Thoughts on Joss Whedon's writing

So recently, me and a couple friends watched the first episode of Firefly on Netflix. We thought that the show was, more or less, just all right. I don't see how it has such a big following, but that's beside the point. The show was written by Joss Whedon, a pretty popular TV and movie writer. He is mostly known for his then long running TV series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and is usually hailed as a good character writer, and I cannot for the life of me see why that is.

Oh my God, do I hate his characters and dialogue. EVERYONE sounds like they were written by a robot who thought that was how humans acted. I did not go a minute in Firefly without rolling my eyes at whatever thing a character said that was either awkward or forced. It reminded me of a sketch I saw in a review by The Spoony One, where he called his brother Miles into his room and proceeded to talk in an over exaggerated way saying stuff like "Why if it isn't my little brother, Miles, who I have known all my life" while petting his dog. Except that was done to show bad writing. Everyone in Firefly, and everything else I have seen by Joss Whedon, acts like this.

I just wanted to know if I was the only one who felt this way about his writing. I honestly can't stand him, and is one of the biggest reasons I won't watch Agents of Shield, and I heard that it was a cringe fest anyway.

 

I hate him because he ruined Black Widow and Ultron.

 

I don't think that his writing is bad in a way that the characters talk like robots, but my problem is every one of his characters is always a bit more witty then they should be and like no one is legitimatly ever surprised like a human would be. So I suppose that is kind of robotic really

 

I think he's the American Gen Urobuchi. I love his style. There's a joke about how if Joss Whedon and Gen Urobuchi walk into a bar, all your loved ones will die in horrible ways.

Then again, the only work of his that I like is The Cabin in the Woods, and he's only partially involved in that, and not even in the directorial role. Hm.

Well, I do like his first Avenger movie. I was able to connect with the characters in that movie. I like that he at least tries to give a not-so-clean morality to his characters, such that they aren't just all squeaky clean Steve Rogers without flaws, yet not all brooding and edgy like Batfleck.

Age of Ultron was terrible though, I agree. I hate that movie. It's convoluted and a total mess. Black Widow was turned into fan fiction material. Buuut everyone screws up now and then, and I haven't seen Buffy or Felicity to judge his other works...