And thus we begin our Best of 2010 series with the Best Villains of 2010!
3. "Mother Gothel" from Tangled
Disney has always been a bountiful
supplier of classic villains, and if their latest addition, Mother Gothel, doesn't quite reach the same heights as her competitors, there may be a reason for that. She doesn't quite have as much of a dark vision of evil, because she's trying to appeal to Rapunzel and as a kind mother. What makes her evil are not her looks, but her acts. She has no real magical powers at her disposal, but instead has her charming demeanor to her. She plants small seeds that won't truly come to fruition until later in Tangled, and then it makes sense to all of us. Even taking away all her scheming, look at what she does on the most basic level. She steals a beautiful little girl from her crib, keeps her locked away from the world, and then (SPOILER ALERT) kills Rapunzel's true love! She actually murders him and causes his death! What a b****!2. "Voldemort" from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
From the first time Ralph Fiennes
appeared on screen in Goblet of Fire, out of thin air and smoke, my first impression was "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH HIS NOSE!" The lack of a nose already makes it such a disturbing vision. The way Fiennes carries himself on screen is absolutely fantastic. The first and most substantial scene we get with him had me nailed to my seat with suspense. You get the idea of how cruel and evil this guy is. His whole mob session is played with a charisma and easy seduction of his guests. They simultaneously idolize and fear him, and as he walks around in search of a wand, everyone cowers in absolute fright. His cruelty to all human beings, not the least of which is poor Charity Burbage, is second to only one this year. Remember that part in the book where he feeds Miss Burbage to his snake Nagini? He feeds her to his snake!!!!!1. "Lotso" from Toy Story 3
The other two villains on this list may
have a higher body count, but sheer menace can go a long way, and even further if it's in the form of a plush teddy bear. One of the most fantastic things about the final film in the Toy Story saga was the southern accented Lotso-Huggin-Bear who presides over the toys at Sunnyside Day Care. The fact that he turns out to be a villain at all makes this installment all the more shocking. He could've easily turned out to be another Stinky Pete, but instead his backstory was done with lovely hues and melancholy string melodies, not to mention the cruelty of the life of a toy. The choice of lighting in most of his scenes is absolutely breathtaking, and there's never been a character that's had such distinct texture to him. His fur is old and frayed in unique ways. As always, it's what he does that earns him his place here. Tricking our heroes into a life of imprisonment and slavery, and then condemning them to death is as cruel as it gets. On top of that, this is a kid's film. We grew up with most of these toys, and Lotso manages to make just as much of an impact in just one film. The menace he holds in his hunched figure dominates any other villain this year.
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