Plot Device (2011 Video) User Reviews

Does What It Says On The Tin But Not Much Else

[Theo Robertson · 6/10 · 22 April 2014]

As someone who contributes far too much to the IMDb this short film should be just right up my street . Plot device ? That'll be something or someone that miraculously turns up to either push the story forward or save the day . Off the top of my head I can name numerous plot devices that are constantly used in DOCTOR WHO such as the Tardis , the sonic screwdriver , UNIT , psychic paper etc etc . That's in just one show and become so overused they actually icons rather than plot devices . With this short film it does exactly what it says on the tin , a wannabee screenwriter purchases a plot device and then finds himself in a series of genre films . The end . It's a nice homage to the different style of films that exist but doesn't really go beyond that . It's not helped by the fact that I still vaguely remember a short film from a while back called HELL NO that was exceedingly witty and deconstructs the entire genre of horror . On its own PLOT DEVICE is a nice little short by Seth Worley but doesn't really expand on its potential

"Mysterious Device"

[SombeeKillah · 6/10 · 29 April 2012]

What a nice little short. The main guy Ben Worley ,who must be related to the director in some capacity since they have the same name,at first got on my nerves. he just seemed to rubbed me the wrong way. So I was not at all sympathetic at all at his current situation of being "teleported" because of the device into dangerous and deadly scenarios.

All in all it's like you can't help think this nerd deserves to get what he gets because of being such a goof-ball. But still, the different scenarios are cool ranging from Aliens, terrorists, zombies(my favorite), nightmare zone, and etc.. Nicely done and enough budget to make it look good and believable. So these Worly brothers are a team to watch. i can't wait to see an actual feature film done by these talented guys..

Enjoyable little rattle through movie genres

[bob the moo · 20 April 2014]

Ben is an aspiring movie writer who is buying a book online to help with his craft. He sees others have bought a book called Plot Devices and he decides to pick that up at the same time. When it arrives though, Ben finds that it is not a book but some sort of box with a button on top. Hitting the button sees his front yard suddenly have a soft sepia touch to how it looks and a woman that has loved him all her life but perhaps not known it to this moment is running towards him in her wedding dress to profess this love and thus live happily ever after. Not knowing what else to do, Ben hits the button again and finds him and his black partner pinned down in a gun battle with villains – there is a bomb to defuse and his partner only has a few days to go before retirement.

This short film takes a good idea and mostly delivers it in a satisfying and clever manner. The plot device button is shorthand for lazy writing and genre tropes and as a result Ben finds himself thrown from one genre to another, all the time with all the clichés and such of the genre being laid out. So, not only does the scenario happen, but the whole thing has the look and feel of a different film even though all the action is happening on the same front lawn. This is achieved several ways but primarily it is the look of the film – so very soft focus in some, a bit twee and drab for the naval-gazing indie movie, very grainy and 1970's for the zombie movie and so on. It is clever because it instantly puts the viewer in the genre, which is not easy to do since we can often recognize it when we see it but it isn't always easy to recreate what makes it this way.

Within each of the genres the clichés are played for comedy; the laughs could be sharper perhaps, because it was not always as clever with the genres as I would have liked, but it is entertaining thanks to its fast pace and quick changes. Some of the acting is a bit "functional" but given they are playing to genre clichés, it really doesn't matter too much, although Worley is not as strong in the lead as I would have liked. After watching this short I read the blurb and found that the genre effects were all generated in computer by using a piece of software (the one mentioned in the closing credits). Essentially this makes the film a technical demonstration and, with this in mind, I was grateful that it was an entertaining one.