Action Movies

Action movies, perhaps one of the most popular genres of the industry, are essentially the “good guy verses the bad guy” concept with physical action and stunts dictating the plotline, as opposed to the dialogue. Action movies are often delegated to the light entertainment category of the movies industry, but they have enormous universal appeal due to their broad storylines and simple concepts of good versus evil.

There are a number of central components of a standard action movie that appear throughout the film that really classify it as such. These include big-budget physical stunts, chases, explosions, fight scenes and either massive battle scenes or one-to-one combat, depending on the central figure of the movie. Over recent years there has also been a blending of eastern and western action movies, with martial arts now playing a principle part in many action films, moving beyond the traditional western focus on weapons and armoury.

Most actions films are used to provide a form of audience escapism, a way for audiences to live out their need for high octane action from the comfort of the movie theatre. Yet there are several sub genres within the massive movies category of “action movies”. These sub genres are when the action films plotlines blur somewhat into other genres to create a unique feel for the movie.

These sub genres include disaster or apocalypse (War of the Worlds, I Am Legend), superhero (Superman, Batman), action/adventure (Indiana Jones series, National Treasure), spy/espionage (James Bond, Spy Game), revenge (Death Wish, Kill Bill), crime/cops (Dirty Harry, Lethal Weapon), thriller/action (Bourne Identity series, Blade) and science fiction/action (Lord of the Rings, Jurassic Park). A recent example of an action disaster film is the 2012 movie.

Examples of an Action movie is the Quantum of Solace which is categoried as a Action Thriller movie and Conspiracy Theory:

Sub-genres

Action comedy

A sub-genre involving action and humor.[2] The sub-genre became a popular trend in the 1980s when actors who were known for their background in comedy such as Eddie Murphy, began to take roles in action films. The action scenes within the genre are generally lighthearted and rarely involve death or serious injury.[3] Comedy films such as Dumb & Dumber and Big Momma's House that contain action-laden sub-plots are not considered part of the genre as the action scenes have a more integral role in action comedies.[2] Examples of action comedies include The Blues Brothers (1980), 48 Hrs. (1982), Midnight Run (1988), Bad Boys (1995), Rush Hour (1998), and Charlie's Angels (2000).

Die Hard Scenario

The story takes place in limited location - a single building, plane, or vessel - which is seized or under threat by enemy agents, but are opposed by a single hero who fights an extended battle within the location using stealth and cunning to attempt to defeat them. This sub-genre began with the film, Die Hard, but has become popular in Hollywood movie making both because of its crowd appeal and the relative simplicity of building sets for such a constrained piece. Among the many films that have copied this formula are Under Siege (terrorists take over a ship), Under Siege 2: Dark Territory and Derailed (hostages are trapped on a train), Sudden Death (terrorists take over an Ice Hockey stadium), Passenger 57, Executive Decision and Air Force One (hostages are trapped on a plane), Con Air (criminals take over a transport plane), and Half Past Dead and The Rock (criminals or terrorists take over a prison).

Girls with guns

This sub-genre of films and animation, especially Hong Kong action films and anime, uses a female protagonist in a strong lead role, set in a modern context. The genre involves gun-play, stunts and martial arts action. Some of the best known female fighters are Angela Mao Ying, Cheng Pei-pei, Moon Lee, Michelle Yeoh, Zhang Ziyi and Cynthia Rothrock. European and US films with female protagonists include Nikita (1990); Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001); and Kill Bill (2003/2004).

Heroic bloodshed

This Hong Kong sub-genre revolves around dramatic themes such as brotherhood, honor, redemption and the effects of violence on the individual and society at large. It often features stylized shootouts with slow-motion scenes of barrages of gun fire with large-caliber automatic pistols.

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