I don't think it's bad on its own, it's just cliched. I think its frequent use in the "Peanuts" comic brought it to widespread anti-fame. To me, starting a sto

I don't think it's bad on its own, it's just cliched. I think its frequent use in the "Peanuts" comic brought it to widespread anti-fame. To me, starting a story (or movie) in the middle a giant fight scene, and then jumping "12 hours earlier" is the contemporary equivalent lazy opening. It just means you're not trying, you're relying on convention to create drama.