MovieChat Forums > The Door (2014) Discussion > Had a great story but the writing needed...

Had a great story but the writing needed some work

posted 9 years ago by enigmawriter-1
2 replies | jump to latest

I enjoyed the movie for what it was. It was trying to be smart and I like movies where you think it's going one way, but it leads you into another path. My only gripes were in the writing, mostly the dialogue.

As a screenwriter, I was going inside the writer's interpretation. Most of the dialogue between the characters say things that we already know from previous scenes. There is a whole scene where one character talks about the can being kicked then crushed, to let us know what happened. Then there is another scene where another character explains the whole can kicking/crushing scene. Then it gets mentioned two other times.

Most of the banter was written like that, I believe, so that the story can flow into the other scene, to create suspense or to tell the audience, who already know from the previous scenes, what happened. If you don't know what to have your characters say, don't put words in their mouths just because. Let their actions do the talking.

I liked the cinematography, the score, the atmosphere and the uneasiness. I could see a sequel or prequel, most definitely.

Watch my short sci-fi/horror movie: Kosmikophobia!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDxSq60x_38

[–] iamtherobotman 9 years ago

Sorry but at what point was this Film trying to be smart?
To be honest i was totally disgusted at this Film. It could've been decent had they taken it in a completely different direction, that being THEY didnt actually go into the Warehouse. They could've had the main Protagonist actually do his job and communicate to his Girlfriend and Friends that he couldn't let them in, he was waiting for relief coming which would be in a couple of hours and then have a nervy hour or so of the Film with him inside, building feelings of Claustrophobia, anxiety and having something trying to get out. They could still have had the Mugger aspect,indeed it was He who was trying to get out. Our Protagonist hearing the voice from the other side of the door, locked in a mind game with himself. Should he open the Door? Should he leave it? The voice is Human, not Supernatural.....or is it? Why has he been told NEVER to open the door? Why was he told to not let the Security Men out if they were in there longer than a minute? Who was this Business Man he saved? Why pay so high a wage for a shift if there truly was nothing behind the Door? Why was this voice calling out to him to let him out? Where was his relief? Why was there a Gun??

This was a Film which could've seriously played with the viewers head, had us in the role of the Protagonist wondering what the hell was in there. It could've had us all paranoid wrecks by the end of the Film. Instead all we had was more dumb idiots, the Protagonist paricularly. His First night on the Job getting paid $500 a shift and he couldn't obey a simple instruction? he couldn't remember the instructions given to him not 5 minutes previously?

This Film at no point tried to be smart.

Nothing is Black and White. Even Black and White are only extreme shades of Grey.

[–] enigmawriter-1 9 years ago

You're definitely right when you say that the film could've seriously played with the viewer's head, and that is what I meant with "trying to be smart."

It just veered off in a different direction.

Watch my short sci-fi/horror movie: Kosmikophobia!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDxSq60x_38