Not going to sugar coat it–this is one of the only horror movies that I’ve watched in this past stretch of horror movies (Us, Nope, Meagan among others) that I’ve watched this semester that I did NOT care for. Yes, it had a few “jump scares” that I didn’t really like (I don’t really like “jump scares” in my horror, I’ve discovered, but rather rising tension as things ratchet up out of control). No, what really got to me was that the movie made the same mistake that Pitch Black did, it refused to let the protagonist, well, you know, “protag.”
A Protagonist should “Protag”
Simply put, a protagonist should be allowed to complete a full character arc (i.e., understanding of their inner conflict as it applies to the outer conflict of the story) and have the ending flow from that realization. That’s the short version, but the longer version is the same, just with more verbiage. Essentially, a story is defined when a character has problem that they must solve (external conflict). However, something in their nature usually hinders them in some way (inner conflict). The story ends (is resolved) when the character discovers something (usually a truth about themselves) that allows them to overcome their problem. For instance, Luke Skywalker wants to leave the farm, but feels beholden to his uncle (and feels that the Empire/Rebellion conflict is too big/too far away for him to do anything about it). However, when the inciting event happens and Luke finds himself on an adventure, he must learn to put away his daydreaming and focus on trusting (by faith) on a power (the Force) that he can feel even if Han cannot. It is this faith that is put to the test when Ben tells Luke to turn off his targeting computer and trust in the Force. Luke does so and the rest is history.
This is NOT the case with Smile. No, with this movie, the character has a redemption arc and discovers that the (*spoilers*) “entity” is based around trauma. The “protagonist” faces her trauma and confronts it head on and even apologizes for hurtful behaviors, but it doesn’t matter–the entity still “wins.” So, I ask, what is the point of the story? Why, if the protagonist was ALWAYS going to lose, why did I have to waste nearly two hours of my time watching it? (*spoilers*) The movie had ONE job, to entertain, but because of faulty story construction, it couldn’t even do that.
Dark Doesn’t Equal Mean and/or Clever
When will the writers of “dark endings” (Pitch Black and Smile) learn that “darkness” doesn’t equate to an ending that is supposed to be mean spirited and/or clever. George Lucas, say what you will about the Prequel trilogy, managed to pull off one of the darkest endings for Episode Three. And he was successful with Anakin due to one thing that the characters in Pitch Black/Smile should have had, but didn’t — character flaws.
You see, to earn a dark ending, you need to have a character who has some major flaws. And these flaws have to be exhibited in the story and they are what keep the character from achieving their arc and this is what allows the audience to “buy” (suspend disbelief) for a dark ending. Anakin Skywalker has at least 3 character flaws that I can think of off the top of my head (probably more), but definitely three. 1) He listens to the wrong people, specifically Chancellor Palpatine, rather than Obi Wan or Yoda. Obi Wan is like an older brother and Yoda is like an uncle (sometimes kind and sometimes unyielding, but always with Anakin’s best interests at heart), yet Anakin allows Palpatine to fill his ears with poison agains the Jedi, 2) Anakin is impatient and wants every thing now. He bristles when made a Jedi, but not one of the council, 3) he forms attachments (he secretly marries Padme) and it is fear of losing these attachments that drive him to despair and 4) he has anger inside of him (he slaughters the sand people who stole and killed his mother). Palpatine uses this rage (and his fear) and turns him into a monster. Padme even says, “don’t go where I can’t follow.” Each one of these fatal flaws make it clear that the arc that Anakin is on probably won’t be successful (although, if he could overcome them, he could still find his way to a redemptive arc. And yes, I did find more than three (as figured I would).
Smile doesn’t do this. Rather than showing fatal flaws, it shows a character who does all the requisite things to have a redemptive arc (investigates why this is happening, formulates a strategy, executes the strategy and succeeds)–at least until the plot says she doesn’t and then she’s not successful. Her arc does not in success even though she does everything in her power to make it succeed. The Exorcist is similar in construction, except here, there is a character arc that is redemptive. The young priest must save Regan, a child, from the “entity.” Here, the priest does everything possible, and while it is costly, he succeeds. What happened if he failed and Regan was consigned to suffer the fate for the rest of her life? The movie might not have been nearly as successful. Writers really need to understand that this type of manipulation isn’t clever or new, it’s manipulative. The writer is making the audience care about the character all the while knowing that they aren’t going to fulfill their end of the bargain by giving us a fully completed character arc. When writers create these manipulative endings, they essentially rob the character of the agency to achieve their goals (or fail). No, other characters take over and take the agency from the protagonist. This type of writing/plotting is sort of a reverse Deus Ex Machina story, where they agency isn’t given to some “god” character/outside agency, but rather to some other character or entity in the story, to the detriment or negative of the main character.
I’ve seen it happen this way in too many movies to count, but most especially Pitch Black and now Smile. I didn’t like it then and I don’t like it now.
I wish I could give this type of movie a 1-star rating as I detest it (and its ilk) so much, but I personally reserve 1-star reviews for something so fundamentally broken or bad that it has few, if any, redeeming qualities. This movie is technically strong (it is a solid Hollywood horror film) so there is some level of competence and technical achievement in the film. However, any good will that the movie had earned with me (which was limited as I felt it relied on too many “jump scares” for my liking), the movie burned away with the last 10 minutes of the movie. After the movie was over, I instantly was filled with regret and wished that I had watched another movie (Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter) that I’d picked up or the 2nd episode of Lawmen: Bass Reeves as I’d seen the first episode but didn’t get a chance to see the 2nd episode that they’d released. Regret is NOT the emotion that you want to leave your audience after watching the film and that ending . . . woof, that ending. Until the writer of the film (whose name was PROMINENT in the introductory credits) learns that “clever” still means that you have to adhere to certain writing conventions, I’ll be sure to avoid (or at least be more careful with reviews/expectations) next time. If you want a “dark ending,” please Mr. Writer of Smile, remember that’s what character flaws are for. Please don’t have the character spend (waste) two hours of our lives and then yank their agency from them.
Do I feel strongly about this–yes, I do! Time is a resource (just like money) and I’m resentful of the fact that I sat through a movie expecting a protagonist who would have a character arc to have agency only to find out that the outcome was “predetermined” from the moment the screenplay said “Fade In.” That’s a “trick” that the writer pulled and I most certainly feel cheated out of my two hours (1 hour 55 mins) where I could done something else. Or, to put it another way:
Sidney
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Currently Working On (November 2023)
Creative
- The Runner (2022 Revision) (Fantasy Story–4100 words)
Status: Out to Publisher, Finalist in the Baen Fantasy Adventure Award contest, Finalist in LeVar Burton Reads Origins & Encounters Writing Contest - Science Fiction Story (1st Draft)
Status: Section 1 of 3 completed - Fantasy Graphic Novel Story (1st Draft)
Status: Prologue Completed
Scholarly
- Dissertation Completed
Status: Published! - Unnamed Book Chapter
Status: Out to Publisher! - Blood on the Shield: African American Trauma in Falcon and the Winter Soldier
Status: Published!
OtherWorlds: A Science Fiction & Fantasy Web Journal 