What if the villains were actually the good guys?

Slide show: Every classic story has two sides. From "Star Wars" to "Oz" we look at the best revisionist takes

Published February 19, 2011 1:01AM (EST)

Every once in a while, a writer or a filmmaker will revisit a classic story with a new perspective that makes us rethink everything we thought we knew about it. The destruction of the Death Star was a terrorist act. Superman was a spineless, corrupt tool of U.S. foreign policy. And Satan was misunderstood.

These are a few of the counter-claims made in revisionist versions of classic stories. We've assembled some choice examples in this slide show, which was inspired by "The Last Ringbearer," a Russian revision of "The Lord of the Rings" that portrays Mordor as a haven of science and reason, and the wizard Gandalf as a power-mad agent of superstition. Add your own favorites in the comments section -- and if Glinda the Good Witch of the North offers to make you popular, run like hell.


By Matt Zoller Seitz

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