What elements make warrior teams appealing?

[karsten]

A really interesting current thread in the Films subforum asks which warrior teams we all find most memorable:

http://messageboard.donedealpro.com/...ad.php?t=68726

From a screenwriter's point of view, what elements do you think make such groups compelling?

Harbinger offers an interesting thought:

the best warrior line-ups are always those with a diverse range of powers/weaponry.

I'd say that's certainly true. That's one reason why the original Predator team is so interesting; also because they embody different archetypes.

What else makes for effective teams, either in terms of characterization or plot points?

I have a few thoughts, but I wonder what perspectives others may have.

For characters:

-a genuinely heroic number one, a true alpha, born-leader type
-a loyal number two
-alternatively, or in addition to this, a rebellious number two, who yearns to be the leader -- which creates interesting tension
-a Hercules type (think Little John, or Jesse Ventura in Predator)
-one of the team members might be good as comic relief (the Irishman in Wallace's Braveheart contingent)

For plot points:

-moments for the sundry members of the team to display their unique, individual skills,
-moments that exhibit effective group action
-moments that do indicate that the leader is degrees of "awesomeness" above the rest

Other thoughts?

[Bairn_Writer]

Re: What elements make warrior teams appealing?

I think the most important thing is that all members of their team have their own personalities, as with all characters. Think of The Magnificent Seven, you have the young one wanting to be cool like his heroes, the one convinves their is money in it, the one who has lost his nerve and wants to get it back/go down figthing etc. Each has a trait that makes him interesting and fits in with his part in the team and how he act in the dynamic towards the overall goal.

I don't think you necessarily have to then fit them into specific stereotypes, number 2 etc, its what works well with each other and towards the overall goal.

[Mr. Earth]

Re: What elements make warrior teams appealing?

In a simple sense, a team needs to be fragments of a whole. In other words, if you imagined the traits of a "perfect" being, whatever or however that needs to be constituted into the realm of your story, and then divided those traits up among different characters, you would automatically have a perfect team. And by doing this, you are guaranteeing that the audience can relate to and root for at least one character of that team.

When these traits haven't been so clearly and cleanly divided, the movies have usually suffered.

[emily blake]

Re: What elements make warrior teams appealing?

Do they look cool while beat up, carrying weapons and walking in slow motion in a line?