Action
There are a wide variety of action movies although the genre is mainly characterized by the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). It is the biggest movie franchise ever making over $25 billion. The stories have a variety of heroes and villains all fighting to achieve their goal.
Content
Action movies are aimed at young males around the age of 16-25 years old. In action, there are two opposing forces: one is a hero and the other is the villain. There is a large power divide between the characters as they fight for dominance.
This genre typically involves alternative universes with disturbed physical environments that place a threat on the hero's life. There are many obstacles the hero must face before they are able to solve the problem, but there are enabling constraints (catalysts) that help the hero.
The villain and hero in action movies have a detailed background story. They usually struggled with many hardships which correlates to what they are doing in the movie. This poses an internal conflict for them as they fight for power since the motives of the villain and the hero go against each other. They usually have a lot of dialogue talking about how corrupt society is; although, the villain wants to cause chaos within society and the other wants to help reform it.
Production Techniques
Sound is an important part of action movies. Many action movies, especially Marvel, have a score and soundtrack that go along with the film. They are typically fast paced and intense alluding to the chaos that will occur throughout the films. Sound is also important to the fight scenes. There is an emphasis placed on the sound of the violence. For example, all you would hear would be the sound of the punch or the knife going into their body. This draws the audience's attention to the fight.
This is paired with there being darker tones and low key lighting in these films. Alongside this, the costumes are usually dark as well. Black is often seen to portray evil or authority within the characters.
Marketing
Action films are marketed toward young males around the age of 16-25 years old. This is due to there being many young men who enjoy the thrill of watching violence. They are drawn to the fight scenes, weapons, and blood.
Their marketing usually consists of trailers shown on television. These trailers usually allude to the violence that will occur throughout the film without giving away much about the plot. Additionally, many action movies are based off of comics which helps with marketing since its readers want to see the pages come to life.
Samples
Spider-Man (2002)
The movie Spider-Man (2002) is a great example of what an action movie is. The way it is structured is just like your typical action movie since there is a hero, Spider-Man, and a villain, Green Goblin. Spider-Man was bit by the spider that Normal Osborn, later to be revealed as Green Goblin, created. Spider-Man wants to provide safety for those who require it, whereas Green Goblin simply wants to bring chaos and havoc. They fight using various weapons. For example, the Green Goblin is equipped with bombs and a glider with a blade that protracts from the front and Spider-Man uses web shooters.
The environment in this film is dark and violent: there are people getting mugged constantly and there are many villains with special abilities. This story is based off of a comic book. This film is a good example of action movies since it follows the hero, Spider-Man, and how he battles the villain, Green Goblin. The environment is dark, full of violence, and uses a lot of low key lighting.
The Batman
The Batman follows the hero, Batman, and the villain, the Riddler. They are fighting over a corrupt cop and the people who killed Batman's parents. It takes place in a rundown city where crime is a big problem. Catwoman and Lieutenant James Gordon were the catalyst in this movie. They helped Batman stop the Riddler from bombing the city. They had to find and solve the clues the Riddler left around the people he killed. In true action movie fashion, Batman has a tragic background story. His parents were walking home from the movie theater and as they went down a dark alley they were shot by a random thug leaving him an orphan. Additionally, Batman wears a black and gray costume to show his authority. This is very typical in action films.
Additional Films
Romeo Must Die is an action movie about two crime families, an African American and Asian American family.
The Expendables is an action movie about washed out mercenaries who blow stuff up.
Die Hard is a classic Christmas action movie where there is a team of terrorists seizing a building and Bruce Willis saves the day.
The Transporter is an action film about a guy who transports things with no questions asked for a fee, but he looked in the bag one time. It turns out there was human trafficking, so he defended the girl.
Golden Finger is a James Bond action spy movie.
