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Revisiting The Syphon Filter Series: Part 3

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The year is 2001, and the Playstation era is coming to an end. The next generation of video game consoles are coming out with games that take advantage of new hardware to deliver unparalleled graphics and experiences. It was easy to assume that the Syphon Filter story would jump ship and continue on the Playstation 2, but Sony, to the surprise and delight of people like me who couldn’t afford a shiny new console, released Syphon Filter 3 on the original Playstation instead, bring Gabe Logan’s story to an end. (While leaving things open for further sequels, which would eventually come along a few years later.)

Syphon Filter 3 is something of an odd duck in the original trilogy: the story consists of Gabe, Lian, Lawrence Mujari, and others testifying in Congress about their involvement with the Agency and the Syphon Filter virus, meaning that half the missions are flashbacks, with the other half mainly treading water until the finale. Coupled with only a few new additions to the franchise (a few new weapons, slightly better graphics, and the addition of mini-games), and it’s easy to see why many fans see Syphon Filter 3 as a mission-pack sequel. I agree with that assessment, but that doesn’t make Syphon Filter 3 a bad game, though I do think it’s the weakest of the trilogy; most of the present-day missions feel like padding that doesn’t advance the story (such as everything that takes place in Ireland), and I would have preferred to have a longer climax instead of just two levels. But the game does have the most variety of the series when it comes to locations and playable characters, and it continues the series’ trademark of unique action sequences. Best of all, though the story is left open for further sequels, the main storyline of the Agency and the virus itself is wrapped up well enough that the saga could have ended here. And for people like me who aren’t fans of what came after, this is indeed the preferred ending. (Mara’s submarine in the post-credit scene? It developed a leak and imploded, so the virus is still lost on the ocean floor.)

Let’s take a look at Syphon Filter 3’s levels and see how well they stand the test of time. And as with the previous two articles, this list will spoil the story for anyone who hasn’t played the game yet.

19. Aztec Ruins

It’s only fitting that the last game in the PS1 trilogy goes back to where everything started and explores Gabe and Lian’s mission to Costa Rica that we saw in the opening cutscene of the first game. While SF3 lets us discover that Gabe got to do lots of cool stuff, we also learn that poor Lian was stuck running around the labyrinthine levels of some Aztec ruins to rescue lots of scientists, destroy virus samples, destroy computers, retrieve artifacts, warn Gabe about mines, file her taxes, and do a book report on War and Peace. Okay, maybe not the last two, but like the Agency Bio-Labs of SF2, and the abandoned cathedral of SF1, this is a huge level, but nowhere near as fun, and twice as long, and it’s surprisingly easy to miss some of the things you need to find or destroy, leading to lots of tedious backtracking. It also has a whopping 26 checkpoints, the highest of any level in the series!

Best story moment: Meeting Dr. Elsa Weissinger for the first time, story-wise, the same woman who will infect and experiment on Lian and so many others in future games.

18. Waterfront

Despite their importance when it comes to receiving and shipping goods responsible for the functioning of modern society, I’ve never found docks to be interesting places for action sequences, and the Waterfront level is no exception. Aside from the ever-solid gameplay, there’s nothing really memorable here.

Best story element: Gabe and his new partner Maggie Powers learning that the IRA has the virus and is trying to escape so they can unleash it upon Europe, giving the player a very good reason to go after them.

17. Dockyards

More of the same as the Waterfront level, save learning that the guy you’ve been sent to save is actually an IRA operative. Oh no! Thankfully, you manage to kill him before he escapes with the virus. Yay!

Best story element: Watching the SS Lorelli be sunk, taking the virus with it to the bottom of the Atlantic ocean and stopping anyone else from getting their hands on it, ensuring that all your efforts were successful. Plus, the bubble sound effects of the sinking crates is cartoonish and unintentionally funny.

16. Australian Outback

Lady power time! This modern-day mission has Lian tracking down Dr. Weissinger to kidnap her and gain more information about who’s truly behind the Syphon Filter virus, but ends up with her doing everything she can to save the local Aboriganies, who have become unwilling test subjects. Gameplay-wise, there’s nothing extraordinary here, but but I like how this is the first mission in the series where all the main characters are women (Lian, Weissinger, and Powers), which is a refreshing change of pace from the normally testosterone-filled spy genre.

Best story element: Lian changing her mission and refusing to give up on the test subjects, as she knows exactly what it’s like to be infected by the virus and wants to spare others from suffering as she did.

15. Pugari Goldmine

Lawrence Mujari gets his chance to shine with a flashback mission detailing his efforts to free trapped slaves from a mine in Africa… though there’s not too much to this level, aside from the satisfaction of freeing workers being held against their will.

Best story element: The protagonist infiltrating a facility to free people being held against their will.

14. Pugari Complex

A continuation of the previous mission, this one starts off with Lawrence getting to ride a mine cart out of a collapsing mine, a great way to start things off. Aside from that, though, this is another average level with no bad elements or standout moments.

Best story element: Finally learning the origin of the Syphon Filter virus: That it came from a mine in South Africa, rather than being something engineered in a lab.

13. Yuendumu Village

Continuing on the previous mission, this one has Lian sneaking into a remote village to save innocent Aborigines before they can be executed. The Syphon Filter series have few missions dedicated to saving innocent people, and this is one of the better ones, combining stealth with a moral imperative. Being able to eliminate the man responsible for it all is just icing on the cake.

Best story element: Elsa Weissinger deciding that if she’s going to be betrayed, she has no qualms about betraying her former employers, and gives Lian a data disk that will allow her and the others to finally unravel who is behind the entire Syphon Filter operation.

12. Underground Bunkers

Every Syphon Filter game features a level revolving around sneaking through darkened, underground passages without a map, and SF3’s contribution is the Underground Bunker, where Teresa has to escort her new survivalist friend, Dusty, and his pregnant mother to safety while being swarmed with rogue NSA agents. So not only do you have to get through a very dark and easy-to-die mine complex, but you have a dreaded escort mission as well. Still, the claustrophobia here is effective, and it’s satisfying to get Dusty and his mom to safety at the end.

Best story element: Having to escape rogue government agents with a pregnant woman who could give birth at any moment, making said escape all the more challenging.

11. Kabul, Afghanistan

The Afghanistan levels of Syphon Filter 3 are dark, moody, and atmospheric, and the first one sets the stage with Lian infiltrating the war-torn ruins of Kabul. The stage excels at feeling like a warzone that’s momentarily quiet, but the big draw here is learning how Gabe and Lian met for the first time, beginning a partnership and friendship that would last for decades… but you know what’s even cooler? Getting your hands on a gun that can shoot through walls!

Best story element: Saving an extraction helicopter from four goons with grenade launchers by shooting said goons with a gun that can shoot through walls.

10. Costa Rica Plantation

Years after we first saw it in the opening cutscene of SF1, we finally get to see exactly what happened when Gabe and Lian reached Rhomer’s plantation in Costa Rica. While the cutscene just revealed that poor Ellis was executed, and that Rhomer set everything on fire, we get to see what really happened, which includes Gabe gathering samples of the virus, freeing slaves, sabotaging helicopters, and avoiding land mines. What’s more impressive is that this is the trilogy’s first jungle level, and it’s pulled off well considering the technical limitations of the original Playstation.

Best story element: Seeing Gabe freeing slaves, and then gunning down the people who were keeping them against their will.

9. Militia compound

With the treasonous rogue agents exposed, Teresa has to try and save as many survivalists as she can from those determined to wipe them out. This is a standard level, but like it’s immediate predecessor, the atmosphere and music are top-notch, and it’s neat to meet Stevens – the mastermind of the Australian massacre – decades before that happened. While it’s tempting to kill him, alas, that would create a time paradox, which means the player has to let Stevens live, while knowing how he will meet his ultimate end decades later.

Best story element: Some of the survivalists remembering how Teresa helped them out and returning the favor by giving her a grenade launcher to help blow up those dastardly rogue agents.

8. Paradise Ridge

In a twist I didn’t see coming, it turns out that Teresa was only wounded by Jason Chance at the end of SF2, leaving her to pop up unexpectedly near the end of SF3‘s second act, allowing her to recount a mission where the raided a survivalist compound in the snow-covered mountains of Montana with the ATF and unknowingly helped rogue NSA agents who wanted to wipe out the survivalists. While my teenage brain had a hard time keeping track of all the factions shooting each other, the mission is a nice change of pace from Syphon Filter’s usual urban locations, and features survivalists depicted as innocents (albeit, ones who aren’t afraid to shoot first and ask questions later). The music’s pretty sweet, too.

Best story element: Portraying militia members as innocents in a combat situation. Not friendly and pure of heart, mind you, but still innocent.

7. S.S Loreli

Gabe’s been everywhere from Washington DC, Russia, the jungles of Costa Rica, and abandoned cathedrals in Europe, and now he finally gets to go on a ship that’s setting sail with large shipments of the Syphon Filter virus. This is a great level filled with plenty of running and gunning in an environment we haven’t seen before in the SF series.

Best story element: Seeing a particularly cheerful crewmember, making him stand out among his serious, gun-toting brethren.

6. Convoy

Chronicling one of Gabe’s earliest combat missions, this mission takes us back to a late 80’s Afghanistan, where Gabe teams up with Ellis (the guy shot by Mara in the opening cutscene of SF1) and Benton (the guy Gabe killed in the first museum level of SF1) to get a damaged truck full of weapons to safety, all while under attack by Afghan rebels and a road littered with landmines. The Syphon Filter series hasn’t done desert environments before, so going through a desert at night is a unique situation, and the moody music helps set the mood for an intense mission filled with plenty of gunfights.

Best story element: Working with Ellis and Benton, which gives two minor side characters a chance to take on a starring role, despite knowing how their lives will end in twenty years time.

5. The Beast

While Solid Snake may be video gaming’s secret agent who has the record for most unique boss fights, Gabe’s no slouch either, having taken on a helicopter, multiple adversaries in bullet-proof armor, and, thanks to this level, a tank! Unlike Solid Snake, though, Gabe has to be much more careful in how he engages this Soviet monstrosity, making it feel more like a horror level (the sound of the tank treads is downright chilling), as he has no health powerups and has to lure the tank into a trap rather then engage it in a one-on-one fight. While a short level, it’s one of the most intense in the series.

Best story element: Seeing Gabe – a lone infantryman – taking on a tank by himself and winning.

4. Senate Building

It isn’t until the last two missions that SF3 finally starts wrapping up the PS1’s story, and boy does it start with a bang, revealing that Gabe’s interrogator, Secretary of State Vince Hadden, is the man who has been in charge of the Syphon Filter project all along. But with him dead, Mara Aramov and her men have filled Congress with over twenty bombs, taken hostages, and intends to detonate a viral bomb in Washington DC. It’s one hell of a way to start the finale of the game, and the series as a whole, as Gabe rushes to stop the bombs and save hostages.

Best story element: Gabe having to save a famous landmark and seat of power for a government (Congress) before it’s destroyed.

3. Hotel Fukushima

Every Syphon Filter features a strong opening, and I think Syphon Filter 3 has the best one, featuring Gabe infiltrating a hotel in Tokyo during a nighttime rainstorm to assassinate a Chinese rebel leader who wants the virus for himself. What follows is a sneaky infiltration mission, a high-rise shootout, and then a fast-paced gunfight to escape the hotel and rescue an innocent hostage in the process. It’s a fantastic way to kick the game off and get players hyped for the rest of the game.

Best story element: a shootout that takes place between two high rises where Gabe manages to take out the leaders of a terrorist organization.

2. C5 Galaxy

He’s been in cathedrals, burning subway stations, ships, underground labs, and runaway trains, and now Gabe heads to the skies in a C-5 Galaxy (which, for some reason, is depicted as a C-130 in cutscenes) in an attempt to stop Rhomer from escaping from his Costa Rica plantation. Essentially a boss fight level, this stage features a very clever way of having Gabe fight and defeat Rhomer while leaving him alive to be killed off for good at the end of SF1: bring back Chance’s body armor from the end of SF2 for Rhomer to wear, making it impossible for Gabe to kill him. While the level is short, being able to face off against Rhomer once again in a unique situation makes it a great one.

Best story element: Gabe being able to fight and defeat Rhomer once again inside a flying cargo plane, but in such a way that Rhomer survives to reappear in the original game.

1. DC Subway

One of my favorite sayings is that, while it’s good to begin well, it’s better to end well, and SF3 wraps up the PS1 trilogy by taking the player back to Washington DC, where the series first began. With her plan to destroy Congress foiled, Mara Aramov takes a subway train and plans to unleash the Syphon Filter virus in the Washington DC subway system, infecting and killing millions of innocent people. Only Gabe has a chance to stop her, and to do so he’ll have to fight his way through the subway as it races through the same tunnels where he and Mara first fought years ago, and the ensuing gunfights, hostage rescues, and final confrontation with Mara makes it a great way to end the series.

Best story element: Gabe climbing up onto the top of a speeding subway train and shooting Mara in the head with a gun that can shoot through metal.

And with that, that’s a wrap for the Playstation one trilogy. Tune in next time for an analysis of the best and least-enjoyable levels to see what story lessons the Syphon Filter series has to offer.

What we can learn from ‘The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny’

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https://youtu.be/4WgT9gy4zQA

 

There’s one question that has dogged mankind since the moment we could walk upright, form languages, and come into contact with other cultures, a question that every nerd, writer, and child asks at one point in their lives: Who would win if __________ and __________ got into a fight?

There’s no denying how cool it is to see two characters from different franchises, eras, and universes fight it out for dominance, survival, and bragging rights. Admit it: When you were a kid, you loved having all your toys fight one another for no other reason than it was fun. I did; granted, most of my toys opponents tended to be dinosaurs, but it was great. But as we grew up, such questions become relegated to fan fictions or our imaginations as we put our toys away.

Then, come 2005, an animation was posted on NewGrounds that changed Internet culture forever.

I don’t remember when I first saw ‘Showdown,’ but it hooked me from my very first viewing. Here it was, a showdown featuring dozens of pop culture characters duking it out for no other reason that it was cool, set to the beats of a disturbingly catchy song. Now, 13 years later, that song is still as catchy as ever, but what’s great is knowing that this song and video were, at one point, the peak of crossovers, long before the Avengers and cinematic shared universes came into our culture outside of comic books. In a way, this is the precursors to all those things, and though it wasn’t the first, it’s one of the most important.

Though short, this song and music video offers some valuable lessons for those of us who want to write our own crossover fights:

If logic is no object, then nothing is off the table in a crossover

How can Shaq take on Godzilla? Where did all the good and bad guys come from when they started fighting in Tokyo? How can an ordinary human deflect bullets with his hand? Such logic isn’t needed to enjoy the sight of so many characters fighting each other: One part of crossovers that makes them so special is how rare and unique they are. Remember how excited everyone was when Marvel’s ‘The Avengers’ was first announced and then released? It was a once-in-a-decade event and was so exciting because a movie crossover involving so many characters from different films, all fighting together for the very first time in Hollywood history. While we’ve gotten three more such superteam crossovers (soon to be four), ‘The Avengers’ was so memorable that we were willing to accept any flaws or cliches the film had (ragtag group of different individuals fighting amongst each other – literally – before coming together to fight a common enemy), and ‘Showdown’ is the same. It’s so cool to see all these characters fighting that logic is temporarily thrown out the window.

Consider having a good guy fight to save others even during a free-for-all

In a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment in the video, Optimus Prime rushes in to stop a skyscraper from falling after Godzilla hits it with his tail. Though this moment costs him his head, it speaks volumes about Optimus’ character, in that in the middle of a battle to the death between every fictional character, he stops to try and save innocent lives. Doing a similar act for your own fights is a great way to show that someone really is a hero who puts others ahead of themselves.

Consider the pros and cons of focusing on a small group of main characters in a free-for-all

Every story needs a main character that the audience can focus on or follow, and free-for-all battles are no exception. Here, the protagonists are Batman, Abraham Lincoln, Shaq, and Jackie Chan, and most of the video focuses on them. However, consider changing up the roster of secondary characters as your story goes on; while it’s cool seeing Abraham Lincoln wielding an assault rifle, a machete, and go pole-vaulting to try and take on a shape-shifting robot from outer space, I can’t help but feel it would be cooler to have other characters come in during the song’s second act to shine, even if only for a few seconds each. Who wouldn’t want to see, say, Spider-Man running around with a machete, or Solid Snake pole-vaulting into Optimus? Part of the charm of these giant fights is seeing a large group of characters fight, so it’s smart to give everyone time to shine, no matter who they are.

Consider including a character so powerful that it requires others putting aside their differences and teaming up to defeat them

He only does two things in the song (kick Indiana Jones in the crotch and kill Batman), but Chuck Norris’ appearance marks him as the most powerful and badass character in ‘Ultimate’ He’s so powerful, in fact, that it takes the combined might of over 20 other characters to take him down in the bloodiest battle that the world ever saw. And even cooler, most of them would be mortal enemies outside of ‘Ultimate’; where else would you see every single Power Ranger fighting alongside Darth Vader and Benito Mussolini?

The advantage of bringing in uber-powerful characters into your story is that they immediately dominate the battlefield, forcing other characters to to put aside their differences, even if only for a few moments, to work together for their own survival, giving you a unique opportunity to have characters who would never otherwise tolerate each other be forced to do so, leading to moments that are either awesome, funny, or a mix of both as they interact and play off each other.

Consider making the survivor/winner of your big fight an unknown who isn’t a fighter

Just who would win in a winner takes all fight of pop culture characters? Depending on who you ask, there’s an infinite number of possible victors, ranging from the strongest, the fastest, smartest, or the most clever. ‘Ultimate’ bucks that trend by having the victor not be a muscle-bound warrior, a magical wizard, or a dictator, but Fred Rogers, host of ‘Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood’.

What’s great about this ending is that the victor of such a bloody battle isn’t even a warrior, but a kind, gentle man who, by all accounts, never raised his voice or said anything unkind about anyone. It’s unexpected, it’s novel, and even heartwarming to see someone opposed to violence standing as the greatest character in pop culture, and mourning all those who perished (though, personally, I think the seppuku was going a bit too far).

The Takeaway

When doing an incredibly awesome crossover that involves lots of fighting, you have more leeway to break the laws of physics or logic in order to get something cool. Consider following a core group of characters, but remember that your audience will want to see everyone get a moment to shine, especially when dozens of them have to team up to take down a particularly powerful character, and to see good guys/gals doing little deeds to try and help others, even at the cost of their own personal safety. And when it comes to endings, consider having someone unexpected win, instead of the most popular character.

What we can learn from ‘Sharknado 5: Global Swarming’

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Sharknado5cover

Last week, we took a look at… You know what, you know the drill by now.

1. Consider making the backstory behind your monster something your audience won’t expect

For the first four films, the Sharknado series has stuck with the idea that the sharknadoes are an entirely natural phenomenon. ‘Global Swarming’ bucks that trend by revealing that sharknadoes are actually a supernatural phenomenon caused by a shark god that humanity has fought in the past, and defeated. In as serious series, this would be pretty far-fetched, but the dopey nature of the Sharknado series makes this a plausible twist that retroactively paints the series as humanity’s latest fight against a supernatural menace trying to wipe us out, giving the series a bigger feel, in that there’s more going on beyond what we see in the films.

2. Give your character/s a good reason to chase after the monster.

One of the hardest hurtles to overcome in monster movie sequels is giving the hero a valid reason to chase after a monster that any sane person would run away from. ‘Global Swarming’ is one of the few monster sequels I’ve seen that gives the leads a legitimate and logical reason to do so: Finn and April’s son have been sucked by a sharknado that can teleport around the globe, forcing them to give chase in order to save him. Thus, they’re not motivated by greed, revenge, or wanting to destroy the menace once and for all, but to save a loved one, a motive that everyone can relate to and understand.

3. Take advantage of exotic locations, but make sure they advance the story

Where the four previous Sharknado films took place entirely within the United States (and outer space), ‘Global Swarming’ finally takes the toothy menace across the globe, including England, Switzerland, Italy, Australia, Japan, and Egypt. Predictably, this allows the film to poke fun at the various attractions at each location, the most enjoyable of which is Finn leading the charge to save the Queen at Buckingham Palace, a brief sojourn in Africa where we have lions vs sharks, and the statue of Christ the Redeemer literally giving Finn and April a hand as they continue to try and save their son.

However, when your characters go to exotic locations, make sure their adventures advance the story: ‘Global Swarming’s sequence in Switzerland, which features a steampunk zeppelin and lots of skiing and dog mushing, feels like padding. While an action sequence may have plenty of cool-looking action, if it doesn’t advance the story or characters, it will ultimately be padding. Cool-looking padding, but padding nonetheless.

3. Consider giving a long-running sidekick a less-than-honorable motivation (and then let them redeem themselves)

Nova’s role in the Sharknado series is to be the action girl unfettered by a family or loved ones beyond Finn, and ‘Global Swarming’ puts her in command of the Sharknado Sisters, a cavort group dedicated to wiping out sharknadoes. But then it’s revealed that what Nova wants is pure revenge: to kill every shark on earth, even if she has to give up on rescuing Finn’s son, Gil. Considering that sharks killed her grandfather and nearly ate her, it’s understandable that Nova would want to kill an entire species, but such a revelation retroactively makes her a darker character.

However, the movie does give her redemption and the chance to balance out her bloodlust: Nova is the reason Gil gets sucked into the sharknado, and she tries to save him in Tokyo, but fails and dies, but not before reconciling with Finn and April, proving that when it comes to redemption quests, the effort of just trying is just as important as if the character succeeds or not.

5. When all else fails, throw in an athlete using his/her skills to help save the day

Is your story sagging by the middle of the second act? Are you trying and failing to find a way to sustain your audience’s interest? Why not try throwing in a random cameo by an athlete using their skills to help save the day? In a film filled with sharks in tornadoes attacking multiple countries, the pope giving out laser-firing chainsaws, and ancient shark gods, the most random moment may be Tony Hawk appearing out of nowhere in Australia and using his skateboarding skills to help fully transform the Sidney Opera House into an anti-sharknado weapons platform. Does it make any sense? Not really. But it is memorable and amusing to see him use skateboarding to help fight a sharknado, similar to how Gymkata features an Olympic gymnast defeating bad guys with gymnastics and conveniently placed horizontal bars and pommel horses in city plazas and alleyways.

6. When introducing an evil organization/villain, give them some motivations and goals

When in Brazil, Finn and April learn more about the ancient artifact that can be used to control sharknadoes. But it isn’t long before a shady man sneaks in and steals it, prompting an inter-continental chase to Rome where Finn takes on the bad guy and gets the artifact back. However, this man’s appearance feels almost like an afterthought: he appears without any foreshadowing, and is dispatched quickly a few minutes later without having any real effect on the story, aside from getting Finn and April to Rome. I got the impression that he’s part of an evil organization that wants to control sharknadoes, but this story idea is never pursed or given any development.

While it’s acceptable to have antagonists appear suddenly in stories to accost and badger our protagonists, it’s important to give the reader some sense of who they are and what they want. Even if they have the coolest looks, the baddest weapons, and the most awesome equipment, it’s still important to give them a motivation, rather than being a random goon who leaves as quickly as he or she appears.

7. Dramatic moments have a heavier impact in comedy

‘Global Swarming’ starts off like all the previous Sharknado films, focusing on jokes, goofy and outlandish attacks, and the like. But when the film gets into its third act, it takes a sudden turn into the dramatic: Nova fails to save Gil from the sharknado and dies; Fin’s entire family is killed by sharknadoes, and then the film kills not only April, but everyone else on Earth, leaving Finn the world’s sole survivor. And there’s no comedy or jokes to any of these scenes: they’re all played straight, resulting in what may be the most emotionally effective moments in any Scyfi/Asylum film to date.

What makes these moments effective is how unexpected they are; we, the audience, watch comedies to laugh and feel good, which makes the sudden introduction of drama and death catches us off guard. It’s one thing to watch characters die in dramas and thrillers; we expect it. Having a dramatic moment in a comedy and not playing it for laughs will get people’s attention because of how unexpected it is.

8. When people lose their loved ones, make sure they grieve

While ‘Global Swarming’s dramatic moments are effective, I couldn’t help but feel that Finn and April don’t grieve enough when they learn that their entire family is dead, especially when Finn hears his older son die on the phone while talking to him. Such an event should drive them to their knees and crush their spirits, and the only reason they could even go on is fueled purely by wanting to get revenge on the sharks, with all thoughts of saving humanity thrown aside.

When your character’s loved ones die, make sure we see them grieve. The struggle of having to go on even when all they want to do is collapse makes us sorry for them, yet we can admire them for continuing on after going through what is arguably the most traumatic thing a human can ever experience.

9. When you have a downer ending, strongly consider having a ray of hope

‘Global Swarming’ ends with everyone on Earth dead except for Finn. Had the film ended there, it would have the most shocking ending in the series to date. However, there is a faint thread of hope as he meets – thanks to time travel shenanigans – his now grown son and heads back in time to save everyone else.

In fiction, downer endings are pretty much guaranteed to stay with people long after the story is over, for both good or ill. While they are memorable because they go against the expectation of having a happy ending, or, at least, a bittersweet one, there’s also no escaping the fact that they’re depressing, making it hard to come back to the story again and again. However, if the characters, and the reader, have the smallest thread of hope that things will get better, that can transform a terrible situation into one where the audience will remember your story even more fondly than if there is no hope.

The Takeaway:

When doing a sequel in your monster series, consider exploring an unexpected background behind the monsters while taking advantage of traveling to exotic locations in pursuit of the monster for a noble goal, while making sure those travels contribute to the plot; along the way, make sure villains get some motivations and goals when they appear, and have your characters react realistically to losing everyone they love, and if your story has a downer ending, leaving a thread of hope that things will get better will go a long way to satisfying your audience.

Note: Due to missing ‘Sharknado 6: It’s About Time’s broadcasts, and that the film is not yet available on DVD or streaming, my critique of the film will have to wait until it is available. Until then, the series-wide analysis is on hold.