Both Storey and Dyer's analyses of Mulvey's essay 'Visual pleasure and narrative cinema' seek to explore Mulvey's claims about spectator's theory. Storey is primarily concerned with the 'male gaze' and how the female body is erotically presented within film. Dyers brings in aspects of what could be termed the 'female gaze' – he talks about the film 'Picnic' and how the main male character frequently takes his shirt off, as if presenting himself for female spectators. However, Dyer himself also seems to disprove of this comparison later in the essay by referencing Mary Ann Doane's quote: 'female spectator is a concept, not a person'. There is no such thing as a 'female gaze', he seems to say. Male displays of power and ideal body types in film is a male power fantasy. As Storey says, the male spectator looks to these male characters as a reflection of themselves, thus they serve as an ego boost for the male audience rather than an erotic image for women.
Storey's focus is on the idea of fetishization of the female body to moviegoers, and when he speaks of the male audience he talks about them identifying themselves with the power fantasy these men present in terms of a sexual nature. However, Dyer's power fantasy encompasses the male ego as a whole – as a pillar of strength for his female counterpart that '[fights] for his family'. He considers how the audience, both male and female, identify with their favourite stars and attempt to emulate them.
Both Storey's and Dyer's texts on Mulvey's essay suggest that Mulvey's message was about male empowerment in cinema film, exploring it and describing why it needs to change. Whilst Storey focuses on the male ideal in erotic settings and how this is problematic and detrimental to the female star, Dyer's evaluation is broader in terms of his handling of the male ego. He touches on eroticism, but extensively explores other reflections of themselves that moviegoers see in film.
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