Do you care about plot logic??
Watched TERMINATOR: SALVATION last week and gotta tell you I was very disappointed. Now don’t get me wrong… interesting story; loved the CGI… but the plot logic left much to be desired. Case in point:
The Resistance has learned that there is a hidden signal in the Machine’s carrier wave – a strategically important event for the plot. To determine if this information will allow the Resistance to shut down the machines on command, John Connor and associates go out into the desert and set off an explosion to draw in a Machine aircraft. Once in range, Connor activates the signal shutting down the aircraft. Woo Hoo!! The craft shuts down and crashes. Success! However……..
Later in the story, when the Marcus Wright character shows up at Resistance headquarters and it’s determined HE IS A MACHINE! Ouch! They stick him in prison for safe keeping. But – and here in lies the plot logic problem – he escapes and the obligatory SET PIECE takes place: a HUGE firefight. Gunfire. Explosions. All type and manner of racket going on, yet…
Yet, unlike earlier, out in the desert, no Machines show up to investigate what the hell is going on.
Why is THAT?
Took me out of my ’suspension of disbelief’ – big time. Which brings me to my question:
Do you care about plot logic when you watch a movie? It is a pet peeve of mine and what bothers me is this: the studio spent $200 million dollars to bring Salvation to the silver screen, why couldn’t they spend the time to fix such a blatant, glaring, hole in their story? For me this is sloppy film making and/or writing. I go over and over my scripts to INSURE my plot logic rings true. Shouldn’t professional – well paid – screenwriters be as responsible?
Thoughts?
Keep Writing!
I LOVED the first third of “Terminator: Salvation,” Mike. Thought it was some of the best sci-fi I’d ever seen. THEN the plot when to shit. Holes galore — like you mentioned. My biggest peeve was how stupid the Terminator’s lair was, and how this story failed to have a realized, BELIEVABLE antagonist.
My guess as to how this was so bad was those making the film got writers to turn in drafts of this story, then those in development pieced together a composite story which ended up on the screen.
Mike, lots of movies have plot gaps. Nothing new about that. It’s just sad that a movie that costed this much was allowed to be filmed. Going into my viewing of “Terminator: Salvation” back in May, I was ready to be wowed and crown this moive the best of ‘09. Didn’t happen.
Like you, I too spend a lot of time trying to make my screenplays script logic as solid as possible. I think that’s one of the most important responsibitlies you have a writer. LOVE the tone of your post, makes me think you’re quite a writer, Mike. Can’t wait to see some of your hard work show up on the silver screen. I’ll be one of the first ones in line to see that. Keep writing! (And don’t get sick on bear claws)
- E.C. Henry from Bonney Lake, WA
E.C.
Thanks for your kind words and for stopping by.
Happy to hear I’m not alone here
I agree wholeheartedly about the lair — I realize the whole thing was a set-up, but other than the pretty pathetic Ahh-nold Terminator, there was only one other Terminator around. Hmmmm. Wouldn’t someone as intelligent – supposedly — as John Connor wonder why, why, why it was soooooooooo easy to get inside??
Pretty lame.
Thanks again for stopping by and
Keep Writing!
great to find you mike
plot logic is important i think