Why do modern screenwriters insist on showing the end of a TV show or movie first and then tell the story of how we got to that point after? It drives me nuts!
It seems that jumping around with the timeline in movies and TV shows has become very fashionable. My wife and I recently watched a TV series that kept switching between three different timelines every 10 minutes or so, and without much of an indication as to which timeline was currently in play.
My wife watched the series through to the end, but I stopped watching. It wasn’t only because I struggled with identifying the correct timeline, more that I simply could not be bothered. I am not a patient man.
Whenever a TV show or movie begins with a climactic scene followed by an onscreen message along the lines of… “Three weeks earlier“… I groan. I hate that! Imagine if books adopted that same approach, describing the end of the story first and then going on to relate how we got there. I guarantee that’s a book very few would bother reading.
While I’m on the subject, it seems to me that modern movie makers are of the opinion that lots of shoot-’em-up, punch-’em-up, and manic car chase action scenes compensate for a very thin storyline. As far as I am concerned, they don’t.
It begs the question, what has happened to talented screenwriters who can tell a story? Remember movies like The Shawshank Redemption? An absolute classic, and not because of action or special effects, just a superb story well told and acted.
They were the sorts of movies that withstood the test of time. Whereas many modern movies, consisting largely of gratuitous violence, will be seen today and forgotten tomorrow.
Am I being a tad harsh here? I am, after all, a cantankerous old man.
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Love your little rant. That kind of timeline thing drove my husband crazy. I am not a big fan either. And here is a little warning for you: some books do the same thing. When I remember the name of one I will come back and post it for you so you can avoid it. 🙂
Oh no! I’m always saying to my wife; what’s wrong with telling a story from the beginning through to the end?
What has happened to talented screenwriters who can tell a story? They got old – like us. My wife and I feel the same as you – particularly if you’re watching while doing something else and miss the split second notice of the time travel!
Good point Bruce. And I guess younger screenwriters will have a natural affinity with all that action.
Fully agree with you Jim. Although I do remember the old 1970s King Fu series that kept bouncing back and forth. Even as a kid it was irritating.
Also hate that virtually all shows today continue from episode to episode like a soap opera. I miss the beginning, middle and end in a single show.
Regarding movies I used to love the superhero films but now it’s all about noise and special effects. No storyline and no visible action without angle cuts every millisecond.
It’s a new norm and like music will not revert back to the good ole days.
Hey Lucio,
Agreed. I do not like those TV series where the same story goes on forever either. I much prefer an individual story per episode, possibly with an underlying theme.
I totally agree with you. I currently started a series that in each episode it jumped from one time frame to another – 20 years or so later- several times during each episode. Not only that but the characters, some 15 or so, looked quite different in each time frame. It took a full season to easily tell who was who. I finally gave up. That was the worst example of time jumping I have come across.
Enjoyed your rant!
Signed – another cantankerous old guy.