The rise of drama has lead us to a new age of storytelling. Unlike the past, the majority of movies are of the epic kind. We are now faced with movies that are so convoluted that they are nearly unrecognizable as movies. Many people argue the purpose of this increased overdoing of plot and character development is to make the movies more aesthetically pleasing. However, there is a downside: the moviegoer becomes increasingly tired of the same story and becomes less and less interested in the movie as a whole.
When it comes to works of art, there is always some degree of redundancy. Artists paint many of the same subjects, they use the same color palettes, they use the same techniques, they use the same themes, they use the same facial expressions. A lot of times, these “tendencies” are pushed aside in favor of new, interesting ideas, but sometimes they are not.
You know what’s weird? Everything that’s popular is also overused. There’s a lot of stuff that’s done so much it’s considered “overdone.” Things like “Haha, look at the cute animal video I posted” and “Overdone tropes and lack of individuality” and “Overdone tropes and lack of individuality” and “Overdone tropes and lack of individuality” and so on.
Blade Runner’s historical significance in the area of dystopian sci-fi is obvious, as it impacted the very fabric of tales centered on human vs. machine interactions, as well as the A.I. debate in general. Blade Runner 2049, directed by Denis Villeneuve, made a lasting impact with its stunning visuals and tale of basic identity, loss, and loneliness. Andrew Baird’s directorial debut, Zone 414, obviously draws from the Blade Runner universe to the point that inspiration becomes mindless duplication, with the characters seeming to be mere shadows of the famous original. Zone 414 barely hangs on with its tired clichés, which ultimately lead to a drab, predictable conclusion.
Zone 414 starts with a description of a dystopian civilization that is heavily dependent on technology, but it isn’t visually appealing enough to contribute to the worldbuilding that is already lacking. The audience is given a glimpse of Veidt Corporation, which serves as a stand-in for Tyrell Corporation, both of which are responsible for mass-producing androids. Enter David Carmichael (Guy Pearce), a former cop turned private eye who has a cold, emotionless attitude while carrying out a hit on an unknown woman. Carmichael swiftly dispatches her with a bullet to the head, disregarding her agonized cries, and peels aside her scalp to expose a mechanical core, indicating that his intended victim was a machine all along.
Aside from ethical relativism and what it means to be human, Zone 414 fails to go further into the complexities of its narrative threads, failing to add its own unique elements to a completely borrowed story. Carmichael is interrogated by Joseph Veidt (Jonathan Aris), a creepily eccentric character who seems to live in the shadow of his brother, Marlon Veidt (Travis Fimmel), who portrays a great scientist who invented synthetics. Melissa (Holly Demaine) is Marlon’s daughter, and the goal is to find her in Zone 414, a filthy, walled city inhabited by synthetics and the only legal location where humans and androids may interact.
Marlon’s greatest creation, Jane (Matilda Lutz), is also made known to Carmichael, who is considered as an anomaly due to her capacity to feel rather than replicate human emotions. The interiors of Zone 414 seem eerily familiar — women in colorful wigs and clothing inspired by the cyberpunk movement, neon-lit streets that are constantly drenched in rain, and personality-ridden apartment lofts packed with flashing lights.
While Carmichael isn’t as complex as Rick Deckard, his actions after meeting Jane seem like a carbon copy of Deckard’s interactions with Rachael, missing the emotional and ethical struggle that makes the Blade Runner stories so compelling.
Surprisingly, the primary topic of Zone 414 is violence against women, both human and synthetic, which manifests itself via casual carelessness and pointless cycles of pain and subjugation. Then there’s Jane, a computer with enough emotions to overcome its programming and burn brightly like a forest fire, similar to Marcus in Detroit: Become Human. Jane’s presence is strange, despite Lutz’s best attempts.
Pearce, on the other hand, gives a strong performance as the emotionally troubled Detective Carmichael, despite the fact that his previous duties included a familiar story of guilt, deaths, and the need to live with the past. Zone 414 has far too many similarities to its predecessors, including Marlon’s god complex as a consequence of his ability to create life, the presence of nude, synthetic bodies covered in plastic, and the systematic torturing of androids.
RATING: 4/10
It’s been a few years since the last time I made a blog post about overdone tropes, but now that I’m here to discuss them again, I’m going to take a look at a number of tropes as a whole, as well as one specific trope as an example. In case you’re unfamiliar with the term, a trope is a common element in stories that has been used or developed in certain ways that is often repeated. While some people complain about this trope, I’m going to show you a way to use it to improve your story, rather than complain about it.. Read more about bad writing tropes and let us know what you think.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are some overused tropes?
There are many tropes that are overused in media, such as the trope of the damsel in distress or the trope of the villain who is secretly good.
What are examples of tropes?
A trope is a literary or artistic convention that has been used repeatedly in works of fiction. An example would be the hero who must save the world from an evil overlord.
Are tropes a bad thing?
Tropes are a bad thing when theyre used poorly.
Related Tags
This article broadly covered the following related topics:
- character tropes list
- list of character tropes
- story tropes
- tv tropes character flaws
- list of tropes
