Inspiration for Action-Adventure Genre

     The action-adventure genre has always found box office appeal for its exciting displays of violence and chaos. Though many moviegoers and critics blast action movies for repeating the same elements to grab a viewer’s attention, these same movies are no doubt a replacement for the amount of inaction that we experience in reality. An absence of activity in our lives forces us to watch these action-packed movies as a substitute.

     Some personal favorite action films in the genre include the Pirates of the Caribbean and John Wick franchises. In the Pirate of the Caribbean films, Disney would obtain its first PG-13 film and it paid off. First of all, the franchise boasts excellent costume design, accurately portraying the greed that pirates exhibit with their jewelry while simultaneously assuring the audience that pirates live in subpar conditions due to their rattled clothing. The action follows Captain Jack Sparrow through the series as he fights weak and strong foes but remains humorful in all the fights. Even when the tide hangs low, Sparrow seems to be of high spirits (especially since he was abandoned on a deserted island TWICE).

     The John Wick franchise is as action as action gets. Each film progressively increases the antics that could similarly be compared to the Fast & Furious films. The first film is simple, just a man with his pistol and Ford Mustang. The second film takes Keanu Reeves international, retrieving unique, stealthy sniper rifles for an assassination job in Italy. It was a shame that personal connections had to be involved. John Wick 3 takes the setting to a multitude of different cities in the world, larger guns, and even riding a horse through the streets of a big city while being chased by samurai-wielding motorcyclists. In upgrading the action scenes, we see the progression of Wick’s character and his influence around the world as his connections aid him in his quest for freedom. John Wick is unique in that it makes the protagonist’s main motivation and start of the bloodshed to ensue was because of the death of his dog. A single dog is worth a million men in this franchise and the audience (including myself) love it.

     The opening of the first Pirate of the Caribbean film Curse of the Black Pearl introduces us to our first pirate ship, a large vessel that eerily disappeared into the mist covered with cannon holes yet still gliding past the English ships with ease. The opening of John Wick immediately lets us know that the film will unleash bloodshed as we first see a bloodied Wick coming out an SUV.

     The action-adventure genre operates at a fast pace which quickly requires the viewer to immerse themselves in the world of the characters while providing the main protagonist that the viewer can imagine as the sole shining light of the film. These types of characters quickly become fan favorites and allow viewers to idolize them. This genre captures the audience's attention for around 2 hours and brings them on a ride of adrenaline as we aspire for the protagonist to achieve their goal while defeating the bad guys the film makes us want to hate.