Saif Maqbool

Saif M.

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SaifMaqbool
Saif Maqbool 4 years ago

just claimed a review for a script.

Man on the Phone short
Genre: Thriller,Mystery/Suspense
A careless young man finds his life falling apart after encountering a mysterious hooded stranger.

SaifMaqbool
Saif Maqbool 4 years ago

completed a review for

Sensational She-Hulk television
Genre: Comedy,Action/Adventure
Rating: 33%
There are some good moments in this screenplay. Though it is for the most part well written and at times funny, it is held back by shallow characters and a concept that borrows heavily from the Deadpool films, where it is used much less intrusively. My primary issue with She-Hulk here is that she is totally obsessed with men. I mean look, I get it, a TV show benefits from a romantic interest, and her frantic search for one is in line with the playfully self-aware tone the author is going for. But to establish that search as the narrative fulcrum of this pilot episode results in a protagonist that just isn’t very interesting. We could have an interesting story here about someone who is out of the ordinary carving a place for themselves in a new professional and cultural setting. The challenges she could face are numerous, and there are moments where it is clear that the author has thought about this, such as when She-Hulk struggles to hail a cab or encounters hostility from the assistant DA. But neither of these narrative angles are pursued and instead, the narrative is consumed by this craving for romance. This fixation isn’t limited to a romantic context either. When She-Hulk is asked why she wants to work for the DA, she says its because her father ‘didn’t want her tangling with bad guys’. She is doing this because her father told her she couldn’t fight crime. A lot is made of this character’s physical strength and I would have loved to see some of this strength manifest in her attitude towards life. I’m not familiar with the comic books, but I don’t think there is any room in 2019 for a female character who is defined to such a severe extent by the men around her. Furthermore, there doesn’t seem to be any connection whatsoever between Eliza and the protagonist beyond She-Hulk’s initial observation that ‘I’m getting potential BFF tingles from you.’ Eliza behaves and speaks more like a detached butler or valet than a female friend. They have nothing in common, not even a shared experience or animosity, so I really struggled to get invested in this relationship. Though in fairness I'm not aware of the author's plans for the narrative arc of this show, I feel that the superheroing could be integrated more effectively into the the story. The script is missing a serious superhero caliber challenge or hook that would keep people watching. I would love to see a version where She-Hulk, conscious of a writer pushing her to stay true to type, instead behaves in an intentionally belligerent and subversive way. It’s not very interesting or productive to be conscious of TV tropes if the story continues to be beholden to them. She-Hulk shouldn’t be so blindly compliant to the whims of an offscreen television writer. This is a superhero we’re talking about.

SaifMaqbool
Saif Maqbool 4 years ago

just claimed a review for a script.

Sensational She-Hulk television
Genre: Comedy,Action/Adventure
An emergency blood transfusion from her cousin Bruce Banner transformed ordinary attorney Jennifer Walters into the extraordinary She-Hulk, who gains celebrity superhero status and an awareness that she’s a character on a television show.

SaifMaqbool
Saif Maqbool 4 years ago

just joined ScriptMother!