Wednesday 16 October 2013

Please leave your disbelief at the door ... Or not.

Since the last cinema in town closed I don't get to see many films on the big screen. So on my trip to London a few weeks ago I grabbed my chances. And one of the films I chose was Now You See Me. Robbery with magic - how could I resist? Especially as I'm currently planning my own heist story. No magic in mine, at least not at the moment.  Now You See Me has four magicians carrying out a series of exceptionally high profile robberies, chased by the cops.

I found the film great fun, but even as I was watching I was conscious of holes in the plot and unanswered questions. Thinking about it afterwards, the holes got bigger and the explanations which were offered more flimsy - but none of that interfered with my enjoyment. The story moved fast and the characters were engaging. That was all that mattered. I wanted to know 'What happens next?' I was quite prepared to suspend my disbelief in order to find out.

Books are a bit different from films in the cinema. You can't ask for the film to be wound back for you to check on something - you need to wait for the DVD to do that. During the editing process I get into trouble for avoiding explanations, and have to (reluctantly) fill in the blanks. But I'm still not convinced that we need to know everything. Maybe I'm wrong?

I suppose your willingness to let a few loose ends escape depends how much fun you're having in the process.

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