MovieChat Forums > Swallows and Amazons (2017) Discussion > Incompetent script (spoilers)

Incompetent script (spoilers)

posted 8 years ago by syntinen
5 replies | jump to latest

The scriptwriter didn't seem to have any idea how to create a dramatic or risky situation other than making the good characters act like complete idiots.

It would have been bad enough for a spy to leave all that incriminating stuff spread out in plain view in his cabin - with the door left open, yet! - if he had been forced to rush away by a sudden emergency; but surely no secret service would employ an agent who would just not bother to put it away, let alone lock the door, whenever he went ashore.

Similarly, the way the Walker kids dropped their baggage overboard, threw themselves overboard, smashed windows by carelessly throwing stones, and several times dropped treasured possessions, made you feel their parents were extremely unwise to let them out of their sight ever.

I don't think the scriptwriter meant them all to be incompetent fools; she just couldn't think, or couldn't be bothered to think, of any other way to make things go wrong for them.

[–] louiseculmer 8 years ago

it was pretty bad. The spy stuff was so clumsily done that I began to find it very funny, I ended up almost crying with laughter by the time they were trying to stop the seaplane getting away. It was enjoyable in a weird surreal sort of way, but it wasn't Swallows and Amazons.

[–] krasnegar 8 years ago

"Seaplane?

No, it wasn't.

Geeze. Obviously even worse than i expected.

The 1974 film is decent, if you can find it.

[–] louiseculmer 8 years ago

the 1974 film is charming i think, but apparently not exciting enough for today's audiences. The thing is though, there qre plenty of children's stories with exciting stuff going on with spies etc - Enid Blyton's Famous Five books for instance. if they wanted that kind of story why not film one of those?

[–] BoultersCanary 8 years ago

You mean they ARE duffers? Oh dear.

I'm going to stay well away from this - I remember the damage done to my youth by that godawful version of The Dark is Rising. And next year they're going to murder The Giant Under the Snow.... Ugh 

The church may shout but Darwin roars

[–] cosmic_quest 8 years ago

It's actually not too bad and definitely is like Schindler's List compared with the dire The Dark is Rising. It's an entertaining enough film but just not the Swallows and Amazons that the book was based on.

"I told you, I don't want to join your super-secret boy band."~ Tony Stark to Nick Fury