or an opportunity to throw in the towel. Our Hero must decline and press forward, nobly facing danger.

A Moment of Catharsis

9. atonement with the father.

Once they’ve thrown away their temptations, the Hero enters the “atonement with the father.” This is always an emotional part of the Hero’s Journey. It's a point in the monomyth where our protagonist must confront an aspect of their character from act one that has been slowing them down.

Something that could be fatal to their journey in the coming climactic stages. While this is actuated as a confrontation with a male entity, it doesn’t have to be.

The point here is that the Hero finds within themselves a change from who they were into someone more capable. Harry has to reconcile with the loss of his father figure, Dumbledore. Now take on Voldemort alone, using the lessons he’s learned on the way. Just like Luke...and every other hero ever. This is the emotional climax of the story.

"Tell your sister... you were riiiiiiiiiight..."

Death of the hero, 10. apotheosis.

With a new sense of confidence and clarity we must then make our Hero deal with “apotheosis.” This is the stage of the Hero’s Journey where a greater perspective is achieved. Often embodied by a death of the Hero’s former self; where the old Frodo has died and the new one is born.  

But this is sometimes interpreted as a more “a-ha!” moment — a breakthrough that leads to the narrative’s climax. This, too, can be tied to the death of Dumbledore and Harry’s reconciliation with the loss. This step is usually the final motivator for the Hero, driving the story into...

THe Hero Victorious

11. the ultimate boon.

This monomyth step is the physical climax of the story. This is often considered the MacGuffin of a film — the physical object that drives our Hero’s motivation. But it's a MacGuffin, to use Hitchcock's famous term, because ultimately... it doesn't matter.

In  Pulp Fiction , we never find out what’s in the briefcase, but it’s the briefcase that led them on the wild journey. When we find out what “Rosebud” actually means, it simply forms a lynchpin to help us understand who Charles Foster Kane was. The mission is accomplished and the world can rest easy knowing that it is safe from evil.

The Hero's Journey Home

12. refusal of return.

Upon a successful completion of the Hero’s Journey, and a transformation into a different person, the Hero has a “refusal to return.” The Shire seems so boring now and the last thing Harry wants is to go back to that drawer under the stairs. 

And, oftentimes, the return can be just as dangerous. This is the beginning of the third act of Campbell’s Hero’s Journey (known as the Return) and, while shorter, should still contain conflict. Our next step is an opportunity for that...

The Hero Transported

13. magic flight.

This is the point in the Hero’s Journey where they must get out alive, often requiring the help of individuals they met along the way. Dorothy still has to get back to Kansas, the solution to which may seem like a leap of faith.  

The eagles rescue from without with a magic flight to Frodo and friends

The hero's rescue, 14. rescue from without.

Bringing us to the “rescuers from without” point in the monomyth. Just because Frodo destroyed the one ring to rule them all doesn’t mean he gets a free ride back to the Shire. Remember those giant eagles we met a while back in act two? Well their back just in time!

Homeward Bound

15. crossing the return threshold.

Once the Hero is back home, it’s time to acknowledge their change in character. “Crossing the return threshold” is the stage in the monomyth where the hero has left the chaos of the outer world and return home.

But it's hard to adjust to the old world. Remember that scene where Frodo tried to enjoy a beer back at the shire? Hard to go back to normal when you essentially live with Dark Lord PTSD.

A Triumphant Return

16. master of two worlds.

The hero survived an adventure in the chaos realm, and now survives in the normal order realm. This makes him or her the master of two worlds. Not many people come back and live to tell the tale.  

Frodo and Gandalf wandering off into the sunset post accomplishing their mission

Plus which, throughout the story, they’ve become someone much more capable and resilient than they were in act one. They've learned lessons, and brought what they learned home with them. 

Whatever issues they may have had before embarking on this chaotic tale (often the ones preventing from taking the call to action) now pale in comparison with what they’ve been through.

It’s easier to deal with your annoying cousin, Dudley, after you’ve defeated Voldemort. This, in turn, leads to...

The New Status Quo

17. freedom to live.

In many ways the Hero's Journey is about death and rebirth. The story may manifest as the death of an aspect of character, and the birth of some new way of life. But the metaphor behind any story is one about mortality.

Change is constant. Hero's living through the Hero's Journey are models for us. Models that we can travers the constant change of existence, face our mortality, and continue. In a religious sense, and religions are all part of the monomyth, this is about the eternal spirit. 

Look no farther than the prayer of St. Francis to understand this final step in the Hero's quest. "It is in dying that we are born to eternal life." 

The Hero’s Journey Concludes

Cinematic heroes.

The monomyth is practically ubiquitous in Hollywood. As you’ve read earlier, Harry Potter , Star Wars ,   Lord of the Rings ,  and   Citizen Kane all follow the Hero’s Journey. But, because this concept was built upon the foundations of major mythologies, it's truly a "tale as old as time." 

Because Campbell discovered the Hero's Journey. He didn't make it up. Neither did those older myths. He realized as an anthropologist, that every culture all around the globe had the same story beats in all their myths. 

Sure, some myths, and some movies, use 10 of the 17, or even just 5. But throughout human history, around the world, these story beats keep showing up. In cultures that had nothing to do with one another. 

The Hero's Journey is a concept innate to being human. 

And if remembering these 17 steps may seem a little daunting, fear not. Make sure to check out Dan Harmon's abridged 8-step variation of the Hero's Journey monomyth.  Same structure, just made more digestible.

Dan Harmon’s Story Circle 

Practically speaking, the Hero’s Journey is an excellent tool for structuring an outline in a clear and familiar way. It has the power to make your script much more powerful and emotionally resonant. 

It’s circular, allowing for repeat adventures (which works well if you're learning how to write a TV pilot ) and each aspect drives the hero to the next. From the Goddess, the Hero finds temptation. From reconciling with the father, the Hero is now prepared for the final boon.

Story Circle  •  8 Proven Steps to Better Stories

Using a Hero’s Journey worksheet can help you write a treatment or create a well-structured outline , which is a valuable tool for creating a strong first draft.

By putting in the 17 steps of the Hero’s Journey before building the outline, you can ensure that the writing process will flow smoothly and efficiently. Let us know in the comments how the monomyth has helped you craft a story that escalates with every beat to an exciting climax.  

Up Next: Dan Harmon's Story Circle →

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Breaking Down the Character Archetypes of the Hero’s Journey

You’ve  read about George  Lucas’s  use of Joseph  Campbell’s Monomyth found in his 1949 book, A Hero with a Thousand Faces ,  which   is  a  common  narrative pattern found in many stories from many different cultures worldwide. This narrative journey typically involves several character archetypes that affect the  hero’s journey from beginning to end.

After the successful debut of  Star Wars   and  Lucas’s  discussions on using  Campbell’s work as inspiration for his space opera, many producers, development executives, filmmakers, and screenwriters have explored the Monomyth with deeper and simplified approaches.

Christopher Vogler's Interpretation of the Hero's Journey

When Christopher Vogler, a development executive and screenwriter at Disney, was inspired by Joseph  Campbell's  concept of the story monomyth, he crafted a seven-page memo for  Disney's  development team and incoming screenwriters.

This memo,  A Practical Guide to Joseph  Cambell’s  The Hero with a Thousand Faces , laid the groundwork for what would later become  Vogler's  1992 book,  The  Writer's  Journey: Mythic Structure for Storytellers and Screenwriters . In this book, Vogler expanded upon  Campbell’s  ideas.

He adapted  Campbell's  mythical story structure into twelve distinct stages (from  Campbell’s  initial seventeen). Our concise interpretations of these stages include:

• The Ordinary World : We see the  hero's   normal  life at the start of the story before the adventure begins.
• Call to Adventure : The hero faces an event, conflict, problem, or challenge that makes them begin their adventure.
• Refusal of the Call : The hero initially refuses the adventure because of hesitation, fear, insecurity, or  any  other issues.
• Meeting the Mentor : The hero encounters a mentor who can give them advice, wisdom, information, or items that ready them for the journey ahead.
• Crossing the Threshold : The hero leaves their ordinary world for the first time and crosses the threshold into adventure.
• Tests, Allies, and Enemies : The hero learns the  rules of the new world  and endures tests, meets friends, and comes face-to-face with enemies.
• The Approach : The initial plan to take on the central conflict begins, but setbacks cause the hero to try a new approach or adopt new ideas.
• The Ordeal : Things go wrong, and added conflict  is introduced . The hero experiences more difficult hurdles and obstacles, some of which may lead to a life crisis.
• The Reward : After surviving The Ordeal, the hero seizes the sword — a reward that  they've  earned that allows them to take on the  biggest  conflict. It may be a physical item or piece of knowledge or wisdom that will help them persevere.
• The Road Back : The hero sees the light at the end of the tunnel, but they are about to face even more tests and challenges.
• The Resurrection : The climax.  The hero faces a final test, using everything they have learned to take on the conflict once and for all.
• The Return : The hero  brings  their knowledge or the  " elixir "  back  to the ordinary world.

Within these stages are character archetypes that help to shape the  hero’s   journey, and their eventual character arc throughout the story.

Read More: Exploring the Twelve Stages of the  Hero’s  Journey

'Tron: Legacy' (2010)

What Are Character Archetypes?

A character archetype is a common  recurring  representation of a character that embodies a set of universal and recognizable traits or characteristics. These archetypes  are seen  throughout literature, film, and other storytelling mediums—and they resonate with audiences because they  are based  on  common human experiences or cultural norms.

Archetypes work well because they are instantly recognizable to readers and audiences.  For writers, character archetypes can  be adapted and molded with ease  during character development.

Character archetypes are not specific characters in a story but  rather broad categories or templates that individual characters can be based on or inspired by. They represent typical roles characters play in the narrative, and their actions and motivations are often predictable based on the archetype they represent.

However, writers can also choose to subvert those expectations to create a more dynamic character , as well as  introduce much-needed twists and turns within the story.

Read More: 10 Character Archetypes in Comedies

'The Goonies' (1950)

The benefits of using character archetypes include:

• Universality : Archetypes are universally understood and have similar meanings across cultures and historical contexts.  This  can  especially  help in the cinematic realm  as  movies  are released  in multiple countries and languages.
• Symbolism : These character traits can symbolize a particular  aspect of  human experience or life.  Once again, symbolism is identifiable across many cultures.
• Predictability :  Because they  are based  on common patterns,   their behaviors and roles in stories can often be anticipated .  Because of that anticipation, writers can choose between subverting those expectations or using the predictability of the archetypes to service the story and protagonist with ease.  
• Variability : While archetypes are typical patterns, they allow for variations and depth, meaning a single archetype can manifest in different ways across various stories, allowing writers  can  adapt these traits to any character. 

Character archetypes can  be used   as tools  to tell a compelling and universal story. 

'Finding Nemo' (2003)

What Are the Character Archetypes in the Hero's Journey?

Many archetypes in the hero's journey—the threshold guardian, the herald, the shapeshifter, the trickster, the ally, and the tempter/temptress—are more defined in later interpretations and expansions of Campbell's  work. People like Vogler applied his theories to modern storytelling so writers, readers, and audiences could more easily understand the dynamics of  Campbell’s  monomyth.

Here,  we’ll break down the main character archetypes in the hero's journey utilized in  Campbell’s  Monomyth and  Vogler’s  expanded breakdowns and interpretations. 

The hero is the  central figure of the story  (protagonist) who undergoes a journey, facing challenges and transformations.  The hero often starts as an ordinary person who  is  then  called  to adventure. They are present throughout the  entire   journey , from the ordinary world to the return with newfound knowledge or power.

Luke Skywalker (Star Wars), Indiana Jones ( Raiders of the Lost Arc ), Katniss Everdeen ( The Hunger Games ), Barbie ( Barbie ), and Harry Potter (the  Harry Potter series) are perfect examples of the hero character archetypes. You can include any protagonist within a story that goes on a physical or emotional journey.

As mentioned above, the hero in the  hero’s  journey usually begins their adventure within their ordinary world.  This   offers readers and audiences the chance  to relate to the protagonist, empathize with their plight, and see the beginning of their character arc.  

Read More: Why the 'Barbie' Movie is the Perfect Example of the Hero’s Journey

The shadow is the main antagonist of the story. The shadow reflects the darker aspects of the hero, sometimes represented as the mirror image (opposite) of the hero and their beliefs. Overall, they are the antagonist or villains  present throughout the whole  story in varied ways. 

Read More:  15 Types of Villains Screenwriters Need to Know  

The shadow can also be represented  in metaphorical terms. If a  story’s hero journey is the protagonist dealing with alcoholism or addiction, those vices can serve as the shadow/antagonist/villain.

The quintessential shadows in cinema include characters like Darth Vader ( Star Wars ), Voldemort (the Harry Potter series), and Sauron ( The Lord of the Rings series). But you can also find a less villainous shadow that takes on a lighter antagonistic role without purely evil intentions.

A perfect example of that would be  Principal Rooney in  Ferris Bueller’s Day Off .  He  doesn’t  have evil intentions like a villain does. However, he is the shadow or mirror image of Ferris Bueller. Ferris believes in freedom  an expression . Rooney believes in order and control of others.

'Ferris Bueller's Day Off' (1986)

This character serves as a guide or teacher to the hero, providing them with advice, training, or magical assistance.  The mentor is often a wise or experienced figure, although there have been literary and cinematic variances.

Look no further than the likes of Obi-Wan Kenobi ( Star Wars ), Yoda ( The Empire Strikes Back ), Mr. Miyagi ( The Karate Kid ), and Gandalf ( The Lord of the Rings series ) as core examples of the mentor.

'The Karate Kid' (1984)

Allies are friends or companions who support and accompany the hero through their journey. They often complement the  hero's  skills and help them face challenges.

In  Star Wars , the allies of Luke Skywalker include Han Solo, Chewbacca, and the droids. In  The Lord of the Rings series , the fellowship companions of Frodo encompass this character archetype. You can also look to any sidekick-type character as the perfect example of an ally:

• Goose in  Top Gun
• Patrick in  Spongebob Squarepants
• Ron in  Harry Potter
• Billy in  Big
• Julie in  Lady Bird
• Rod in  Get Out
• Ned in the  Spider-Man  movies
• Sam in  The Lord of the Rings
• Short Round in  Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

Allies can also be characters who  aren’t  as close to the hero but offer  some  type of help along the way.

'Lady Bird' (2017)

The Threshold Guardian

These characters serve as obstacles the hero must overcome or circumvent on their journey. They are not always enemies but are present within the story to test the hero and give them the belief and ability to continue on their adventure.

Little John in the  Robin Hood   stories is initially the threshold guardian of the Sherwood Forest. 

He eventually becomes an ally to Robin. But he’s initially a threshold guardian. 

You can turn to   Monthy Python and the Holy Grail  as well. The Black Knight  isn’t  necessarily King  Arthur’s  foe. However,  he’s there to defend the bridge at all costs.

 The Herald

The herald is the character that initiates the call to adventure, pushing the hero to  action,  or providing the news or event that triggers their journey.

In  Star Wars , R2-D2 is the herald of  Luke’s  journey because he delivers the message from Princess Leia  to him . If Luke  doesn’t  see that message, he  doesn’t  show it to Obi-Wan Kenobi. And if Obi-Wan  doesn’t  see that message, he  doesn’t  convince Luke to come with him to join the Rebellion. 

In  Barbie , Weird Barbie is the one who tells Barbie the truth about what she is going through and what she must do to seek out the answers she needs. 

The herald can be a  major  character, a supporting character, or even a minor character. In  The Lord of the Rings , Gandalf is both mentor  and  herald, as he is the one who appears to Frodo, telling him he must bring the ring to Mordor. 

The Shapeshifter

This  archetype's loyalty and role are often unclear, and they can serve as an ally or an enemy to the hero. Sometimes both. Their unpredictable nature adds complexity to the story, usually resulting in twists and turns within the plot.

Snape in the  Harry Potter series is one of the greatest shapeshifters in literature and film. His motives are unknown, mistaken, and hidden. He acts as both a shadow to Harry and later an ally.

Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean   series is another  great  example, embodying the role of an unpredictable ally whose loyalty is often questionable. Yes, he can  be  looked  upon as an antihero protagonist of the movie. However, the clear hero of the story is Will.

'Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl' (2003)

The Trickster

The trickster usually adds  levity  to the story through comic relief. They can be allies or enemies, but typically  they  cause trouble for both.

Jack Sparrow falls under this character archetype as well. But a better example may be Loki in the Marvel Cinematic Universe   movies. He embodies the definition of a trickster.  He brings more comic relief to the  movies   after his initial first appearance in  Thor .

Perhaps the better example would be Genie in  Disney's   Aladdin . He uses his powers for humorous and unexpected effects, often bending the rules and adding a lighthearted element to the story.

Tempter/Temptress

This archetype can be of any gender and represents temptation or distraction that diverts the hero from their path.

Catwoman in the  Batman  movies often plays the role of a temptress to Batman, combining allure with a morally ambiguous character.

Many of the Bond Girls in the   James Bond  films serve as temptresses, combining allure and mystery and often leading Bond into dangerous situations.

The Indiana Jones variation would be Elsa from  Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade . 

One of the best examples of the Tempter playing a more pivotal role in the story is Avery Tolar in The Firm .  He’s  a senior partner at  the law firm  Bendini, Lambert & Locke. His role is crucial in seducing the protagonist, Mitch McDeere, into the luxurious and corrupt world of the law firm.

He has a charismatic and persuasive personality. He mentors Mitch and exposes him to the high-stakes, high-reward lifestyle  that the  firm offers, including wealth, prestige, and power.  Tolar's  character is complex. He is a nuanced character who embodies the charm and allure  that the  firm uses to entice and trap its young associates.

His influence on Mitch is significant, as he represents the allure of success and the moral compromises that often accompany it.  Tolar's  character effectively demonstrates how  the tempter archetype can be used  to explore themes of corruption, temptation, and ethical dilemmas in a narrative.

The character archetypes  found  within the h ero’s  journey offer writers the ability to take universal character templates and mold them to fit into stories that embrace the monomyth structure or use it as a starting point to tell a compelling and engaging story. 

Use them in whatever way  you’d like. They can encompass the more traditional definition within your story, or you can use these archetypes to set up expectations and later subvert those expectations to create a more enthralling and surprising plot.

Read More: Is Joseph Campbell's "The Hero's Journey" Dead in Screenwriting Today?

CHECK OUT OUR PREPARATION NOTES SO YOU START YOUR STORY OFF ON THE RIGHT TRACK!

Ken Miyamoto has worked in the film industry for nearly two decades, most notably as a studio liaison for Sony Studios and then as a script reader and story analyst for Sony Pictures.

He has many studio meetings under his belt as a produced screenwriter, meeting with the likes of Sony, Dreamworks, Universal, Disney, Warner Brothers, as well as many production and management companies. He has had a previous development deal with Lionsgate, as well as multiple writing assignments, including the produced miniseries Blackout, starring Anne Heche, Sean Patrick Flanery, Billy Zane, James Brolin, Haylie Duff, Brian Bloom, Eric La Salle, and Bruce Boxleitner, the feature thriller Hunter’s Creed, and many Lifetime thrillers. Follow Ken on Twitter @KenMovies and Instagram @KenMovies76

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‘Fall Guy’ Screenwriter Drew Pearce On Creating a Blue-Collar Hero’s Journey

Pearce explains how this movie about movies is a universal story, and how ryan gosling ended up crying in his car to taylor swift..

Screenwriter and director Drew Pearce has two words tattooed on his right hand: The End . It’s a reminder of why he does what he does, especially in Hollywood where it can be incredibly difficult to bring a story from page to screen. Pearce’s script for The Fall Guy took five years and dozens of drafts. The film was conceived back in 2019 when producer Guymon Casady approached him and director David Leitch with the idea of reimagining 1980s series The Fall Guy , which starred Lee Majors as a stuntman who moonlighted as a bounty hunter. 

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“When everyone came to me I think they assumed that I might be a little bit sniffy about it,” Pearce tells Observer . “But when I was a kid it was my favorite show. I used to watch it with my dad on the sofa—it was our show—and stunt people became my childhood obsession. In our backyard, I set up a stuntman training circuit and I would time myself repeatedly all through the day to try and get faster and better at the stuntman circuit. Ultimately, it would turn out I have a crippling fear of heights, so that really didn’t lead to a career in any linear sense, but I had a relationship with the show.”

The film stars Ryan Gosling as stunt performer Colt Seavers and Emily Blunt as Jody Moreno, a film director making a Dune -like epic called Metal Storm . After a breakup, the pair are reunited on the film’s set in Australia and it’s up to Colt to save the film from its renegade star Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). It becomes a high stakes, life and death struggle that involves some truly impressive action sequences. Pearce sees it as a hero’s journey. “There was something really attractive about a blue-collar hero whose superpower is his ability to take hits and be the one that can get back up again,” he says. “That felt noble and modern and universal in a way that really interested me.”

Pearce is currently writing and producing action thriller T-Minus for Amazon MGM Studios, based on Philip K. Dick’s 1974 short story A Little Something for Us Tempunauts , alongside Michael B. Jordan. He also recently wrote and directed Cooler , with Dave Bautista, who Pearce calls “one of the best actors of his generation.”

“When Dave read the script, he said he’d never been more anxious, and I think that’s an exciting thing to go into directing,” Pearce says. “There are another couple of things that we’re also circling and, and, honestly, the halo effect of a movie The Fall Guy and its success can also help smaller projects grow as well. Someone once said, ‘Every movie is a miracle.’ And it’s true. Even the bad ones are incredibly difficult to get made.”

Here Pearce tells Observer about adapting The Fall Guy , writing stunt sequences and how a Taylor Swift song ended up in a key scene. 

When you’re adapting an existing TV series, how much do you incorporate into your version and how much do you create from scratch?

This was super open and specific simultaneously. [But] there was never any suggestion that we have to be faithful to the show. Bounty hunters don’t really exist in a tangible, entertaining sense anymore anyway. One of the things that I loved about the show when I was little and on revisiting it was just a vibe. There’s a kind of looseness to The Fall Guy that is reminiscent of late-‘70s American filmmaking. Obviously, it’s the network TV version, but it reminded me of The Long Goodbye and California Split . There were a couple different approaches to the film. One was a big Mission Impossible -type movie and I prepped one of those as well. But the one I loved the most, and the one that they ultimately did too, was essentially a noir with a bumbling, central investigative figure. And nothing scares people more than saying you’re doing a modern-day noir. But that entryway into it was a better way to tap both the reality of David [Leitch]’s history as an authentic stunt person.

The thing that became increasingly important was the romance at the heart of it. If we were going to treat the romance, as I hope we do, with an unexpectedly grown-up and subtle tone, in order for it to sit in reality, then the rest of the movie had to sit in a recognizable reality as well.

How did you navigate how meta you could be about movie-making?

I took a base level line of sophistication about the movie-making process. While there is a film [within] the film and there are jokes about process, which often present as meta, my approach was actually to park all that stuff farther down the road. My big thing going in was how to make it universal rather than meta. The thing I feel strongly, in all of my work at the moment, is trying to tap into the class system of the unseen and the seen. It’s coded into The Fall Guy ’s theme song, “Unknown Stuntman.” I thought there was something universal about a person who is paid to be put in harm’s way for the sake of people who are literally described as “above the line.” 

How did you come up with the fictional film they’re making, which is a big-budget space cowboy movie? 

I had a long list of all the things it could be—some of which I can’t say because if we don’t anger the movie gods we could get a sequel. But it was always going to be sci-fi because it felt like a contrast, and on a practical level those are the most expensive movies. We wanted the jeopardy of Jody’s situation to be as extreme as possible, so it had to be expensive. But it had to be smart enough so that you believe the character when she says, “This is going to be a good idea,” and dumb enough to be a joke. If Jody was making a movie we could all tell was going to be rubbish, it would feel like undercutting the character. She is a 39-year-old female director being given a huge chance with a studio picture. Her passion and her idiosyncrasy had to be baked into Metal Storm . It’s a lot easier to do Tropic Thunder and have a movie that is patently ludicrous. This isn’t quite so ludicrous. I mean, it is a cowboy space saga, but her sincerity about it is really important. 

Making one of your lead characters a female movie director feels really aspirational since women don’t typically get those kinds of opportunities in Hollywood. 

Yeah, it’s a bit of a Field of Dreams thing: If you build it, they will come. The world should be a place where there are just as many, if not more, female directors doing $200 million space movies as there are men. Originally, in the first draft, Jody bounced around as heads of department. At a certain point we just went, “We should make her the director.” It was a two-part decision. On one part it was on a character level, the more responsibility she has, the more difficult it is for Colt to to drop out of the investigation or be truthful. And on the other hand, yeah, this should be a world that has female directors directing $200 million sci fi movies. 

How detailed did you get about the stunts and the action sequences in the script?

Because I have a great working relationship with David that’s very granular. The work we do on the page on the action sequences, certainly on a character level, totally reflect most of what ends up there at the end of the day. Like Kubrick said, you don’t remember a story or plot or anything about movies. You remember moments. And I agree with that. The same is true of an action sequence, even if it’s ten minutes long. Action sequences should be like musical numbers: if they don’t move the plot forward or move the character forward, if things don’t change from the beginning of the song to the end of the song, then the songs shouldn’t be in the musical. The same is true of an action sequence. If the movie doesn’t change from the start of an action sequence to the end of an action sequence, it shouldn’t be in the film. That’s action for the sake of action. You know, as much should change between characters or story in an action sequence as does in an intense dramatic two-hander. 

One of the things that makes this unique is our ability to use back-of-house movie equipment onscreen. On my original list I was like, “Can a character use a camera arm in a chase sequence?” That’s an idea that made it through from the first list to the poster. At one point, there was a far longer, very exciting motorway chase with Colt on the camera arm swinging in and out of cars, which I am sad didn’t make it in. 

There are a lot of cinema Easter Eggs in the movie. Was there anything you really wanted to pay homage to?

A lot of the images are buried into the DNA of the movie. For example, the unbroken shot at the beginning of the film that we use to introduce Colt and Jody’s romance is actually a reference to my favorite stunt movie, The Stunt Man with Peter O’Toole, which also begins with an unbroken [one shot]. In The Stunt Man , the coolest part of it is they step onto a cherry picker and the camera still doesn’t break and it goes up with. Our sequence does that as well. We’re using it to establish the romance, but it felt like a really good, heavy nod to one of the best precursors of our kind of storytelling. There’s a lot of deep love baked in there. 

There’s a scene where Colt is crying to Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well.” Was that song always in the film?

That one developed as we went along, for sure. We always had Ryan crying in a car because who wouldn’t love Ryan crying in the car? But it evolved into Taylor Swift. Originally, David had this notion that they met at a KISS concert and so all the songs in the movie at one point were KISS songs. Then when we found out the movie would shoot in Australia, rather than London or Berlin or LA, I went on a bit of an Australian music tear. So I do think at some point, it INXS’s “Never Tear Us Apart.” But I’m really glad that it came to Taylor because it feels more modern. As a dad, as Ryan is, you have such a granular knowledge of Taylor Swift’s catalog that you definitely do imprint huge life moments onto her songs, whether you notice yourself doing or not.

Is the idea that there would be more movies centered around Colt and Jody? 

Again, it’s hubris to taunt the universe with your hopes that there might be sequels. But he’s a brilliant character that suits Ryan really well. A guy with a skill set that is both amenable to action, but also not obviously heroic or aggressive is really attractive. It’s significant that our lead character in this movie only handles a gun once and when he does it’s actually a fake gun that has blanks. A great hero for our times is somebody who is trying to help people, and who is, for the most part, trying to avoid fights rather than getting into them, even though he knows he can handle himself. There are a lot of places you can take that character. And the great thing about movie sets is that they move around the world. This is the tip of the iceberg of all the stories we all have about working in films. I’m definitely not worried about there being a lack of material.

• SEE ALSO : How Tony Notarberardino’s ‘Chelsea Hotel Portraits’ Captured the End of an Era

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Screen Rant

Boy kills world director on 7-year journey to make action comedy & casting bill skarsgård as the hero.

Boy Kills World director Moritz Mohr reflects on the seven-year journey to make the action-comedy and casting Bill Skarsgård as the titular hero.

• Bill Skarsgård transitions to action hero roles, starring as the revenge-seeking Boy in Boy Kills World .
• H. Jon Benjamin voices Boy's inner thoughts, adding a unique twist to the action-packed film.
• Director Moritz Mohr shares the journey of creating the film from concept to a feature-length project, highlighting its evolution into a " funnier, weirder, crazier " vision than initially conceived.

Bill Skarsgård becomes an action hero with a little help from Archer 's H. Jon Benjamin in Boy Kills World . The Swedish actor is better known for his work in the world of the horror genre, namely playing Pennywise the Clown in Andy Muschietti's IT duology, as well as Netflix's Hemlock Grove and Hulu's Castle Rock . In recent years, he has been expanding his filmography to include more action-oriented fare, including playing the villainous Marquis Vincent de Gramont in John Wick: Chapter 4 and the titular undead vigilante in the upcoming The Crow reboot .

In Boy Kills World , Skarsgård stars as the titular deaf and mute man living in a dystopian city lorded over by a rich family, the Van Der Koys, who host an annual event known as The Culling, in which people are rounded up for a televised execution. Traumatized by his family's murders at the hands of the family's matriarch, Hilda, Boy sets out on a quest for revenge against her and all involved, hoping to finally bring some order back to the city and get closure for his family's deaths.

Where To Watch Boy Kills World: Showtimes & Streaming Status

In addition to Skarsgård, Boy Kills World 's ensemble cast includes a unique twist as Archer 's H. Jon Benjamin plays the inner voice of the titular character, having come from an arcade fighter video game Boy and his sister used to play together. The movie hails from director Moritz Mohr, who developed the story with co-writer Arend Remmers based on their proof-of-concept trailer pitched to producer Sam Raimi.

Ahead of the movie's wide release, Screen Rant interviewed director Moritz Mohr to discuss Boy Kills World , the seven-year journey he took from its proof-of-concept trailer creation to a feature-length project, crafting its action sequences, his initial reservations about casting Skarsgård and why Benjamin was at the top of his " very short list " for Boy's inner voice.

Boy Kills World Became " Weirder " & " Crazier " Over The Years

Skarsgård and Benjamin's joint role as the titular protagonist isn't the only unique element of Boy Kills World , with Isaiah Mustafa's incomprehensible resistance fighter Benny, Brett Gelman's aspiring writer dictator Gideon, and Sharlto Copley's fast-talking dictator mouthpiece Glen all adding to the wild tone of the movie. Having first begun as a proof-of-concept trailer, Moritz recalled how the seven-year journey ultimately led to the project becoming " funnier, weirder " and " crazier ":

Moritz Mohr: We started this seven years ago as a proof-of-concept trailer, so we built this world and the story from scratch, piece by piece. Over the years, it just became funnier, weirder, crazier, so it was not really a choice of like, "Oh, this is gonna be my big feature debut." It was just like, "Yeah, it's not really a question." Or it wasn't a conscious decision, there was no other movie out there that I was like, "Oh, I should do this before." No, we really worked on this for a long time, so that's the main reason.

When it came to the actual action of the movie itself, Mohr worked closely with his action designer, David Szatarski, to similarly find the right tonal balance of " crazy and violent " for its bloody set pieces, and even cast Szatarski in one of the movie's more gut-busting sequences:

Moritz Mohr: Our action designer and director, David Szatarski, who was Dave in the factory fight. I've known him for 12 years, and we like the same action movies, we sort of have the same weird taste and keeping the fun in there. We talked through all the scenes in a way that was like,"Alright, what does the scene need here? Does it need to be serious? Or can it be fun? Does it have to convey another feeling? Should it be crazy and violent, or just violent, or just crazy?" You treat them a bit like musical numbers, and make them in a different way, different tonalities, and achieve different things with them. That was a long conversation over the years. In this case, that's how we did it. [Chuckles]

H. Jon Benjamin Was At The Top Of Mohr's " Very Short List " For Boy's Inner Voice

While Skarsgård is an acclaimed actor in his own right, Boy's status as a deaf-mute protagonist left Mohr with the opportunity to get creative with who voices the character. In crafting the list of just who should play the hero, the director not only had a " very short list " of names he hoped to get, but Benjamin was ultimately at the top of it:

Moritz Mohr: It was a very short list, and Jon Benjamin was on top of it, because I love him for the same reasons you love him. I'm a big Archer fan, I'm a big Bob's Burgers fan. We knew that the comedy would be an important part of this, and most of the comedy of this movie — or a lot of it — is in Boy's head, because the world and the story itself is serious. But yeah, so that was the reason, and it was literally, "I love H. Jon Benjamin, he would be a great voice for this." And that's why we chose him.

Mohr & His Team Had 1 Main Concern About Casting Skarsgård (& He " Overdelivered ")

Boy Kills World continues one of the best recent trends in the action genre of seeing a movie's star take the reins and do the majority of fight sequences and stunts themselves, with Skarsgård following in the footsteps of Keanu Reeves in John Wick , Bob Odenkirk in Nobody and Charlize Theron in Atomic Blonde , among others. For Mohr, he initially was reluctant to cast Skarsgård solely for the reason of being unsure whether he would be able to deliver on this front, only for the star to be " really committed " in his preparation:

Moritz Mohr: Bill is a terrific actor. The only thing we weren't sure at that point was, "Can he deliver on the action?" He basically just promised, "No, I'm gonna put in the work, I'm gonna get ripped, I'm gonna train, and I'm going to learn the choreography." Which is a huge commitment, because it's just months and months of training and rehearsing, and I'm so glad that he did it. He overdelivered sometimes, he was really committed to it, and I'm very lucky that he was, because I think the results are just phenomenal.

About Boy Kills World

Skarsgård stars as "Boy" who vows revenge after his family is murdered by Hilda Van Der Koy (Janssen), the deranged matriarch of a corrupt post-apocalyptic dynasty that left the boy orphaned, deaf and voiceless. Driven by his inner voice, one which he co-opted from his favorite childhood video game, Boy trains with a mysterious shaman (Ruhian) to become an instrument of death and is set loose on the eve of the annual culling of dissidents. Bedlam ensues as Boy commits bloody martial arts mayhem, inciting a wrath of carnage and blood-letting. As he tries to get his bearings in this delirious realm, Boy soon falls in with a desperate resistance group, all the while bickering with the apparent ghost of his rebellious little sister.

Check out our other Boy Kills World interviews with:

• Isaiah Mustafa & Andrew Koji
• Famke Janssen & Brett Gelman

Boy Kills World is now in theaters.

Source: Screen Rant Plus

Boy Kills World

Boy Kills World is an action thriller film by director Moritz Mohr, released in 2024. Set in a post-apocalyptic world, a young man simply known as "Boy" lives through terrible trauma after his family is killed by a woman named Hilda Van Der Koy, who currently rules the land. Now older and more bloodthirsty than ever, Boy heads into the fray to claim revenge while liberating the world from her tyrannical grasp.

The Hero’s Journey Defined Summary

This essay about the hero’s journey definition explores the concept of the monomyth as popularized by Joseph Campbell in his work “The Hero with a Thousand Faces.” The essay breaks down the hero’s journey into three main segments: Departure, Initiation, and Return, detailing the stages within each segment. It describes how the hero begins in an ordinary world, receives a call to adventure, and enters a special world where they face tests and challenges. Key stages such as the ordeal, reward, and the return with the elixir are discussed as crucial to the hero’s transformation and the story’s impact. The narrative pattern is shown to be prevalent across various cultures and effectively mirrors individual growth and life experiences. This analysis emphasizes the hero’s journey not only as a storytelling framework but also as a metaphor for personal development and the universal quest for meaning.

How it works

The notion of the hero’s odyssey, often denoted as the monomyth, constitutes an archetypal narrative construct that has permeated tales across diverse civilizations and epochs, ingraining its origins deeply within mythic chronicles. Popularized by Joseph Campbell in his seminal tome “The Hero with a Thousand Faces” (1949), the hero’s odyssey furnishes a broad, adaptable framework delineating the standard voyage of the archetype termed The Hero, the persona who embarks on extraordinary endeavors on behalf of the collective, tribe, or society.

The architecture of the hero’s odyssey is segmented into three principal divisions: Departure, Initiation, and Return. Within these delineations lie myriad stages encountered by the hero during their expedition. The odyssey commences in the hero’s mundane realm, where they receive a summons to embark on an adventure. This entreaty impels them to forsake their routine existence and traverse into a domain replete with supernatural marvels and adversities. The declination of the entreaty is a common preliminary phase, wherein the hero hesitates or rebuffs the summons owing to trepidation, self-doubt, or allegiance to the quotidian world.

Upon acquiescing to the summons, the hero traverses the inaugural threshold, penetrating the realm of the unknown or “special world,” where they confront trials, allies, and adversaries. This juncture of the odyssey is pivotal, catapulting the hero into a sequence of challenges that initiate their metamorphosis. Navigating this unfamiliar terrain, the hero acquires new proficiencies, assimilates knowledge, and adapts to confronting perils. This juncture often encompasses a central trial, wherein the hero contends with the paramount challenge of the expedition. The trial represents a pivotal midpoint that scrutinizes the hero to the utmost and frequently culminates in substantial personal or corporeal transformation.

Having endured the trial, the hero progresses to the stage of recompense, seizing the coveted boon—whether it be a tangible artifact, enlightenment, reconciliation, or self-actualization. The Return phase of the odyssey witnesses the hero journeying back to the mundane realm. This homeward sojourn may prove as hazardous as the outward expedition, at times necessitating a swift retreat with the treasure in tow. The hero’s return is seldom straightforward; it frequently entails a resurrection or re-examination wherein the hero must confront and surmount vestiges of their erstwhile, unsettled dilemmas resurrected from the depths of the special world.

The ultimate phase of the hero’s odyssey entails the homeward return with the elixir or boon to enrich the quotidian realm. This boon or elixir may manifest as a literal artifact or as knowledge or insight capable of enhancing the hero’s native realm. The hero’s return home signifies the culmination of the cycle, proffering restoration and rejuvenation to both the hero and the realm whence they hailed.

Across myriad cultures and epochs, the template of the hero’s odyssey has wielded profound influence, shaping the structure and character arcs of innumerable myths, novels, and cinematic productions. This narrative archetype not only serves as a conduit for structuring tales but also resonates on a profound level, mirroring the personal evolution and transformations experienced by individuals in life. Each phase of the odyssey may be construed as allegorical stages in an individual’s life expedition, rendering the hero’s odyssey not merely a storytelling mechanism but also a potent allegory for human development and the quest for personal metamorphosis.

In essence, the hero’s odyssey furnishes an enduring narrative framework that encapsulates fundamental human experiences and the pursuit of significance. It furnishes a robust framework within which narratives may be crafted and comprehended, reflecting the universal adversities and metamorphoses that typify the human condition.

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Yousef Alhaddad's Impact: VFX/3D Artist Behind the Scenes of Blockbuster Hits

I n the dynamic world of film production, where the names emblazoned on screens often overshadow the talents toiling behind the scenes, Yousef Alhaddad stands as one of the unsung heroes whose expertise fuels the magic of cinema. His journey from his roots in Saudi Arabia to his current professional endeavors in the United States is not just a tale of geographical transition but a narrative of cultural amalgamation and professional growth. Born and raised in the vibrant landscapes of Saudi Arabia, Yousef's journey reflects the interconnectedness of global talent and the boundless opportunities that arise from cross-cultural collaboration. Currently residing and working in the United States, Yousef embodies the spirit of cultural adaptability and the pursuit of excellence, with his professional trajectory marked by a commitment to excellence and a passion for meaningful collaboration.

Yousef Alhaddad, a VFX/3D Artist, possesses a wealth of experience in the field of 3D artistry, having excelled in various roles with skill and dedication. He began his journey as an intern at Made By Things, where he honed his skills in character modeling before quickly progressing to positions of increased responsibility. As a VFX/3D Artist at Eyeline Studios/Netflix, he lent his expertise to major projects such as 'Black Adam' and 'The Flash.'  

Throughout his diverse collaborations with Seedify Fund, BUCK Design, Otherworld, and Blackbook Studio, Yousef has consistently showcased his talent in 3D modeling, texturing, and rigging, enhancing both environments and characters. Whether creating immersive art installations, designing low-poly landscapes for Apple Maps, or developing avatars for digital platforms, Yousef's dedication to pushing creative boundaries remains steadfast, establishing him as a pillar in digital artistry.

During his tenure at Eyeline Studios/Netflix, Yousef held the crucial position of VFX/3D Artist for three significant projects, all of them blockbusters: 'Aquaman' and the 'Lost Kingdom' (2023), 'The Flash' (2023), and ‘Black Adam’ (2022). 'Aquaman' and the 'Lost Kingdom' (2023) soared to remarkable success, generating an impressive $434,381,226 at the box office, while 'The Flash' (2023) garnered immense success as well, amassing a staggering $271,333,313. Additionally, 'Black Adam' (2022) raked in an impressive $393,452,111. Yousef's meticulous attention to detail and technical expertise were instrumental in shaping the outcome of each production.

As a VFX/3D Artist for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Yousef played a vital role in bringing the underwater world of Atlantis to life with unparalleled realism. His proficiency in post-processing volume-captured geometry and textures significantly enhanced the film's visual impact, captivating audiences with a mesmerizing underwater experience.

Beyond the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, Yousef's journey is a testament to the transformative power of dedication and expertise. His work behind the scenes serves as a reminder that cinematic magic is often the result of countless hours of collaboration and innovation.

As Yousef Alhaddad continues to push the boundaries of visual storytelling, his contributions will undoubtedly shape the future of cinema, inspiring audiences and fellow creators alike. Behind every blockbuster hit lies a team of unsung heroes, and Yousef is undeniably among the brightest stars in the constellation of cinematic talent. His dedication and expertise have set him apart in the industry, showcasing the importance of hard work and innovation in creating unforgettable cinematic experiences.