Discounting an opinion because it disagrees is poor argument (Gaming)

by Kermit , Raleigh, NC, Thursday, June 02, 2016, 02:30 (2946 days ago) @ Kahzgul

Seriously, a couple of us on these boards craft stories for a living. We're genuinely interested in the art of storytelling and spend lots of time thinking about it, doing it, and discussing it.

Sure. Be wary of arrogance, though. This is the internet, and I may indeed be a dog, but it's not wise to presume the people you're arguing with lack experience, knowledge, or even credentials in this area.

You've got an opinion that I disagree with, but if I were to dismiss yours in the way that you're dismissing mine, I think you'd be insulted. I know I am.

I'm not dismissing you. At a certain point, though, there's no point. Everything has been said as persuasively as it can be said.

If you've said your piece and have nothing left to add, that's one thing, but it sounds more like you're saying I'm a moron for disagreeing with you.

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I'll back up to a very broad stroke of where I'm coming from; the underlying premise of my approach to all art, film or otherwise:

I believe that the point of art, speaking is the most broad sense possible, is to illicit an emotional reaction in the audience. Mad max gave me no reaction. But it gave you something. That's great; it did it's job as far as you're concerned. For me, it lacked in what I need in a story. I'll grant that I lean far more heavily on character development and story arc than most modern blockbuster films are willing to attempt. But I think those things are important and I found them lacking in MMFR.

I'll take that leaning and raise it. Movies i like as they pop in my head: Local Hero, The Last Picture Show, Carol, Lost in Translation, Casablanca, Moon, Diner, Being John Malkovich. Notice anything? I'm not an action movie buff and tend to not like the vast majority of blockbusters. Certain films can transcend the limitations of a genre. I think MMFR comes close to inventing its own genre. Brazil is another film I'd put in that category--singularly unique.

The reason I focus on Nuk (that's the side switcher, I take it) is not because I'm obsessed with him but because his story is the only one that makes a journey. He's the only character that learns something about himself, the only one who is in any sort of emotional way affected by the events of the film, and the only one who changes as the story progresses.

Not every story needs to follow the same path: One story may start with a seed, watch it grow, and end with a tree; while another story may start with a forest and then burn the whole thing down, but if you start with a tree and end with the exact same tree, why didn't you just take a picture. Mad Max: Fury Road gives me a picture of Furiosa, a picture of Max, a picture of the breeders, a picture of the Immortan, and a picture of the mother-bikers, but it gives me arc only for Nuk.

I hope this explains a bit about where I'm coming from and helps you see that disagreement is an inherent element of perspective. The tall man thinks the chair too small, and the short man thinks it too big, while the middle-sized man finds it flawless. They are all correct.

I think we've established that I saw things in the film that you didn't see. I think it's evident that there are many people who know film as well or better than you and me who saw things you didn't see. I'm not saying that makes you wrong, but it may mean you might want to give it another chance. Maybe on a bigger screen this time (and with a good sound system).