Overstuffed narrative.
I've seen some good movies lately that might be great, except they're so overstuffed it's hard to keep up.
I'm not gonna name names, because these were movies I really liked and I don't want to label them soley as "too much" or "over the top" or "stuffed" when they were way more than that.
However, as I tend to have the opposite problem--I underdo it, clipping out any character, scene, or idea I think might obscure the main point and characters I want to write--I can't understand the urge to stuff dozens of background characters that will never be developed and scenes that aren't interesting on their own into a limited narrative like a movie.
Even a lot of longer storytelling forms with more room to breathe--novels, TV, and comic book series'--can't manage dozens of characters, so why do filmmakers want to try it? Don't they want the central idea, the main character, so carefully crafted in even a popcorn flick, to come through?
Or maybe it's a matter of taste, and there's something I'm missing.
Hmm.
-Elizabeth Reuter
Author, The Demon of Renaissance Drive
I'm not gonna name names, because these were movies I really liked and I don't want to label them soley as "too much" or "over the top" or "stuffed" when they were way more than that.
However, as I tend to have the opposite problem--I underdo it, clipping out any character, scene, or idea I think might obscure the main point and characters I want to write--I can't understand the urge to stuff dozens of background characters that will never be developed and scenes that aren't interesting on their own into a limited narrative like a movie.
Even a lot of longer storytelling forms with more room to breathe--novels, TV, and comic book series'--can't manage dozens of characters, so why do filmmakers want to try it? Don't they want the central idea, the main character, so carefully crafted in even a popcorn flick, to come through?
Or maybe it's a matter of taste, and there's something I'm missing.
Hmm.
-Elizabeth Reuter
Author, The Demon of Renaissance Drive
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Fatpie42 wrote: "Oh come on, now you are making me guess. Okay, an over-stuffed movie with no real character moments... The most obvious example I can think of out of the movies I've seen recently is "Man of Steel"..."*laugh* No, there were character moments; honestly some of the character moments stuffed it MORE rather than adding, was the problem.
But yes, all the movies I'm talking about are action films. There's been a tendency lately to try and put lots of stuff in action films, which is a great idea, until you've got so much stuff nothing stands out anymore!
I haven't seen Man of Steel yet but from what I've heard it's the sort of film I'm thinking of, good or not, namely one that tried to do everything and wound up saying less than it could have.
Okay, well even if you aren't naming movies that doesn't stop me from doing so.The bizarre thing about the recent "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" movie was that the whole plot about the "Winter Soldier" could have been removed without really making any difference. I mean sure, I'm glad they didn't remove it, because the Winter Soldier provided for some of the best fight scenes. But this story arc being put forward as compelling and emotional drama was pretty tangential to anything else in the movie.
Of course, they are trying to counter-balance the over-stuffing by also making the movies over three hours long. :P
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... Except that wasn't anywhere near being 'great'.
Are you sure you can't name ANY of them? It makes it really hard to judge your point if I don't even know what KIND of film you were referring to. I mean, are we talking about action films or some other genre?