A 'Kick Ass' Lament

by Tristan Mahlow

Hello everybody,
now something I won't do very often for this blog: a movie review. I just feel very strongly about this particular film and just want to express my opinion about it. But nonetheless I think there is something to be learned from this.

A short plot summary: The movie begins with the loser Dave, trying to fight crime. It starts as a typical High-School-Comedy - but after the first 20 minutes the movie doesn't know what to do anymore. Entrance: Hit-Girl and Big Daddy! But they are everything this movie tries to subvert. They have that tragic back-story, more than enough money, own high-end gadgets and fight harder and better than most Summer-Blockbuster-Heroes.
Alas, the movie is called 'Kick-Ass' and so the charakter Dave is dragged through the rest of the movie like dead weight. His role? Watching others fight - which is rather boring for him and the viewer.
The whole script shifts undecided between Dave and his teenage problems and the unrealistsic, over-the-top part of Hit-Girl. It seems as if the script did not trust his own hook. So over time, it just degenerates into a incoherent mess of deliberate graphic violence and nerd-fantasy.

What is the supposed meaning of the movie (every movie has one, even this one). Do you have to be crazy to be a superhero in this world? The movie doesn't care about that! Can one human being change the world? To which 'Kick-Ass' answers: ... when your gun is big enough.

Note to myself: After developing a High-Concept-Hook (a normal loser tries to be a superhero) I should stick with it; tell my story around this hook. If I can not fill a script without other characters taking over the show, I should revise my initial idea.

Excuse my rant! I am curious: Can you understand my concerns about the story of 'Kick-Ass'? Or do I see something totally wrong?

Looking forward to your comments,
- Tristan

References: IMDb (8.0/10); Rotten Tomatoes (76%); Wiki;

'The Troll Hunter' - The Goal

by Tristan Mahlow 

Hi. 

Back from another movie night with a friend of mine.

This time we watched the interesting Norwegian mockumentary 'The Troll Hunter' (Trolljegeren). The plot in a nutshell: A group of young students make a documentary about a troll hunter.
But after the  first half hour we asked ourselves: What is the goal of that movie? The initial curiosity vanished (we see the first troll about 15 minutes into the film) - now we demanded something more from the movie!  But we were just shown the journey of the young protagonists. There was no clear goal they wanted to reach and so our tension to find out what happened waned after that first 30 minutes. Close to the end the story got more drive, when they had to find out, why the trolls are fleeing from their natural habitats, but this was way too far into the movie to generate much tension anymore.

Note to myself: Let my viewers know - early on - to what goal the protagonists work. Only that way tension can be created!

Have a nice day,
- Tristan

 Wiki; Rotten Tomatoes (N/A%); IMDb (7,4/10); Official Site;

'The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising' - The Passive Hero

by Tristan Mahlow  


Hello everybody!

I am here to talk about another observation that has been bugging me for a while. Sometime ago I was watching 'The Seeker', which was beautifully shot, but oh so lacking in the story department. Thinking about the movie and why it fell so flat, the thing that annoyed me the most, was the protagonist.

Will is your typical Cookie-Cutter-Underdog-Hero, living with his five siblings in a small house, nobody at school takes notice of him - he is a loser. But suddenly it turns out he posses magical powers. What a surprise!

When Will gets attacked, he is saved by a group of ancient wizards protecting the world from evil. They tell him, that he is the seeker and has to find the six signs of the Light - yeah, it is that kind of story. So, before the villain finds these signs, Will starts looking for them. 

So, Will can not protect himself and depends on the help of some old wizards. Additionally, the only reason he starts looking for those symbols is to find them before the villain, not because he has some interest in them himself.

Will is The Passive Hero: he only reacts to the input from outside. The are no internal motivations at work here (and the subplot with his lost twin brother is merely a joke, right?!). I know, I know, the movie establishes from the beginning, that the Dark will rise and Evil will win - but in order to care a bit about that I need a hero who is involved in the story and not just reacting to the actions of the villain.

Note to myself: The Hero needs to need something! Only that way, the obstacles he has to overcome make us care for him. While the protagonist is actively pursuing his own goal(s), he acts - and not just reacts.

Have great day,

- Tristan

References: IMDb (4,7/10); Rotten Tomatoes (14%); Wiki

'Clash of the Titans' (2010) - The Quest Structure

by Tristan Mahlow

Greetings,
today with my last article about 'Clash of the Titans' (2010). This time another observation, I'd like to share with you.
After watching the movie I had the feeling, Perseus is not in control of the action, but rather that - like in a Roleplaying game - he stumbled from task to task.
Right now I can hear you say: 'But that's what a Hero's Journey is all about: a hero overcoming increasingly obstacles towards reaching his goal' - and you are absolutely right! But what I learned fro watching this movie: Do not make it this damn obvious! I could feel the gears of the plot grind in the background - it was like checkmarking all the steps of a Hero's Journey. This is also due to the passive nature of Perseus, who doesn't make a single decision in this movie (soon there is a post coming about that problem). All in all this made the movie feel so unnatural.

Note to myself: The development of my plots should be organic, resulting out ot the needs of my characters. (Even when following the rule book!)

 Have a nice day,
- Tristan


Other parts in this Series:
'Clash of the Titans' (2010) - Evolution of a Script Pt. 1
'Clash of the Titans' (2010) - Evolution of a Script Pt. 2
'Clash of the Titans' (2010) - Evolution of a Script Pt. 3
'Clash of the Titans' (2010) - Non-Achievement

References: IMDb (5,9/10); Wiki; Roger Ebert; Rotten Tomatoes (28%);

'Clash of the Titans' (2010) - Non-Achievement

by Tristan Mahlow 


 Every now and then I come out of the cinema with the feeling the world around me has changed. Furthermore, that I have changed. That I am stronger, greater than before. Colours are brighter, there seems to be an epic score in everything I do. It is a faint feeling, fickle and gone the second I immerse myself back into real world. But isn't this feeling the reason we want so see the big movies? They promise to be bigger than life and to let us experience things we otherwise had no chance to experience.

So when I walk out of a big Hollywood-Blockbuster and do not have this feeling something must be wrong. It feels unsatisfying, empty and to be honest: two hours seemed wasted. As you might have guessed, I felt this way after watching 'Clash of the Titans' (2010).

I like to call it the feeling of Non-Achievement. We watch our hero fighting and questing for two hours, after which the enemy, Hades, is just cast down the sea, to live for eternity in the Underworld. They stopped his attempt to destroy Joppa, but finally nothing has changed. For two hours they fought so that everything can stay the same?! 

Ends tend to be designed more open in the last few years as the danger of a sequel is always lurking around the corner, but in this case it is also the fault of a bad set-up. Hades is a rather weak and bland villain - his threat never really feels real. So in the end, his defeat doesn't come as a relieve, as the conclusion we waited and hoped for.

Take-away message: Do not dissapoint the viewer: Make your end satisfaying! The Hero should defeat Evil and get the girl (there are exceptions of course).

Have a great day,

- Tristan


Other parts in this Series:
'Clash of the Titans' (2010) - Evolution of a Script Pt. 1
'Clash of the Titans' (2010) - Evolution of a Script Pt. 2
'Clash of the Titans' (2010) - Evolution of a Script Pt. 3
'Clash of the Titans' (2010) - Non-Achievment

References: IMDb; Wiki; Roger Ebert; Rotten Tomatoes (28%);