Monday, January 19, 2015

Concept: Red Hill - A plot Summary for a proposed fantasy action blockbuster



They call them the Garfish. But these were more than just sea creatures. They were ruthless pirates preying on defenseless island nations in the East Indies. Their ships were adored with sharp battering rams, their soldiers wielded spears, and for the longest time they were unstoppable. Year after year they came, killing men, raping women, kidnapping children, unless the villagers present a "protection tribute". Every few years during the monsoon, the Pirates would return to the island of Temasek and demand a tribute of gold and resources. Should those be in sufficient, the Garfish would take young men to be sold as slaves, girls to be prostituted. And for as long as one could remember, the chief's had given in to those demands in exchange for peace. 


But enough was enough. The younger son and elder daughter of the chief of Temasek (always having to hide in the northern hills) had grown weary of this endless cycle. The son tries to unite the tribes of temasek to fight back against the invaders but to no avail while the daughter yearns to leave this troubled island for a faraway land of peace. One day the son encounters a boy in the forests. A pale hermit with golden hair and uncanny knowledge about military tactics. He befriends the chief's son and provides him the opportunity to strike back at their pirate oppressors.
Together, they rally the villagers and begin to train the young and able bodied in the art of warfare. All the while, the chief's son and the hermit develop a bond of brotherhood. 

The fair skinned hermit displays uncanny combat skills and strategic planning. Together the two unite the outlying villagers, gathering men of all trades into an army; the hermit providing the training, the chief's son rousing their spirits with passionate speeches. As more young men join the war effort, the son and the hermit earn the nicknames "prince" and "ghost"; one a budding leader, the other an answer to the prayers of an oppressed people. As part of the defense of Temasek, the Prince and the Ghost order the construction of a barrier along the coastline. Consisting of sharpened tree trunks angled out toward the sea, this barrier would have to be positioned just below the tide. 

Construction is not easy. Tempers flare, tension mounts and old rivalries are laid bare. However through his strength and his companion's timely advice, the Prince is able to quell such dissent and strengthen the bonds between villagers. .Into this grueling age, the chief's daughter develops close feelings for the hermit. She believes he is a foreigner who would be able to whisk her away from the life of misery she has known since birth. The chief's daughter tries to win Ghost's affection but it becomes clear that he has no interest in her and only grows closer to the Prince. The Prince and the Ghost grow inseparable, with Ghost becoming highly protective of the Prince. Challenges to his leadership are quickly and violently put down by the skilled hermit.the biggest challenge came from the Prince's father, the chief. He tries to sway the people into believing that the plan to fight back would backfire, resulting in greater loss of lives and a fierce retribution from the Pirates that would leave the island a burnt out, lifeless land. The prince becomes convinced by the Ghost that it was the chief who planted his loyalists among the Prince's army and caused the initial dissension. When a heated argument shakes the Prince's resolve, his friend the hermit assassinates the chief, accusing him of holding back the prince from his full potential. It is here that we see that the Ghost may be something other than human as he exhibits a dark power and uses its influence to convince the guards of treachery perpetrated by Garfish assassins. 

In time, a wall of sharpened branches angled out to sea is constructed, the army of temasek stands ready. Trouble brews on the Homefront though. The chief's daughter continues her attempts to convince Ghost to leave Temasek with her. When Ghost makes it clear he intends to stay after Temasek is freed the chief's daughter becomes increasingly desperate. She resents Ghost for spurning her advances and for becoming the sibling to her brother that she never was. When he violently rejects her attempted at seduction, her resentment turns to hatred. Her brother too ignores her, regarding her as childish unfocused and disloyal. 

At the appointed time, the Garfish return, The prince and his entourage meet with a Garfish envoy just off the coast. But instead of bowing to their demands, the prince kills the envoy and retreats to Temasek through a hidden gap in the spiked wall. In a rage at this treachery, the pirate leader sends most of his fleet to destroy the villages. With only bloodlust on their minds, the Pirates blindly advance only for their ships to crash against the hidden wall of spikes. Ships are smashed, bodies impaled, and while the attackers wallow in confusion, the prince's army reveals itself and charge towards the water's edge slaying without mercy. The pain and anger over Years of suffering are unleashed against the hapless invaders in a bloody carnage that stains the sands red. It is a great battle, one that would be told and retold for generations to come. In the end, only the pirate leader and his ship's crew are left having waded to a secluded swamp to escape the battle. Unknown to them, their escape was spotted by the chief's daughter who was overlooking the battle from a nearby hill.

Night came and the villagers celebrate their victory. Under cover of darkness, the chief's daughter meets up with the pirate captain and promises him the chance for vengeance in exchange for making her a part of his crew. She sees the Pirates as the only way to fulfil her dream of leaving Temasek and to exact revenge on the one who spurned her. They find the Ghost in his secluded hut on a hill but it seems he is ready for them. At that time, the Prince had no interest in the festivities. Shaken by the deaths he had caused, he goes out searching for his companion for advice and comfort. He hears the sound of battle coming from the hill and runs to investigate

There he comes across massacred pirates, the pirate leader disarmed, his terrified sister, and a demonic form that used to be Ghost. Ghost has revealed his true supernatural nature and proceeds to drain the blood of the pirate leader. The Princes sister begs the prince to kill Ghost, claiming innocence. Ghost silences her by decapitaiton before returning to his human form.

Prince and Ghost share a tense moment. Ghost does not try to explain the presence of his sister or how she tried to kill him, he only asks if Prince will accept him after seeing his true nature. Racked with grief and confusion, Prince charges at his former friend fueled by rage. The scuffle is brief but surreal. Ghost lies dead, princes mind snaps under the trauma of losing everyone close to him. As he sits crying, blood issues forth from the dead bodies and soaks the soil of the hill. Camera pulls back to reveal the soil slowly turning blood red. The red fills the screen just before the end credits roll. 

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