Action/Adventure

Genre

• The action or adventure genre features a hero that is thrown into a series of challenges that require some typical elements:– physical feats– extended fights– heart-pumping

chases (involving cars, motorbikes, trucks, buses, etc.)

Action/Adventure also includes:

– A resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds (eg. fights, gunplay, chases, explosions, etc.)

– An evil villain– Plot (action) as a key element– Character development as generally a

secondary element

Sub-genres

• Action (eg. Indiana Jones)• Conspiracy/political intrigue (The Da Vinci

Code, Pelican Brief)• Dark thriller (Silence of the Lambs)• Disaster (Perfect Storm)• Eco-thriller (The Day after Tomorrow)• Espionage (James Bond)• Historical (300, Saving Private Ryan)

More sub-genres

• Medical (Outbreak)

• Military (Behind Enemy Lines)

• Psychological (Flight 183)

• Superhero (Batman, Spiderman, Superman)

• Technological (Hunt for the Red October, Jurassic Park)

Hero Archetypes

The Swordsman

• With Sword in hand this archetype saves the world, or damsel in distress

• Zorro

• Robin Hood

• Prince of Persia

The Commando

• muscular and savage they carry equally big man guns and knives.

• Rambo

• Commando

• The Expendables

The Cop• A cop who has a

problem with authority• He may or may not

have a 'buddy’(or sidekick) with whom much humour will be generated.

• The cop is never in uniform

• Die Hard• Lethal Weapon

The Epic Leader

• The epic leader is a character in a period piece who commands a massive army.

• he almost always dies at the end of the film

• Braveheart• Gladiator

The Superhero• An accident that would leave

most people dead or mildly ill somehow bestows great power upon a mild mannered nobody transforming them into a force for good.

• Morally good• Usually their parent(s) have

died• Spiderman• Batman• Iron Man• Superman• Kick Ass

The Adventurer

• Guy/Girl who saves the day by travelling across far and uncharted lands, possibly racing for a rare artifact

• A traditional hero• Lara Croft• Indiana Jones• DaVinci Code• The Mummy

The Spy

• Tough and often times suave

• Skilled to kill and often does without being punished

• James Bond

• Jason Bourne

• Mr. and Mrs. Black

The Cowboy• An anti hero, gruff

and stern• Another one who

doesn't talk much • He is a loner

wandering the deserts, probably friends with the Natives

• John Wayne• The Man with no

name• Jonah Hex

The Anti-Hero

• With a dark past and probably a few scars.

• This hero will do whatever it takes to get the job done

• No Country for Old Men

• Blood Diamond• Pirates of the

Caribbean

Other Archetypes

• Arch-enemy

• The Confidante/Sidekick

• Authority Figures

• Love interest

Also,

• Exotic Settings

• Themes