Snow White and the Huntsman

“Mirror, mirror, on the wall...”

Snow White and the Huntsman features several set pieces that are really quite fun to look at. There are moments in particular where sheer creativity abounds, resulting in creatures and locations that are nothing short of eye candy. Such gorgeous visuals are most definitely this film’s greatest strength.

Alas, similar praise cannot be said of the story. While its efforts to remain (at least relatively) true to the original Grimm’s fairy tale were largely admirable, the script also suffered greatly at times because of it. In prose, it is very possible for a character to experience growth and change solely within the mind. The same cannot be said of film. In film, it must either be shown or spoken out loud in some way. Showing is always better, and the best way to do this is through the main character’s relationships with others.  

Snow White featured two such potential relationships: that of Prince William, and that of the Huntsman (whose real name was never actually said at any point during the film). Each worked only to diminish the other. Seeing as how both characters served essentially the same purpose, what would have been the harm in combining them? Not only would this have removed the awkwardly-placed love triangle (which was never really capitalized on, anyway), but it would have also improved the overall pacing of the film.

Speaking of pacing, there were several segments during the second act that were dangerously slow. This is often the result of ineffective subplots, which often exist for the sole reason of explaining away the unnecessary characters and/or events. Such things are best left out of the story for the sake of clarity. However, while these less effective characters/subplots were certainly big problems, they were not the worst. The worst problem here would have to be the film’s theme, or more accurately, lack thereof.

A film’s theme is essentially what the film is about, as seen through the eyes of the individual writing it. In this case, I have to wonder how the inherent theme of this story could have been so blatantly missed. The theme should have been that true beauty is on the inside. This would have made the evil Queen’s ambitions tragically pathetic, while providing the protagonist with a clear character flaw—in that she sees no beauty within herself. This could have made for a very remarkable (and very fitting) character arc.

Now enter the Huntsman/Prince, able to see in her what she cannot see in herself. This relationship enables her to realize her full potential... while the same thing happens in reverse. The Huntsman/Prince (himself a drunkard and a brawler) is also lacking in purpose and direction. But then Snow White, whose pure heart is able to see past such outward flaws, enables him to step up... and prove himself as well.   

Overall, while it may have been a beautiful and creative film to look at, its story left much to be desired.

Battleship

“The battle for Earth begins at sea.”

This is a film that has visual effects. Some of those visual effects are actually pretty cool. Some were even, I dare say, fairly creative. (Like the whirly, spiky, metallic ball of doom—I mean, what better way is there to take out the populous of a city than that?) Unfortunately, this is all Battleship really has to offer.

So why two stars then, if there was no real value to the story? Here’s my reason: a few of my points are awarded for certain technical proficiencies. They can be a very effective part of the storytelling process. Here, there were some of those proficiencies, and even some creativity... hence, the score it received.

But as far as the story is concerned, Battleship greatly suffers. Because of the myriad of problems from almost every aspect of its script, all we can really do is examine the bigger issues—starting with plot.

This film’s plot rarely ever made sense. Things were happening, but there was really no rhyme or reason to any of it. Never mind the aliens’ horribly ill-conceived invasion plan (or our horribly ill-conceived plan for welcoming visitors from another world); what was the deal with their weirdly-inconsistent passive-aggressive takeover strategy? Why shoot whirly-spiky balls into the middle of a defenseless city, but not destroy a fully-armed battleship that was well within range? Why did they allow any humans to live? (Also, heaven help us if we’re ever actually attacked by a ferocious, whirly-spiky A.I. system that can’t tell the difference between an armed battleship and a completely inanimate set of overpass supports.)

Anyway, let’s move on to the characters. The main character is a failure of a person who somehow finds purpose in life after being forced into the Navy. His flaw is that he lacks in humility; which, by the end, he overcomes... although the process by which this occurs is largely indiscernible. His arch-nemesis of sorts, a Japanese sailor, should have been the one to help him change into a better person. But, as they were mostly the same kind of person, they could only ever relate to, but never really change each other.

Now, here’s an idea that would have made for a very interesting approach to this film’s overall theme. Instead of humbling only the protagonist, what if the goal had been to humble everyone on the planet?  

For one, it would have actually given the aliens a purpose. I mean, suppose they had come in peace... only we fired first? They then respond by shutting down all weapons on the planet, and destroying all aggressors. Only the humble survive. A very real change would have been required of our protagonist!

And believe it or not, the set-ups for this were actually in place. They never attacked passive creatures, they only assaulted at one point to save one of their own. While physically on board the ship, it looked like they were trying to disable a weapons system. The whirly-spiky balls only targeted threats, etc. etc. See what I mean? Plus, There could have been an amazing moment where the main character’s heart visibly changed from red to green (aggressive to passive), through the viewport of an alien’s visor.

Instead, it appears the producers opted out of true story potential for the chance to blow stuff up.

Dark Shadows

“Every family has its demons.”

Visually speaking, this was a stunning film to watch. Tim Burton’s productions are often a visual treat, and Dark Shadows is no exception. Between the movie’s captivating production design and some clever costuming, there was no shortage of aesthetic appeal at any point during the show. Another admirable trait would be Johnny Depp’s precision performance as the lead character, Barnabas Collins. It was clear that he took advantage of every possible opportunity for timing and wit the screenplay had to offer him.

Speaking of wit, there are moments in the film that were actually quite funny, due in no small part to the story’s basic premise. But unfortunately, this is all the screenplay really has to boast of. As far as the story’s structure and theme are concerned, it’s a mess. I’ll try to explain... but first, a word about tone.

Dark Shadows has been labeled and advertised as a comedy—which it was. But the first 15-20 minutes weren’t humorous at all... rather, everything leading up to the first real laugh worked to establish a dark, very creepy undertone. This is a dangerous game for a comedy to play. Generally speaking, if you can’t get your audience to laugh within the first 5 minutes, you run the risk of not getting them to laugh at all.

Now, about the movie’s theme: it clearly established from the beginning that family is most important. That’s just fine... it’s a good, solid theme to work with. The only problem is that most of the film ends up being about something entirely different—a doomed love triangle. Let it be said that a romantic subplot can be easily worked into a family-themed and oriented story, but only if it remains just that: a subplot.

What we’re left with instead is a main character with no relational growth towards the theme at all. If anything, he digresses—instead of bringing his family closer together, he breaks them further apart. His reasoning is that they dishonored the family name. Well, that’s close... but not quite there, is it? Not to mention that his romantic interest really has nothing to do with the family at all, other than the fact that she was guided there earlier by the ghost of Barnabas’ previous lover, who she just happens to look like.

Ok, so there’s a myriad of other problems to go along with that... but let’s just work with what we have. Let’s keep the original theme—that family is most important. Only, Barnabas doesn’t like his new family. They’re distanced by two centuries of culture. Enter the romantic interest. She loves the new family—especially since her own family disowned her as a child. Through this love interest, Barnabas begins to love his new family, too, just in time to come together and fight off the evil witch Angelique... together.

This may not solve all of the story’s problems, but it would at least be a decent start. It would have given the protagonist a much clearer character arc, the romantic relationship a whole lot more meaning, and the overall story a much more coherent theme—and still have plenty (if not more) room for the humor.

Overall, while it is a visually gorgeous film, it unfortunately failed on several levels of storytelling.

The Avengers

“Avengers, assemble!”

It is my personal belief that for a film to be good, it must be first and foremost entertaining. But unlike the mindless, sense-destroying spectacle that often masquerades in its place, true entertainment on the big screen is that which genuinely engages me as an audience member—and perhaps more importantly, as a human being. There are a lot of ways to connect on this level, and humor is definitely one of them.

The Avengers has managed to bring something entirely new to the table of superhero movies—the fact that it was actually funny. And we’re not just talking here or there, but throughout most of the film. This is a rare achievement for an action flick, but as the box office can testify, one not to be underestimated. (Also, it’s a fairly safe bet to say that laughter will always be welcome in a movie over two hours long.)  

While I believe this to be one of the greatest attributes of The Avengers, it is by no means the only one. The film works on an astonishing number of levels, the most impressive of which includes balancing six protagonists, giving the better portion of them character arcs, and then presenting an antagonist that is actually able to threaten a world that has six active superheroes in it. This is not an easy formula. In fact, as far as screenwriting is concerned, Avengers must have been nothing short of a nightmare!

There is one issue I have with this film. Despite its many accomplishments, I found myself thinking as I left the theater, “That was cool. It was smart, it was fun, it was witty... but ultimately, what am I taking away from it?” The story seems to be lacking the kind of message that can be truly thought-provoking. While the heroes did find deeper meaning for themselves, there was nothing deeper for the audience.

But here’s the thing: would there be any way to implement this kind of message without changing the basic nature of the film? I’m not entirely sure there is. Had they tried, it might have resulted in a story much too convoluted to fit neatly into one film—and not to mention possibly destroying its entire tone. Avengers has so many good things going for it that perhaps, in this case, it was better they left it alone. Still, as it is something I have seen successfully done in this genre before, it was something I missed.

Overall, this was a wonderfully smart and entertaining film, full of surprisingly good structure and wit.

The Hunger Games

“May the odds be ever in your favor...”

The Hunger Games has the excellent advantage of having an entire world setting that plays against the theme of the story. Not only do the people struggle day by day to survive under normal circumstances, but do so under the tyrannical rule of a government that demands entertainment and/or discipline by means of an annually-televised blood sport. The characters are ultimately fighting for life, not death.

So in a world that no longer regards a person’s basic right to live as sacred, but rather revokes it for the sake of entertaining the masses, just how meaningful can life be, anyway? For the audience, it becomes a very powerful driving force, and one that keeps us riveted from the very start. Admittedly, I had hoped for a greater upsetting of the government by the end, but seeing as how this is part of a series, I can only assume it takes place at a later point in the storyline. (I can’t say for sure, as I haven’t read the books.)

The script was really quite exceptional, with only the occasional oddball moment or two of exposition. I’m reminded of the encounter with the deadly ‘Tracker Jackers.’ The announcers were like, oh, right... the wasps... “Um, these are really dangerous and cause delusions and can kill you.” And back to the story! The simplest fix would’ve been to place this info closer to the beginning, during survival training.

My biggest issue with this story has to do with the internal arc of the protagonist, Katniss Everdeen—in that there really isn’t one. Introduced early on as a person already willing to sacrifice herself for others, there was never any real chance for her to grow and develop at any point during the games. Yes, there are touching moments—but they’re a reflection of the goodness already inside her, rather than on her own personal growth. What she accomplishes at the end, she was perfectly capable of in the beginning.

The solution to this might have been to give her an internal conflict that also played against the theme. Perhaps she could have been resistant to attaching herself to the lives of others, possibly as a result of her father’s untimely death. In this way, she would have had to learn to choose life over death all over again, only this time understanding that she cannot do it alone. This would have given her relationships throughout the film much more meaning, and given her a chance to really grow internally as a person.

Overall, this was a very engaging story with a strong plot and a genuinely thought-provoking message. 

Hello, everyone!

Hello everyone, and welcome to my brand-new weblog!

The purpose of this site is to offer a series of movie reviews, but with a twist… 

See, as an aspiring screenwriter, I have to examine films in a way that differs (either slightly or hugely, depending) from how a typical film critic would look at the movies. My emphasis must be placed on the foundation, rather than on the final product as a whole. This is not to say that the rest isn’t important—obviously, it is—but if the story upon which a film is constructed isn’t solid, it will inevitably collapse.

It is the test of time that consistently proves this theory correct. It may be that a sensational new film is a huge hit when it first hits the theaters, but after only a few short months, it all but disappears from our memories entirely. The reverse has also happened—some films were absolutely not a hit with audiences upon their initial theatrical release, but rather grew into greatness over the course of several years.

This is the advantage of a strong foundation. It provides the framework of a film with enough stability to endure the harsh winds of criticism, yet still remain mostly intact afterwards. Sure, there will always be minor flaws in every film, but akin to losing no more than a few shingles from off the roof after a heavy storm, such flaws are often largely forgivable—the house still stands, the treasures inside preserved.

That being said, on to the twist!

Not only will this blog examine the quality of a given film’s screenplay, but it will also take a stab at how that screenplay could have been improved, should it have garnered a poor response from audiences. I’ll also try to explain some of the more powerful mechanics behind more successful film releases as well. All in all, the focus here will be on story… and whether or not a script deserves a decent story score.  
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