When the lead character dies

Sad but true, lead characters die, too. But, it doesn’t mean they become less important. In fact they are valued the most, because their death means a lot to the viewers. Although the ending turns out to be unpleasant, the death of a lead character is sometimes needed to bring out the essence of the movie. Here are some movie lead characters that have been laid to rest, but not forgotten by its viewers:

Jack of Titanic. A love story set at what is believed to be the “unsinkable ship”, Titanic. Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Rose (Kate Winslet), both young and adventurous meet in the luxury ship and fall in love. Against her mother’s will, since she’s engaged to her rich fiancé Cal (Billy Zane), Rose is determined to break all rules just to be with Jack. When the Titanic tragedy happens, Jack dies. Rose lives, holding with her the memories of the Titanic and her beloved Jack. Now, she is ready to tell the story… at least before she dies.

Richard and Elise of Somewhere in Time. Is finding love in a different time dimension possible? Richard Collier (Christopher Reeve) is a playwright who tries to search for the woman he loves — a stage actress in a portrait dated 1910. There’s no other way to find her but through time travel. Richard dares do this and finds the woman in the portrait, Elise Mc Kenna (Jane Seymour). They fall in love. An incident leads Richard back to the time where he is supposed to be. Now, he is desperately seeking ways to go back to Elise’s time, but can’t. He gets weak and sick, then dies smiling because he sees Elise waiting for him. 

Harry of Armageddon. Harry (Bruce Willis) and his team of expert drillers try to save the world from a huge asteroid about to hit Earth. Everything is planned well. They go up to space, attach an explosive to the asteroid, and destroy it into pieces. But sometimes things don’t go as planned. Something goes wrong with the explosive device. Someone should go back, fix it and sacrifice his life. Harry decides to do so. The part when he was saying goodbye to his daughter Grace (Liv Tyler) via satellite is truly touching and heart-breaking. 

Jamie of A Walk to Remember. Landon (Shane West), a happy-go-lucky guy is set to have community service and join the school play as punishment. He meets the Reverend’s daughter Jamie (Mandy Moore), a responsible, good girl.  They fall in love. All seems well, until Landon discovers that Jamie is sick and that she doesn’t have much time. He marries  Jamie and tries to make her last days with him memorable. After a while, Jamie dies, but their love for each other still lives within them.   

All characters of Final Destination. “No one escapes death,” that is what the movie wants to point out. Even the lead characters are not spared as the sequel continues. The plot is that for every freaky accident, survivors are not really survivors, they just escape death at that time, but it won’t be long until death haunts them. Final Destination truly gives viewers the creeps and paranoia about death. So hold on to dear life…

Sam of Ghost. This is a  love story combined with the paranormal. Sam (Patrick Swayze) is killed in his bestfriend’s plot involving an amount of money. His girlfriend Molly (Demi Moore) is shocked and depressed. When he finds the spirit medium Oda Mae (Whoopi Goldberg), Sam uses her to communicate with Molly. It’s strange at first, but with enough proofs, Molly finally believes Sam is in Oda Mae’s body. They solve Sam’s case. When it’s time for Sam to go, he gets the chance to appear before Molly once again.

Thomas of My Girl. Thomas (Macaulay Culkin) and Vada (Anna Chlumsky) are the best of friends. But when Thomas is bitten by bees while searching for Vada’s lost ring, he doesn’t survive the allergic reaction. Vada panics. Eventually, she copes by finding a new friend, but the memory of Thomas remains with her. She wears the ring Thomas sacrificed his life for. 

Maggie of City of Angels. Is it possible for an angel and a human to fall in love? The movie tells the story of an angel named Seth (Nicolas Cage) who falls in love with Maggie (Meg Ryan), a heart surgeon.  The possibility of a life together,  however,  is impossible. When Seth gets the chance to be human he is so excited to finally surprise Maggie. But, Maggie meets an accident that ends her life. Maybe it’s  Maggie’s turn to become an angel to guide Seth. What a twist! 

Chris of What Dreams May Come. When Chris (Robin Williams) dies, he found all his dead loved ones in heaven including his dog. But when his wife committed suicide, she landed in hell. Now Chris will do everything to save his wife from hell.

William of Brave Heart. Like heroes who sacrificed their lives for freedom, William Wallace (Mel Gibson) is up with full armor and courage to free Scotland from its rulers. When Wallace is captured and is about to be beheaded, he bravely shouts, “Freedom!” His death becomes an inspiration for others to continue their fight for freedom.

(The article is dedicated to my dad, Johnny Chuyaco who passed away last June 22. Like the lead characters of the above-mentioned films, he will never be forgotten. Dad, may your soul rest in peace.)