Best & Worst of 2017 - Writing

Every film begins with a script. Be it based on a famous novel or an original story entirely; there’s no movie without a script to act as a starting point. The funny thing about films is that the writing you start with is never the same by the end. The only real final draft of any screenplay is the film itself. More often than not, texts go through lots of changes during production, causing lots of unexpected turns and changes in the story. This is one of the many aspects of films chaotic creation I find so enjoyable to examine and practice. Here are my picks for the best and worst writing of 2017. 

Best writing of 2017: 

Wind River 

Written and directed by Taylor Sheridan 

This film may not be the most pleasant to watch, but it is the most important to see. That is due, in large part, to its script. Taylor Sheridan, who previously wrote Sicario and Hell or High Water, presents a story that is all at once relevant to modern issues, classically entertaining, and actively taking down old and dangerous cliches. It is a story of family, diversity, history, love, the situation of the disenfranchised, and a call for action. All delivered in a package with interesting three-dimensional characters, provocative points on the human condition, and a slap in the face to both conventional Hollywood and society as a whole. This script is smart, suspenseful, lovingly textured, and filled with something for everyone. This writing has made me proud to be a loyal fan of Taylor Sheridan, and I look forward to what he will deliver next. 

Worst writing of 2017: 

Alien: Covenant 

Story by Jack Paglen and Michael Green 

Screenplay by John Logan and Dante Harper 

I’m not sure what else to say about this script other than it’s lousy. Despite having these many talented writers on deck, this entire screenplay contains nothing but stupidity, arrogance, and laziness. For starters, none of the characters (if we can even call these people characters) are given any development to allow the audience to sympathize or connect with them. As a result, these people are less like characters and more like walking talking plot devices, making it very difficult to care about them. Next, the script seems to be under the impression that audiences wanted to know the origin of the Xenomorphs, or at least a theory as to their roots when that shouldn’t matter because the more you know what a threat is, the less scary it becomes. Last, but most certainly not least, if these people are supposed to be really smart cream-of-the-crop scientists, why, oh why, do they walk around an uncharted, unknown planet…without environmental suits? I’ll tell you why: it’s called writers convenience. Can’t think of a smart way to get one of the characters infected with the early version of the Xenomorph? Just make the characters idiots. This is inexcusable for a movie of this caliber. These people should have known better, and I hope they learn a valuable lesson. Especially you John Logan. You’re better than this. 

Next up: Best & Worst acting of 2017. 

Ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm, thank you for reading.