DVD Review: The Scribbler

By Brad Henderson

Whenever I hear a film is based on a graphic novel I get a little excited. I love graphic novels and I have enjoyed the majority that have been turned into movies. When The Scribbler came to me I was pumped to watch it because it seemed like a weird and ambitious story.

Before I get into the film I will say this: Filmmakers, stop trying to copy Sin City, Watchmen, and 300.

It seems that filmmakers are trying to capture the same things those films did and because of this lack of originality, most will fail. This is the main thing The Scribbler suffers from visually. With comic book and graphic novel movies, the filmmakers seem to want to use the same imagery and slow-mo shit that these past films did. When you do this you will get eyerolls because we are fed up with it. This same thing happened after The Matrix came out because everyone wanted their action film to be the same.

The Scribbler isn’t a bad film but the graphic novel is just too big for one film. All these storylines are shoveled into 88 minutes and we are left unfulfilled. I understand why the filmmakers tried to cram everything in because this isn’t a movie that would get a sequel. However, I wish they would have made this film longer and spent more time with the characters and the story. I imagine fans of the graphic novel will know what is going on but newbies will be left confused.

Suki is a woman with split personalities who is undergoing treatment with an experimental text known as the Siamese Burn. The film starts off with Suki being questioned by the police because in her place of residence a few dead bodies have turned up. As the story unfolds we get all the exposition we need about Suki and her problems but that really doesn’t involve the storyline that the film is following. The first part of this film is pretty easy to follow but after that it spirals into a state of confusion that leaves you scratching your head. As Suki continues with the treatment she learns more about herself and her apparent split personalities. Suki is slowly becoming someone else and that person wants to take over.

The Scribbler had a ton of potential because the acting and effects are good, even though the dialogue is poorly written. Thus, we are left with a pretty but confusing movie that leaves us wanting a little more. That said, I haven’t read the graphic novel but if it is as confusing as the film then I guess they pulled it off perfectly.

The Scribbler was released on October 21 by XLrator Media.