Why J. J. Abrams' Mystery Box is Terrible and How to Fix It

this is your story this is your story on mystery box friends don't let friends use mystery box this PSA brought to you by channel merchandise and doctor alpha miracle child on indiegogo links down below JJ Abrams is mystery box theory has garnered quite the infamous reputation in a post dizzy Star Wars world and with good reason however this of course was not always the case in the long long ago before the dark times ie before the advent of the dizzy Star Wars sequels at least some people thought the mystery of the mysterious mystery box theory is sounded impressive at least impressive enough for a TEDTalk a real one it didn't have to wait until the cringy roster a bumblin buffoonery of the tedx series to make its debut so in other words the mystery box topic was deemed hot enough for the cheer squad instead of being relegated to the pep squad and the presentation seemed to have garnered a positive reception even maintaining a strongly positive like to dislike ratio 12 years down the line but what exactly is the mystery box theory and why exactly has it earned such a nasty reputation because the truth is that while abrams is mystery box is technically somewhat effective the theory is overall incomplete while the talk itself is about 18 minutes and dwindles from his initial point wearing off into a strange rant about special effects and leading him to conclude his presentation with the conclusion of a different presentation the heart of the mystery box theory is to quote Abrams I find myself drawn to infinite possibility that sense of potential and I realize that mystery is the catalyst for imagination when I started to think that maybe there are times when mystery is more important than knowledge I started getting interested in this to summarise mystery sparks the imagination and sometimes where we can imagine is far more important and exciting than the truth and this part is true to put it simply Abrams his mystery box is a storytelling formula at centers on suspense as Abrams put it mystery is indeed the catalyst for imagination for example the theory itself gets its name from a tennis mystery magic box $15 for $50 worth of magic a box which JJ never opened to Abrams the sheer excitement I felt from simply indulging his imagination in the infinite possibilities of the box's contents was far more important than the actual contents of the box and that is the essence of the theory asking the question and focusing on the joy of not knowing rather than the joy of knowing on its own the idea of the mystery box theory has worked and with great effect not only in well-constructed creative works but iconic pieces of American pop culture one significant example might be the briefcase from Pulp Fiction in the movie the case is considered important whatever is inside holds a lot of value so valuable that our anti-heroes for the evening Vincent and Jules shoot up an apartment full of criminals who decided the briefcase was valuable enough that they attempted to steal the case from Marcellus Wallace one of the most dangerous and influential crime bosses in the city and even though the case is valuable and even though it's what these criminals tried to steal and while Jules and Vincent are there at all even though whatever's in that case is central to the events of the opening event of Pulp Fiction we never find out the contents and dwelling on the infinite possibilities the case represents has indeed sparked the imagination of the fans theorizing answers from money to Marsellus Wallace's soul we see this idea play out again in vivo Vendetta V the rambunctious revolutionary plays a central role in lighting the spark of a volt amongst the people being oppressed by a fascist British government yet all throughout V wears a mask and beneath the mask is a face we never get to see and an identity we never get to learn well we do get a few hints two V's backstory where his identity is concerned all we're left with is a mystery an infinite possibility of who exactly is behind the mask and again the audience will likely gain far more enjoyment from theorizing concrete aspects to VIII who he was and how he became the mysterious masked man then learning the truth because again no answer the story could have given could possibly ever live up to the answers we ourselves carved into the strong sturdy marble of infinite possibility so it's easy to see where Abrams is coming from mainly because we can see the idea he's talking about that only exist but the rive and works that have grounded themselves as icons of American pop culture however the reason why the mystery box and the way it's presented by JJ Abrams is so fundamentally flawed is because it's at best incomplete and at worst misguided the fact is that the mystery box theory is a pleasant poison a paralytic and a most childlike delight obsessing over what could be without ever having to face what is diving deep into the afore acai of infinite possibility in the high is a thrilling one keeping how it's pumping in our minds racing as abrams presents us with question after question and the crash hits hard when the answer never arrives because if we take the movie that reignited interest in Abrams as infamous TED talk the force awakens as a suitable example of witnessing the mystery box in play in its major flaw as a critical miss placement of narrative focus narrative focus as used here essentially answers the question what is this story about well the pop fiction briefcase may have been the reason why Vincent and Jules murdered a roomful of people the narrative focus actually isn't on the contents of the case instead they answer to what is the story of Vincent and Jules about is the enlightenment of Jules as I mentioned Vincent and Jules arrive at an apartment to bring back a briefcase that contains something Marcel as well as really once they end up getting it and shooting up almost everyone involved but what I didn't mention was that they'd missed one thief who had been hiding away the hidden thief's upset with a gun fires off six shots and misses every single one and he misses despite the near certainty that he shouldn't have Jules interprets this outcome as divine intervention and it's this miraculous event that shocks him into his sudden change of mind so yes Vincent and Jules are there to retrieve the briefcase and yes they kill everyone in the room and eventually shoot Marvin in the face but the core of this story is not about two gangsters violently retrieving a valuable MacGuffin for their boss but a story of a gangster who spent years callously committing one horrific crime after another and using religion as a plaything to a man who willingly turns from a path of crime to become a righteous man the contents of the briefcase itself is ultimately unimportant what is important is that we know that the contents are important had the contents actually been the narrative focus then whatever was inside would have been the catalyst for the rest of the story so then the briefcase would play a similar role to the plutonium in Expendables 2 something uniquely valuable that motivates the antagonist and the identity of the contents would dictate the motivations of said antagonists and the consequences that protagonists will face by fighting back and so the nature of the contents will drive the actions of the protagonists for example of the contents were looted from a high score wrong maybe the diamonds from Reservoir Dogs the antagonist smite B rival gangsters thieves and assassins who want the diamonds for themselves and so Vincent and Jules might have to survive not knowing who to trust since being criminals themselves they likely couldn't go to the police and being themselves any safehouses underworld traders and other associates might turn on them for either a better deal from a rival gang boss or for a chance of taking the diamonds for themselves on the other hand if the nature of the briefcase was far more sinister maybe a suitcase nuke then the antagonist might be the government itself and Vincent and Jules be looking down the barrel of the United States government they'd be outcasts all alone and facing far worse consequences than prison time or if the case actually did contain the soul of Marcellus Wallace the following tale might be one of Vincent and Jules having to outsmart the devil himself a gangster pulls off a seemingly typical job when something unexpected happens he soon abandons of life a crime for a spiritual enlightenment - ganks are steal back a briefcase for their boss but when every criminal in the city starts chasing them down they learned this was no ordinary score two gangsters take back a stolen case for their boss but when they learned the nature of its contents they find themselves facing down the United States government two gangsters retrieve his stolen briefcase for their boss but when they learned what's inside the only way out is to outwit the devil himself since a narrative focus would shift from jewels to what's inside the briefcase in each scenario the heart of the story would change depending on the contents the identity of V is in the same position the narrative focus for V for Vendetta is actually on the idea V as a character represents a spirit of revolution but more importantly the mystery of his identity speaks to the heart of the message in the face of tyranny anyone can rise to challenge it just like evey did when she disguised herself as V at the end of the comic in order to lead England's people on Revolution night and just as movie evey points out V was everyone a symbol of revolution itself but had the narrative focus shifted to the identity of V then the story would switch from the idea of revolution to the story of V himself even if the story played out from V's perspective these identity would play a central element of the overall story a switch from a story about the spirit of evolution to a story about the man who led the revolution change from a story showing us that anyone can be a hero to his story showing us the personal journey of a specific designated hero a tale about anyone versus the tale about one in both instances the contents of the briefcase and the identity of V are acceptable mysteries because while intriguing the answers to these mysteries are ultimately unimportant to the resolution of the plot and this is where the mystery box breaks down looking back at the force awakens the story sparked one main question from the audience one that seemed to be the product of Abrams as mystery box who are raised parents keep in mind that the narrative focus is on Rey's identity she's a blank slate no past no heritage no friends just a lone person on a lone desert planet and she stays alone by choice waiting for the return of her parents parents who she can barely remember all for the sake of learning who she is even defenders of the Star Wars sequels will mistakenly say that Rey's biggest flaw is a yearning for this identity in true mystery box fashion Abrams asks the question and never answers it but here's the difference between the pulp fiction briefcase the identity of V and the question of Rey's identity Rey's bloodline could have remained a satisfactory mystery and sparked the imagination of enthusiastic fans to no ill effect that is had rey been treated like luke skywalker had been treated because the Golden Rule of Star Wars the one that had been carved into the heart of the franchise from the very beginning that even the most gifted of force users require training to learn more advanced techniques and grow their power had been broken so when we see Rey breaking this Golden Rule and begin dominating Minds out force pulling kylo Ren another force user who actually had training and is supposedly as naturally gifted as she is and then soon after defeating him in a lightsaber battle despite her severe inexperience especially when compared to kylo Ren's comparatively considerable experience and all without even the slightest hint of training the question presented by Abrams as mystery box shifts from thrilling lore to a narrative focus because Rey has so many skills and is such a natural with the force as she instinctively taps into powers and techniques far above her experience level she's clearly different from every other force user we've seen in the films so when they make Rey's identities so mysterious and make discovering that identity Rey's only real identifiable motivation it's natural for the audience to suspect that the reason why Rey is so powerful and so significantly different lies somewhere in her bloodline but Abrams doesn't answer or even hint at an answer to that question and without either raise overpowered Little Miss fanfiction nature goes without explanation John Wick's legendary skill is acceptable without specific explanation because of his age and the respect he's earned over a long career this combined with his level of knowledge and the efficiency he displays in his profession specifying the exact weapons you'll need for a job and knowing exactly how to take on any situation no matter how impossible allows the audience to assume that he's been through training and has taken the pains to earn his place as a living legend Rey situation would be like giving a teenage boy all of John wicks skills and expertise and so the next question would be how did such a young boy attain the skill level and the same knowledge as John wick the answer becomes necessary because a narrative focus would Center on who this teenager is and how he gained such skill level at a young age and both the case of Ray and his hypothetical teenage assassin the only remaining answer would be that they're just awesome which means both would likely be Mary Sue's to put it another way if your best friend said Lee stole your car without explanation the question you would be asking and therefore the narrative focus would be why did your best friend to steal your car because in most relationships a best friend suddenly stealing another friend's car would be unusual more or less as unusual as a teenager having the equivalent skill level of John wick and as unusual as Ray having such a long roster of skills in such a uniquely strong connection with the force after all the story of a teenage assassin would play out differently if his skillset was amateur and unpolished as opposed to a John wick Ian's degree of sharpness and the story of force awakens would have been unrecognizable if Ray hadn't been gifted the answers to every obstacle she came across she wouldn't have been able to magically fix the Millennium Falcon despite her lack of experience with such an old ship she wouldn't have been able to suddenly attain knowledge on how to dominate brains so her guard wouldn't have been able to free her and she wouldn't have been able to overpower kylo Ren who was a fellow force user supposedly as naturally gifted as she was only trained all of which would have resulted in a drastically different ending and possibly raised suffering a very bitter defeat the major flaw of the mystery box is that it relies on the excitement of mystery to thrill the audience and disregards the importance of the final answer to these mysteries even when the answers to these mysteries become critical to the plots function the mystery box is incomplete because it's juvenile dwelling on what could be without ever having to face what is presenting endless questions without ever presenting the one anointed answer that obsession with infinite possibility is a drug a pleasant paralytic it's the same obsession that has kept countless people dreaming about writers instead of actually becoming writers because dwelling on the fantasy of infinite possibility about how your big novel will turn out and how much it will shake the world is far more scrumptious a thought than facing the reality the reality that one's work will never be perfect and the very real possibility that it will be met with resounding indifference so if the mystery box is truly incomplete what what a functioning version looked like the more refined version of JJ Abrams his mystery box theory is what I like to call Lee childs cake formula Lee Child is the creator and writer of the highly successful Jack Reacher thriller series which currently has two does instalments and still going strong the series has built its success on gripping heart-pounding suspense so how might the mystery box look under a master of suspense and what exactly is the cake formula Lee Child explains his exact formula for suspense in an interview published in the New York Times to quote how do you bake a cake has the wrong structure it's too indirect the right structure and the right question is how do you make your family hungry and the answer is you make them wait for hours for dinner the full context is a comparison is being made between writing a book and baking a cake just as chefs are always asking how to bake a better cake searching for better ingredients and how much of each ingredient to include writers often ask how to make a story more suspenseful how to keep your reader on the edge of their seat and burning through page after page and so Lee Child says that instead of concentrating on baking a better cake one should concentrate on making your reader hungrier Lee childs technique taps into the same strategy as Abraham's his mystery box to ask a question and let the audience indulge themselves with the infinite possibility of the final answer but where it differs is that it actually completes where JJ Abrams chooses to ask intriguing questions import into the plot and then never answer them the child chooses to ask intriguing questions imported to the plot and then build that suspense by keeping the reader waiting until he finally answers the question but the question is eventually answered why because he knows the answers to these questions are critical to the plots function and that failing to address them was severely damaged his story in other words Lee Child might keep his family waiting for hours for dinner but dinner is eventually served while Abrams is content promising dinner and then serving nothing and hoping his family will be satisfied with the infinite possibilities of what dinner could in the end a plot running on the mystery box is like a car trying to run without an engine and that's why even before the days of the last Jedi and the rise of Skywalker the arguments it doesn't matter who Rey is because the message is supposed to be just like B for Vendetta that anyone can be a hero ultimately fails because V's identity was unimportant it was never made a narrative focus all of these skills and abilities were explained through scientific experimentation rather than social position or bloodline as the wiki puts it the experiments actually yield some beneficial results he develops olympic-level reflexes increased strength and incredibly expanded mental capacity as demonstrated consistently throughout the novel and therefore the plot never relied on B's identity to function because Abrams built the mystery of his mystery box on the identity of Rey and then proceeded to make her so unusual even within the context of Star Wars that her existence required justification a reason why Rey was not only a Jedi not only powerful in the forest but prodigious even for a prodigy but because the mystery box is a drug and its baseline is essentially the storytelling equivalent of heroin the answer is never even hinted at over the course of the force awakens and unlikely child's cake formula it asks a question but never gives any indication or attempt at an answer no clear moment leaking Rey - a powerful force user no hint that she might be successfully created clone nothing so while the mystery box is built on some techniques that are both interesting and have proven to be successful when used on major essential elements of a story's plot it becomes toxic it can outright destroy an entire trilogy from movie one and the final result is the audience discovering that the mystery box is a Pandora's box of writing and what's really truly waiting inside is not wonder but poison and that Abrams is theory in reality is nothing but a misery box you you

Channel: Literature Devil

Views: 101,619

Rating: 4.9497647 out of 5

Keywords: Mystery Box, Creative Writing, Lee Child, Jack Reacher, Lee Child a better cake, The Force Awakens, Rey Mary Sue, J. J. Abrams, V for Vendetta, Narrative Focus, Ted Talk, Pulp Fiction Briefcase, Pulp Fiction, Disney Star Wars, Vertigo Comic, Alan Moore, Quentin Tarantino, Vincent and Jules

Id: uXN3ZqN8kgs

Length: 17min 57sec (1077 seconds)

Published: Tue Mar 10 2020