BikeBookBread Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 (edited) ...when the author of a book (or movie screenwriter) creates a (usually supernatural) scenario that is completely implausible, and instantly solves all of the giant hairball problems that were created in the story to wrap-up the plot in a tidy bow? Spoiler alert to the awful Nicholas Cage movie, "Knowing" below.... ...like aliens pulling pairs of children off of the earth to be new "Adam and Eve" pairs off of the earth to populate new planets? :rolleyes: I had just turned to my husband 10 minutes before the end of the movie and said, "there are going to be aliens in this movie." I could see them coming a mile away...whatever happened to just creating logical endings? Not every story has to end "well." So, what other movies have you seen or books have you read that ended awfully? Edited July 27, 2009 by BikeBookBread Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KingM Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 ...when the author of a book (or movie screenwriter) creates a (usually) supernatural scenario that is completely implausible, and instantly solves all of the giant hairball problems that were created in the story to wrap-up the plot in a tidy bow? Deus ex machina, which literally meant "god in a box." It comes from the Greek stage habit of lowering a god in a box at the end of the play to instantly resolve issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hathersage Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 deux ex machina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BikeBookBread Posted July 27, 2009 Author Share Posted July 27, 2009 Deus ex machina, which literally meant "god in a box." It comes from the Greek stage habit of lowering a god in a box at the end of the play to instantly resolve issues. THANK YOU. It was driving me crazy last night after watching that awful movie. I remember studying that in high school. What other stories utilize Deus ex machina? I'm kind of interested in seeing it used well. I'm sure there are higher quality examples... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhonda in TX Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 THANK YOU. It was driving me crazy last night after watching that awful movie. I remember studying that in high school. What other stories utilize Deus ex machina? I'm kind of interested in seeing it used well. I'm sure there are higher quality examples... I found this discussion. I'm sure there are more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BikeBookBread Posted July 27, 2009 Author Share Posted July 27, 2009 I found this discussion. I'm sure there are more. Thanks....helpful and fun thread! So now, what's the difference between a MacGuffin and DEM? Is DEM always supernatural? MacGuffin always a coincidence? I guess I could look all this stuff up, but the WTM discussion are always SO much more fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Thanks....helpful and fun thread! So now, what's the difference between a MacGuffin and DEM? Is DEM always supernatural? MacGuffin always a coincidence? I guess I could look all this stuff up, but the WTM discussion are always SO much more fun! A McGuffin is something in the story that is just there, almost as a place holder. It draws the reader's attention but it's air. A well used example would be the necklace in a spy story. DEM is very much frowned upon in fiction writing. So much so that stories that use the device don't often get published. Example- Characters are in a high speed chase, they are dodging trees, jumping canyons and then they dangle on the end of a cliff. Suddenly a helicopter comes out of the sky and rescues them. Or, in a more character driven story, they are working through story conflicts, emotional turmoil, lies, betrayal, unrequited love, and Poof, character has a Come To Jesus Moment and nothing matters any more, all is sunshine, unicorns and bunnies. If you were reading a paranormal or Fantasy, it would be a god/witch/whathaveyou that bestows powers on the character that will help them attain thier goals, that without those powers they would have failed the quest. Glinda wasn't a DEM because Dorothy worked through her problems herself to attain her happy ending. She got to Oz, went behind the curtain and confronted her own fears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharon H in IL Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 I find a lot of action movies to use something like a deus ex machina. If a hero is holding onto the pontoon of an airplane with one hand as it is taking off from the lake, despite having lost the use of his legs in a knife fight, and the super genius who knows-all and sees-all tries to knock him off. But a sudden XYZ (gust of air, well-timed explosion, judo move) catapults him into the pilot's seat . . . . Well, you can see how this is going. When no chance is suddenly transformed by near miraculous salvation into triumph, well I call it DEM and that's that. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 In college, My dh and I renamed it Dos Equis Machina; meaning you need a couple of beers to believe that. We still say it and we had to explain it to the kids. :001_huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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