Bennett: the Binman Part II

These are the development notes from a Variety magazine film critic whose name can be supplied upon request.

OPENING COMMENTS:
It’s hard to come up with a sequel that’s as satisfying as the original entry, but in the case of BINMAN 2, you’ve triumphantly succeeded. Jumping off immediately from where we left our hero at the end of the first movie, you swiftly move through the paces here, and display an ever bigger sense of scope to your action sequences while still bringing the jokes at a pretty steady clip. There’s no conceivable way that someone who enjoyed reading the first installment won’t enjoy reading this one, and the clever manner in which you brought back certain characters from the first movie was an added benefit. And the fact that you went in the direction of aliens and UFO’s and all of that stuff, makes the film feel even more unique when compared to its predecessor. This is another bang-up piece of genre-based writing that’s certain to find more fans.

STORY & CHARACTERS:
It’s all about GORDON and he’s such an awesome creation. We ALWAYS love him and ALWAYS are on his side, and because he’s so lovable, we definitely know that his life is never truly in danger. Which makes for a fun landscape because it becomes all about how will he survive each twist and set piece? You wisely decided to shit the plot-centric action from zombies to another genre-based item, in this case, aliens and UFO’s, and these ingredients are certain to be intriguing to filmmakers. And just as you did in the first film, the script has a great balance of action and comedy, which makes for a fully-rounded feeling in terms of a reading experience.
Our extraterrestrial guests are all very exciting. The Phagocytes are genuinely disgusting and will definitely provide for Hollywood effects artists to have some serious fun, whether they become a fully CGI creation or practical effect or cool mix of both. They add flair to the entire piece, and serve as a formidable villain for the heroes to vanquish. I’ve always been a big fan of the look and tone of the Classic Grey Alien, so that you went with this approach hit me in all of the right ways on a personal level, and at the close, when we see KHAL and he imparts his final bits of wisdom, we really do care and love the guy even more.

The action sequences are fantastic, and in particular, the climactic helicopter set piece is spectacular, and would likely look absolutely amazing on the big screen. There’s a swift pacing to the action which keeps the flow steady and quick, and yet nothing is ever confusing for the reader. Once GORDON and his buddies are let loose in the base and have to fight their way out, the film basically becomes one big battle, and it’s flat-out super entertaining. All of the big moments hit big and from a director’s POV, there’s so much on the page that holds visual promise.

Some other personal highlights are when GORDON tells his wife what happened in the first movie, and she scoffs and thinks he’s insane. DICKS is a great female character, and when she takes that nasty dump – I definitely laughed out loud. I love ALL of the names of the bases and the facilities and rooms (Amusement Park, etc.) and in general, the government conspiracy angle is juicy and exciting and provocative, and the human bad-guys are all nasty enough but never feel like insane threats. We know that GORDON will succeed, and it’s just about seeing how it all go down. Also, really clever and fun way to bring NOB back into the proceedings, and in general, the spirit of this script is definitely in line with the first one. There’s no chance that someone who wants to direct the first one will balk at this one, in terms of feeling like a true continuation of the characters, themes, and action.

DIALOGUE & TONE
You have a ton of witty zingers and funny lines of dialogue, and I must say, all of the British slang and lingo is a real pisser to read on the page. It’s sometimes a bit confusing to an American reader and you have to go back and re-read some passages, which is no big deal, but the entire script sounds SUPER AUTHENTIC which is awesome, and should really appeal to a British writer. I’m sure it’s over the top in some ways, but the way that people sound and talk feels organic and fluid. Tonally, you’ve hit the sweet spot again, with just the right amount of tongue in cheek humor and genuine thrills to make it all feel perfectly balanced.

STRUCTURE & GRAMMAR:
BINMAN 2 is a very clean effort, and within the first 15 pages, you’ve set up our story, and then we’re off to the races, with well-timed plot points and the big shift kicking into high-gear around the 55-60 page mark. It’s all forward momentum and after just one reading and a skim, there doesn’t seem to be much fat on the bones. You’ve got some small grammatical items that need to be cleaned up (some comma stuff and small misspellings) but nothing major at all. One more dedicated pass from your eyes will be able to spot these items. But in general, there’s nothing alarmingly poor in terms of a grammar or craft level that you need to be concerned with.

FINAL COMMENTS:
Just as with THE BINMAN, I had a blast reading THE BINMAN 2. It’s the next logical step for GORDON, his quest becomes more outrageous and exciting, you’ve mixed up the ingredients just enough to keep it feeling fresh. One of the best things about this proposed series of films is how contained and insular it feels, and you can REALLY “see” the world that you’re presenting. One other thing – the idea that the big threat that aliens have is that they will dump interstellar trash all over Earth – that’s a lovely conceit and plays into the main core of who GORDON is as a character. Really nice touch with that particular move, and I think that in general, this is a very winning effort and feels excellent tethered to what’s come before it.