GOOD versus BAD Storytelling

Take Heath Ledger's Joker ...

Look at him ...

The make-up is crudely applied.  

The smile-effect is made from knife scars at the corners of his mouth: the origin only hinted at.  

His actions deadly and insane.

And those eyes, right?

Now, take Leto's Joker ...

I mean you can tell he's damaged ... ah, because that is what is tattooed on his forehead, right?

The ultimate in telling and not showing us!  

And what is up with all the tattoos and metal teeth caps?  The insanity is literally all surface.



Take GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY ...

Five individuals we had never seen before.  

Yet their backstory was smoothly integrated into the flow of the story until by movie's end ...

when we hear Groot sacrifice himself for the others and rumble, "WE ARE GROOT," we actually tear up, don't we?



Take SUICIDE SQUAD ...

There are too many thrown in all at the beginning as we get the Cliff Notes version of the backstory.

We cannot feel for any of them very much or mourn when they die.

ACTION ...

Action must strive for some worthwhile goal or it is all sound and fury signifying the fight scenes in SUICIDE SQUAD.


Action scenes don't just happen because it is time for one as in comics or comic movies.  

Your action scenes must propel your narrative forward in meaningful ways.

Good Storytelling, even by males, must have female characters that are WHOLE, STRONG persons in and of themselves

Women characters must exist as entire personalities, not be one-dimensional or the entire story suffers.

In SUICIDE SQUAD, the biggest laugh of the movie is when Batman hits Harley Quinn in the face.  

She has an abusive relationship with her Puddin', the Joker ...

nor is it referenced as anything but some bad taste joke.

WHAT OTHER EXAMPLES 

OF 

GOOD VS BAD STORYTELLING TROPES 

DO YOU SEE ON THE SCREEN OR TV OR NOVELS?