1. Amnesia
Even still, the mirror trick doesn't grate on me quite as much as what is the laziest and most overused, silly, soap opera-esque plot device out there - amnesia. Even when it's done well, as in the Bourne trilogy, it seems like an all-too-easy way to place the character on the same informational level as the viewer, such that when everything is explained to them in probing detail, it doesn't seem like a lazy way to convey exposition (even though it is). Furthermore, an amnesia plot almost always causes me to anticipate a narrative twist in which something the character has discovered throughout their journey has proven to be incorrect, or a character who they thought was on-side has been playing with their head the whole time. It can work extremely well from time to time with a strong mind at the helm - as in Christopher Nolan's Memento - but it's a device so easy to mire in soap opera histrionics. Which overused plot device annoys you the most? Let us know in the comments below.
Shaun Munro
Contributor
Frequently sleep-deprived film addict and video game obsessive who spends more time than is healthy in darkened London screening rooms. Follow his twitter on @ShaunMunroFilm or e-mail him at shaneo632 [at] gmail.com.
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