The History Of The Genre.
It is considered that the action genre actually began with the film 'The Great Train Robbery' in 1903, directed by Edwin S. Porter, and it has remained strong throughout cinematic history. During the 1920's and 1930's, adventure films were popularised in the west by various different actors, with Douglas Fairbanks and Errol Flynn being examples. However, the settings were often period ones. Moving on from these, the James Bond series was phenomenally successful right from its starting point with 'Dr No' in 1962 and on into the 1970's, helping to spread and popularise the action film concept that we still mostly see today. The early James Bond films helped to bring new conventions into the genre, such as quick editing cuts, car chases, fist fights, and a resourceful hero. Many of the earlier American action films focused more on the maverick police, with 'Bullitt', 'The French Connection', and 'Dirty Harry', (1968, 1971, and 1971 respectively), being primary examples. The action film genre then expanded in the 1980's and 1990's with the growth of special effects and techniques helping, as well as a response to fed up audiences who were looking for faster plots, more violence, and more stimulation. Actors such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, and Sylvester Stallone helped the genre become a dominant force within Hollywood. 'Die Hard', (1988) was a film that was particularly influential on the genre, especially in the decade that followed.
The films within this genre are generally quite expensive due to the excessive amount of stunt work and special effects work. Due to this, it is mostly regarded as a Hollywood genre because of the fact that they have the money needed.
The films within this genre are generally quite expensive due to the excessive amount of stunt work and special effects work. Due to this, it is mostly regarded as a Hollywood genre because of the fact that they have the money needed.
Typical Storylines.
Revenge
One particularly common storyline within the action genre is along the lines of revenge. The hero's parents, partner, brother or sister have been killed, or the hero themselves have been left for dead, and they thus go off on a mission to find the villain and bring them down. This is the spark that inspired everything from the classic kung-fu movies to 'Kill Bill'. This storyline is so popular because of the fact that it's so simple and easy for the audience to understand and get behind - while some may not be able to understand the complexity of a political thriller or relate to the characters in a historical drama, but being able to follow a cop who had his wife killed by a gang, for example, is extremely easy to understand and follow. 'John Wick' (2014) is a good recent example of an action-revenge film. In it, a retired assassin is grieving after the loss of his wife, and seeks vengeance after his beloved car is stolen and his puppy, the last gift from his wife, is killed.
Escape
A second generic storyline for an action movie is escape. This is obviously where the hero is trapped within a certain, secure location, and has to escape using wit, cunning, and a large number bullets. Locations that the hero has to escape from can wildly vary - a police precinct surrounded by bad guys is seen in 'Assault on Precinct 13', while in 'Escape From New York' the hero is trying to get both himself and the President of the United States of America out of the whole of a futuristic Manhattan. In 'Fortress' the protagonist tries to escape from a futuristic, maximum security prison where every prisoner has a bomb implanted within their gut, and in 'Die Hard', (the film that is said to have changed the entire action movie genre forever), the hero is trapped within a plaza and has to withstand attacks from terrorists. Like revenge, escape is very easy to follow - the hero just has to get away from where he currently is. A recent example of an action-escape film would be 'The Maze Runner: Scorch Trials' (2015), where a group of young adults have to escape from an evil organisation by crossing a bleak landscape that's filled with deadly obstacles and hazards.
Assassination
Within assassination films, a hero or a group of heroes are given a brief and then sent to a distant land to kill a specified person, normally an evil dictator. This type of storyline is often known as the distant cousin of revenge, mentioned before, with the only difference being that there is nothing directly done to the hero/heroes at the beginning of the story to spark the killing, and thus again is very easy for the viewing audience to understand. The assassination storyline can be seen in many films, ranging from the period actions such as 'The Dirty Dozen' to kung-fu movies like 'Enter The Dragon', as well as war movies such as 'Apocalypse Now'. 'John Wick' (2014) is, again a good example here. He chases after and takes down a group on gangsters who took everything from him.
Oppression
Oppression is one of the least common of the main, typical storylines within the action genre, but is seen as the most effective when done well. Essentially, the hero has to protect and/or save a group of innocent people from villains who are heavily armed and, in most scenarios, outnumber them. This storyline is present within the most profitable movie of all-time - 'Avatar' (2009). It had an estimated box office profit of $1,033,982,544, and then a worldwide gross of $2,787,965,087. It follows the story of Jake Sully, a paralysed former marine, on the alien planet of Pandora. Due to the planets poisonous environment, humans must link their minds to 'Avatars' in order to move freely. He ends up fighting for the planet as a pose to destroying it with the rest of the human population.
Kidnap
It's easy to see why kidnapping is a typical storyline for an action film as we very unfortunately see it often in the news and online, involving criminals, police, and innocent victims. In kidnap films, the victim has a relationship built up with the protagonist before being kidnapped in a certain way. There is then either a huge operation by a police force in order to retrieve the person or people and punish those responsible, or one hero doing the same job. The best example of a kidnap film is 'Taken' (2008), when a retired CIA agent has his daughter kidnapped on a trip to Paris, and travels acorss Europe to save her.
Typical Characters.
Heroes
Classic Hero - Goes on a quest in order to achieve something that benefits people.
Tragic Hero - Similar to classic hero, but is doomed from the start, just reaching their goal. Accidental Hero - An everyday person who just happens to get in the way of the action. Superhero - Someone with superhuman powers. Marvel heroes are the best examples. Anti-Hero - A hero that is not particularly liked, but can come through when needed. |
Crusader - A hero who just follows the path of his quest and doesn’t care for much else.
Genius - Uses brain power and intelligence in order to complete the task at hand before force. Silent Hero - Similar to the Crusader in the fact that they like little fuss, but does side tasks. Martyr - A hero that battles with courage but may lay down their life for the greater cause. Savior - Has a very noble goal to rescue others from whatever they are undergoing. |
Villiains
Mastermind - A villain that does not commit the crime, but instead is the brains behind it.
Thief - They steal from seemingly impenetrable areas, and are actually seldom violent. Thug - Not the most intelligent of villains, resorting to violence. Often work together. Trickster - A mischievous character who is not what they first appear and have an agenda. Assassin - Mysterious and secretive person whose role is to kill on command of a peer. |
Lovable Rogue - Sympathetic and attractive villain who commits both evil and kind acts.
Evil Genius - A genius who chooses to use their intelligence for deep evil and personal gain. Nemesis - The exact opposite of the hero, thus meaning they are an equal and tough match. Traitor - A hero, or perceived hero, who ends up switching sides and fighting the real hero. Monster - Creatures that aren’t human that have evil ways, such as vampires, aliens, and demons. |
Beginning Example. |
The Great Train Robbery (1903). |
Middle Example. |
Dr No (1962). |
New Example. |
Power Rangers (2017). |
Research Links.
http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/Evolution-of-the-action-film-3210046.php
https://priceonomics.com/the-rise-of-the-action-movie/
http://www.filmbug.com/dictionary/action-movies.php
http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/18824/the-5-most-common-action-movie-plots
https://prezi.com/kye_hbblnmoq/generic-conventions-of-action-genre/
http://www.filmbug.com/dictionary/action-movies.php
http://changingminds.org/disciplines/storytelling/characters/characters.htm
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0455944/?ref_=tt_rec_tt
https://priceonomics.com/the-rise-of-the-action-movie/
http://www.filmbug.com/dictionary/action-movies.php
http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/18824/the-5-most-common-action-movie-plots
https://prezi.com/kye_hbblnmoq/generic-conventions-of-action-genre/
http://www.filmbug.com/dictionary/action-movies.php
http://changingminds.org/disciplines/storytelling/characters/characters.htm
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0455944/?ref_=tt_rec_tt