In a scene from the film "Mimic," a woman relates this dating horror story to a friend: The guy seemed nice, she says, but then she caught him slipping something into her drink. "You don't know who anybody is anymore," she laments. Amen to that. At least when it comes to popular sci-fi movies. In the "X-Men" series, a mutant can instantly morph -- no sweat -- into someone else. In "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" (1991), the menacing T-1000 Terminator can take the form of person, a floor, and can even squeeze through prison-like bars. In "Mimic" (1997), the disgruntled dater's statement takes on a whole new meaning when giant, genetically-engineered insects cleverly fold into the size and shape of humans. Welcome to the world of cinematic shape-shifting, where characters, usually villians, can change form -- the better to trick you, my dear -- and things often are not what they seem. Shape-shifting is especially hot this summer. What will probably be the season'sfour biggest movies -- "X2" "The Matrix Reloaded," "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" (arriving July 2) and "The Hulk" (arriving June 20) -- all feature characters that change from one form to another. There's nothing new about shape-shifting. Think vampires, werewolves, heck, even the Wonder Twins, those kitschy cartoon stars of the 1970s who joined hands to conjure up their powers with the phrase "Wonder Twin powers: Activate!" But the way shape-shifting is portrayed in modern movies is different from shape-shifting in traditional lore, says Brad Steiger, author of "The Werewolf Book: The Encyclopedia of Shape-Shifting Things" (Visible Ink Press, $19.95). The age-old stories often dealt with humans taking animal form. "Cave paintings in France that were recently discovered had humans with heads of animals," Steiger says. Native Americans often donned costumes including the head and skin of, say, a wolf, and did dances in an attempt to understand a wolf and learn its hunting skills. People took something positive from the transformation, he says. But the latest cinematic shape-shifting works the other way, with non-human villains taking human form to deceive and defeat us. The shape-shifting power "almost always shows up on the side of the villain," says Den Shewman, a writer for Creative Screenwriting magazine. In "X2," the female mutant Mystique takes the form of a beautiful woman to seduce and kill the guard who keeps fellow mutant Magneto locked up. Then, taking the form of the guard, she springs her comrade. In "Species," a half-human, half-alien takes a fetching human form to seduce a couple human mates whom she ends up killing. In "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" (1991), the T-1000 impersonates a police officer to easily gather information on his prey -- John Connor, the would-be human savior in the battle against the machines. In "Terminator 3," the T-1000 becomes a female shape-shifter known as T-X. No doubt she will be seducing and killing heavy-breathing males. A "Matrix Reloaded" chase scene uses shape-shifting in a different way. There's no deception. Sunglasses-clad, firearms-toting agents for the Matrix simply take over the bodies of people in proximity to Neo, Trinity and Morpheus and start fighting. Still, it's a machines vs. man construction, Steiger says. And what better way to dramatize our fears about computerization -- and scientific meddling, for that matter -- than to have machines and genetically engineered beings pose as us? Shape-shifting is a popular plot device, Steiger says, because it speaks to another fundamental human concern: "Who can you trust?" "If you can't trust someone who looks like you, that is truly fearsome," he says. It makes sense that there are so many shape-shifting stories these days because people don't know their neighbors and maybe don't even spend much time with their families. "You don't sit on the porch anymore," he says. "You never really know someone in today's society." And it makes sense for evil shape-shifters to be the spawn of machines or genetic experiements because there's plenty of paranoia when it comes to computerization and scientific advancement. But Ron Alcalay, a film history lecturer at Loyola-Marymount University in California, suspects the prevalence of shape-shifting films has more to do with "lazy screenwriting" and a reliance on special effects than the portrayal of deep, dark human fears. Morphing looks "very cool" when it's done well, he says, but too often "the technology is leading the narrative." In "X2," he points out, when Mystique wants to access computer files, she simply takes the form of someone with access to the files so she can copy them. No fuss. Alcalay would rather see that goal achieved in a more clever way, not "through some magical technique." He also thinks shape-shifting is such an "ultimate superpower" that "it starts to beg the question of: "If someone shape-shifts, does that just make them invulnerable?"' Not necessarily, says Shewman. If a movie uses shape-shifting well, there are rules governing the power to keep fights fair between shape-shifters and their adversaries. In "Terminator 2," for example, Arnold Schwarzenegger explains what the malevolent T-1000 can and can't do. It can only take the form of people of equal size. It can't turn itself into a bomb. It can, however, suddenly sprout "knives and stabbing objects." Even Mystique, who so effortlessly segues from form to form -- in "X2" she practically parodies herself in one scene by becoming several characters in rapid-fire succession -- has limitations. Yes, she breezes right into the computer station, but she has to act fast because the women she is impersonating could show up at any moment. That could be awkward, especially if they're wearing the same outfit. Shewman notes that any plot device can be abused. The important thing, he says, is to give heroes and their foes the right balance of strengths and flaws so that the audience has "an enjoyable ride." |