Virgo: Year Zero
Logline
In a dystopian future, an extraordinary young woman must decide the fate of what’s left of the human race.
Genre
Action,Adventure,Apocalyptic,Sci-fi
Short Summary
The story opens with our heroine, VIRGO, a mixed-race, young child, inside a virtual environment where we discover, along with her, what happened to the world before her. She shortly awakens to find out the world before is no longer.
The Reverend is dispatched and Virgo is victorious. The final scene has Virgo visiting the grave of her father that was killed in the final battle of our story. She is pregnant as her genetic makeup allows her to do so without need of a male. A new age begins.
Setting
The remains of futuristic Denver
Based on a True Story
No
Plot - Premise
Overcoming Monster/Villain,Internal Journey/Rebirth,Quest
Plot - Other Elements
Meaningful Message,Philosophical Questions
Mature Audience Themes
Nudity
Main Character Details
Name: Virgo
Age: 23
Gender: Female
Role: Protagonist
Key Traits: Adventurous,Aspiring,Badass,Complex,Engaging,Heroic
Additional Character Details
Name: Ekko
Age: 50
Gender: Female
Role: Mentor
Key Traits: Adventurous,Aspiring,Badass,Empathetic,Confident,Complex,Decisive,Honorable,Leader,Modest,Selfless,Skillful,Strong Moral Code,Faithful
Additional Character Details
Name: The Reverend
Age: 60
Gender: Male
Role: antagonist
Key Traits: Narcisstic,Villainous,Religious,Sophisticated,Greedy,Leader,Criminal,Complex,Power Hungry,Outspoken,Manipulative
Additional Character Details
Name: Colt
Age: 40
Gender: Male
Role: sidekick
Key Traits: Badass,Aggressive,Masculine,Villainous,Narcisstic,Patriotic,Greedy,Naive,Skillful,Power Hungry,Manipulative
Development Pitch
Although the story’s is driven by its main character, Virgo, we get to know other characters and deeply examine them as well. It’s a similar approach that movies like Star Wars or the newer Star Trek movies took or even in some of Christopher Nolan’s films. They are nearly ensemble pieces, but not quite. The approach I would take , visually speaking, I would shoot anamorphic with clearly defined rules for color palette representations, light, and the overall mood on a macro scale; would remain dark and adhere to the earlier look of Blade Runner. Attention to detail would be extremely important, especially in terms of story. This script was originally written as a trilogy and still could be. Although, it could also stand on its own. In development, I would also take a look at a possible rating change and remove any nudity (or at least shoot it to suggest) as well as make any language changes that were needed to include a younger audience. Another change that might be needed is the condensing of the antagonist and his side-kick, which could possibly be combined into one character. With a clear history and backstory that I developed over ten years, I was able to bring the characters to life in a way that some stories lack. The world of Virgo is large and detailed, and I only touch on a small portion in this feature. I would be sure to lay the ground for further adaptations, financial involvement, and sequels. This story could be the foundation for many others to come.
Genre
ACTION, DRAMA, FANTASY
Brief
In a dystopian future, Virgo is an extraordinary young girl who has the power to save what's left of human race. She has been chased by evil men, interested in her extra powers, and she is the only person who can stop these guys from completing their selfish plans.
Overall Rating
GOOD
Narrative Elements
Authors Writing Style: GOOD
Characterization: GOOD
Commerciality: GOOD
Franchise Potential: GOOD
Pace: FAIR
Premise: FAIR
Structure: GOOD
Theme: GOOD
Accuracy of Book Profile
The profile does depict the book properly.
Draw of Story
The futuristic universe is interesting, well built, if somewhat confusing. However, what drew me instantly was the post-apocalyptic scenario that was born from a pandemic, which could be related to the moment we are currently living.
Possible Drawbacks
I understand that it's Sci-fi and that these characters tend to behave more robotically to fit the futuristic environment, but I believe the characters could "act" more like humans - they could face more internal conflicts, they could feel more. They are still humans trying to save our race, so I'd like to see more drama there, more emotions, to feel more about those characters.
Use of Special Effects
THE STORY RELIES HEAVILY ON SPECIAL EFFECTS
Primary Hook of Story
It's a story about a virus that killed a massive portion of the human race. The humans decided to create hybrid humans who could survive hostile environments to save the race from extinction. It's a very timely premise nowadays.
Fanbase Potential
It could have a large fanbase. It has a female lead who is the most powerful being on the planet. It could attract young audiences.
Awards Potential
If the controversial questions that surround the creation of a new race are intensified, the selfishness of corporations trying to play God for personal interests further explored, if the extinction of the human race could make us reflect more about our present, I can see Awards potential here.
Envisioned Budget
LARGE BUDGET
Similar Films/TV Series
WESTWORLD - THE CREATION OF ARTIFICIAL HUMANS WHO HAS THE CHANCE TO SUBSTITUTE THE HUMAN RACE; ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL - A CYBORG YOUNG GIRL PROGRAMMED TO BE A GOOD FIGHTER; BLADE RUNNER - IN A DYSTOPIAN FUTURE, CYBORGS SHARE THE SAME PLANET WITH HUMANS.
What’s New About the Story
The idea of a mixed-race created in a lab is not necessarily unique, but the feature presents some interesting concepts such as time being used as currency, and robots that function as avatars connected to people's minds.
Lead Characters
I believe the lead could stand out even more. Since she spends part of the film in a pod, speaking with other people using an avatar, or through computers, she seems to be a little bit passive. She is still figuring things out, so she is not very present in decision-making, and not very active in moments other characters are struggling to save the human race. It's challenging to mix the characteristics of a young girl trying to figure things out with the characteristics of the most powerful being on Earth. However, I believe that building a more complex character would be worth it in this case.
Uniqueness of Story
Not a rare gem. It could be improved by intensifying the drama, and by giving Virgo a more active voice.
Possible Formats
Film - Indie, Film - Streaming, Film - Studio
Analyst Recommendation
WORK IN PROGRESS
Justification
It's a well-made work in progress. It has good structure, good dialogue, memorable characters, an interesting futuristic universe, nice concepts that improve the overall experience. However, it still needs improvements when we talk about the lead character. The goals should be better designed, the pace could be improved to provide a better mix of action and dramatic moments. The villain, a Reverend who uses religious quotes to prove his "plan," is a good choice, but he could be more complex, more dreadful.
Tips for Improvement
It needs better development in terms of the lead character and her contribution to the story. It needs improvements in pace. The universe, despite interesting, needs further details to be even more reliable. The action scenes are smart, but they require clearer descriptions. The story needs a more defined theme which would serve as a base to the whole plot. Is the theme the desire to save the human race? The struggle to save the ones you personally love? The insensitive behavior of creating and discarding superhumans? A defined theme would be essential for this script to work better.