10 Movies That BRILLIANTLY Avoided Huge Cliches
Summary
TLDRThis video script discusses 10 films that defy common movie clichés, offering unexpected twists and refreshing narratives. From 'Blade Runner 2049' subverting the 'chosen one' trope to 'No Country for Old Men' eschewing a final showdown, the script highlights films that challenge audience expectations. It also includes comedies like 'The Other Guys' mocking action movie clichés and 'Game Night' humorously addressing the unrealistic fragility of glass tables in fight scenes.
Takeaways
- 🎬 The script discusses how rare it is for a movie to surprise viewers after they've seen many films, due to the reliance on cliches and tropes.
- 🌟 'Blade Runner 2049' subverts expectations by revealing that the protagonist, K, is not the 'Chosen One' but can still make a significant impact through his actions.
- 🚓 In 'Collateral', the LAPD detective who seems poised to help the protagonist is unexpectedly killed, forcing the protagonist to take matters into his own hands.
- 💥 'The Other Guys' humorously critiques action movie cliches, such as characters walking away from explosions without harm, by showing realistic consequences.
- 🤔 'The Negotiator' plays with audience expectations by presenting a character who seems to be the villain but turns out to be just an impatient, aggressive cop.
- 💔 'The Last American Virgin' defies the typical romantic comedy trope by not ending with the protagonist getting the girl, leaving the audience with an unexpected downer ending.
- 👫 'Mrs. Doubtfire' breaks from the norm of divorce movies by showing the couple remaining divorced but on better terms, avoiding a cliched happy reunion.
- 🔪 'Blue Ruin' explores the reality of revenge, showing the protagonist's struggle and incompetence in carrying out his violent quest, contrasting with the typical 'competence porn' movies.
- 🏋️♂️ 'Game Night' humorously points out the unrealistic nature of action movie tropes, such as characters breaking glass tables during fights, by showing the tables remaining intact.
- 🦸♂️ In 'Watchmen', the villain's monologue is subverted by revealing that his plan has already been executed, leaving the heroes powerless to stop it.
- 🤠 'No Country for Old Men' concludes without a final showdown between the hero and the antagonist, with the antagonist escaping and the hero being killed off-screen unexpectedly.
Q & A
What is the main theme of the video script discussing?
-The main theme of the video script is discussing 10 movies that brilliantly avoided common cliches and tropes, providing unexpected twists and subversions of expectations.
Why does the script mention 'Blade Runner 2049'?
-'Blade Runner 2049' is mentioned as an example of a movie that subverts the expectation of the protagonist being a 'Chosen One' figure, by revealing that the character K is not the child of the previous protagonist and his love interest.
What unexpected event occurs in 'Collateral' that breaks the conventional hero's journey?
-In 'Collateral', the unexpected event is the death of LAPD detective Fanning, who was built up to be the protagonist's ally, leaving the protagonist, Max, to save the day himself.
How does 'The Other Guys' differ from typical action movies in its portrayal of explosions?
-'The Other Guys' differs by showing the realistic consequences of an explosion on the characters, with the protagonists feeling pain and injury instead of walking away unscathed as is common in many action films.
What role does David Morse play in 'The Negotiator', and how does it challenge audience expectations?
-David Morse plays a hard-ass SWAT Commander in 'The Negotiator'. The role challenges audience expectations because, despite his usual portrayal of villains, he is not the secret antagonist but a misguided cop who believes in the guilt of the actual antagonist.
What makes the ending of 'The Last American Virgin' unexpected in the context of 80s sex comedies?
-The unexpected ending of 'The Last American Virgin' is that the protagonist, Gary, does not end up with the girl he loves, Karen, despite being portrayed as a nice guy. Instead, Karen ends up with Rick, who had previously abandoned her.
How does 'Mrs. Doubtfire' defy the typical Hollywood ending for a movie centered around divorce?
-'Mrs. Doubtfire' defies the typical Hollywood ending by showing the main characters, Miranda and Daniel, remaining divorced but on better terms, with no reconciliation, which was a conscious decision by the actors and director to send a more authentic message.
What is unique about the revenge in 'Blue Ruin' compared to traditional revenge movies?
-In 'Blue Ruin', the revenge is portrayed as difficult and messy, with the protagonist suffering injuries and having to perform self-surgery, unlike traditional revenge movies where the protagonist is often portrayed as skilled and capable.
Why does 'Game Night' stand out in its depiction of action scenes involving glass tables?
-'Game Night' stands out by humorously pointing out the unrealistic nature of glass tables breaking easily in action scenes, by showing characters thrown onto them without the tables breaking.
What makes the villain's monologue in 'Watchmen' different from the typical villain monologue?
-The villain's monologue in 'Watchmen' is different because the villain, Ozymandias, reveals that he has already executed his plan and there is nothing the heroes can do to stop it, subverting the expectation of a last-minute hero intervention.
How does 'No Country for Old Men' conclude differently from the expected final showdown in a typical western?
-'No Country for Old Men' concludes without a final showdown between the hero and the antagonist. Instead, the hero is killed off-screen, and the antagonist escapes, leaving the audience with an unexpected and unsettling ending.
Outlines
🎬 Breaking Movie Clichés: Subverting Expectations
This paragraph discusses the challenge of surprising audiences in a film industry saturated with clichés and tropes. It highlights 'Blade Runner 2049' as an example of a film that subverts expectations by not making the new protagonist, K, the 'Chosen One' as initially suspected. Instead, K learns he is not the child of the previous protagonist and his love interest, but a relatively minor character. This unexpected twist is contrasted with the typical Hollywood sequel that often relies on familiar connections between old and new characters.
🚓 Unexpected Twists: The Power of the Underdog
The second paragraph focuses on films that defy the conventional 'Cavalier gets the assist' trope. 'Collateral' is used as an example where the expected savior, Detective Fanning, is unexpectedly killed, leaving the protagonist, Max, to fend for himself. 'The Other Guys' is another film mentioned, which humorously critiques the unrealistic portrayal of explosions in movies, showing the characters in pain and needing medical attention after an explosion, contrary to the typical hero who walks away unscathed. 'The Negotiator' is also discussed, where the tough character played by David Morse is not the villain, but a cop with his own motivations.
💔 Unconventional Endings: Love, Loss, and Realism
This paragraph explores films that break from the traditional 'happily ever after' narrative. 'The Last American Virgin' is highlighted for its unexpected and somber ending where the protagonist does not win the girl, contrasting with the usual sex comedy formula. 'Mrs. Doubtfire' is also discussed, where the estranged couple does not reconcile, choosing instead to remain divorced but on better terms, a decision influenced by the real-life experiences of the lead actors. 'Blue Ruin' is another example, where the revenge plot is turned inside out, showing the protagonist's struggle and incompetence in exacting revenge, rather than the typical portrayal of a skilled and capable hero.
🤔 Subverting Action Tropes: The Unbreakable Glass Table
The fourth paragraph humorously addresses the unrealistic portrayal of fragile environments in action scenes, specifically the cliché of glass tables shattering easily. 'Game Night' is praised for its realistic depiction of characters thrown onto glass tables that refuse to break, humorously pointing out the absurdity of this common trope. The paragraph also touches on the villain monologue in 'Watchmen,' where the villain, Ozymandias, reveals his plan but has already executed it, leaving the heroes powerless to stop the inevitable, subverting the expectation of a last-minute hero intervention.
🏁 No Final Showdown: The Anti-Climax Conclusion
The final paragraph discusses films that avoid the cliché of a climactic final showdown between the hero and the villain. 'No Country for Old Men' is highlighted for its unexpected narrative structure, where the anticipated confrontation between the protagonist and the antagonist does not occur, and the story concludes with the villain escaping and the hero's surrogate retiring, leaving the audience with a sense of unease and realism that challenges traditional storytelling expectations.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Subversion of Expectations
💡Cliche
💡Trope
💡Chosen One
💡Villain Monologue
💡Action Cliches
💡Buddy Cop Action Flicks
💡Unreliable Protagonist
💡Divorce Narrative
💡Revenge Movie
💡Final Showdown
Highlights
Blade Runner 2049 subverts the 'Chosen One' trope by revealing that the protagonist K is not the child of the previous protagonist and his lover.
Collateral defies expectations by having the LAPD detective, who is built up as a savior, killed off unexpectedly.
The Other Guys humorously critiques action movie clichés, especially the unrealistic portrayal of explosions' impact on heroes.
The Negotiator plays with audience expectations by presenting a seemingly villainous character who turns out to be just an impatient cop.
The Last American Virgin breaks the 'nice guy gets the girl' stereotype by having the protagonist end up heartbroken and alone.
Mrs. Doubtfire concludes with the main characters divorced but on better terms, avoiding a clichéd reunion for a more authentic ending.
Blue Ruin explores the reality of revenge, showing the protagonist's struggle and incompetence in carrying out his violent quest.
Game Night humorously points out the unrealistic nature of glass tables breaking easily in action scenes.
Watchmen's villain, Ozymandias, surprises the audience by revealing his plan has already been set in motion, with no way to stop it.
No Country for Old Men avoids a typical final showdown, leaving the audience with an unexpected and thought-provoking conclusion.
Many movies rely on clichés and tropes for a safe and fun experience, but some dare to break the mold.
A movie's ability to surprise can be challenging due to the limited number of narrative techniques.
Subverting audience expectations can lead to a refreshing and engaging cinematic experience.
Action movies often depict characters surviving implausible scenarios, which can be humorously subverted.
Some films use an actor's established persona against the audience's expectations for a surprising twist.
Comedies can effectively use and subvert romantic and sexual clichés for unexpected and impactful conclusions.
Divorce-themed movies often conclude with a reunion, but some choose to depict the reality of separation more authentically.
The portrayal of competence in films can be inverted to show the struggles of an average person in extraordinary circumstances.
Transcripts
once you've seen hundreds or even
thousands of films it can become tough
for a movie to surprise you there are
only so many things a movie can do to
skirt the ordinary and in the interest
of delivering a safely fun time which a
lot of movies prioritize these days most
films will cling to tried and tested
tropes and cliches and so it's great fun
when a rare movie dares to break the
firmly established mold a Nimble
sidestep and massively played out genre
CLE
I'm youan you're watching War culture
and here are 10 movies that brilliantly
avoided huge cliches number 10 K isn't
the chosen one Blade Runner 2049 from
fairly early on in Blade Runner 2049 it
seems like it's going to do the
incredibly boring and obvious legacy
sequel thing of making the new
protagonist replicant K played by Ryan
Gosling the child of Prior protagonist
decet played by Harrison Ford and of
course lover Rachel who was portrayed by
Sha Young And if Kay were indeed the
first child of a human and a replicant
it would basically make him an extremely
important Chosen One likee figure in the
resistance movement for replicant
freedom but in the third Act of Blade
Runner 2049 Kay learns that decard and
Rachel's child is female and more to the
point they're a relatively minor
character who only appears briefly
earlier in the story Dr Anna staline
played by Carla jury this was a
fantastic subversion of expectations
leading audiences to expect another
generic everything is connected Heroes
Journey Only to reveal that K isn't the
special one but can still make a
difference and have agency through his
own actions not merely because of who
his parents are it's super refreshing in
a Hollywood landscape dominated by
belated sequels that are somehow all
hopelessly obsessed with creating sappy
convolute familiar links between new
characters and old number nine the
Cavalry gets gunned down collateral
Michael man's brilliant Thriller
collateral seems to make it pretty clear
early on that in battled caby Max played
brilliantly by Jamie Fox is going to get
a big assist from LAPD detective Ray
Fanning played by Mark Ruffalo when it
comes to escaping from and taking down
ruthless assassin Vincent played also
brilliantly by Tom Cruz Fanning is is
shown to be a smart and resourceful cop
who figures out that Vincent's victims
are all Witnesses in a Federal grand
jury case so going by film making
convention why wouldn't he save the day
but Midway through the film when Fanning
seemingly saves Max from a chaotic
nightclub shootout Fanning is suddenly
gunned down in Cold Blood by Vincent who
swiftly forces Max back into his cab
with Max's only viable Ally now dead it
falls to him to save the day himself
which he eventually does even so given
how the film built Fanning up this was a
glorious obliteration of expectations
that only further cemented Vincent's
utter lack of regard for well anything
but the job number eight explosions hurt
a lot the other guys oh I love the other
guys and right this send up of buddy cop
action flicks which spends most of its
run time making fun of the most tired
playdown elements of that genre and
perhaps the biggest laugh of all at
least when Michael Keaton isn't on
screen because he is brilliant in this
movie comes when cop protagonist Gamble
and hits Will Farrell and Mark wilberg
respectively walk up to an accountancy
firm only for the building to suddenly
explode in their faces now typically in
these sorts of movies an explosion won't
do too much to face the heroes but in a
gut-bustingly realistic twist Gamble and
hoit are sent flying to the floor and
starts screaming and riding around in
pain gamble mentions that he's hearing a
shot and he's got blisters on his hand
from the explosion before straight up
calling out movies themselves like how
they walk away in movies without
flinching when it explodes behind them
there's no way we're so used to seeing
heroic characters just walk away from
explosions and I love that but to see
one of them rising in pain on the ground
and begging for an MRI was a Twist both
ingenious and hilarious seriously go
watch the other guys that movie is a
riot number seven Beck is a good guy The
Negotiator it's always a hoop when
movies toy with our preconceptions of an
actor and the types of roles they tend
to play and The Negotiator did that
quite wonderfully with David Moors Moos
has had an incredibly fruitful career
playing hard ass characters and card
carrying villains think 16 blocks for
example that's just the aura he carries
as an actor and it's evidently served
him well and so when he shows up as
ill-tempered SWAT Commander back in the
movie and starts clashing with hero
Chris Sabian played by Kevin spacy we're
basically conditioned to assume that
he's going to end up being the secret
villain who has framed Danny Roman
played by Samuel Jackson Beck really
seems strangely Keen to kill Roman for a
large chunk of the movie and so why
wouldn't he be the twist villain except
he isn't he's simply an impatient
ill-mannered bloodthirsty cop who
believes that Rowan is guilty which
really shouldn't have been that big as
surprise but hey ho and better yet Beck
even gets the moment of Glory at film's
end when he prevents the real antagonist
Frost played by Ron riffkin from killing
himself oh not many people saw that one
coming I bet number six the guy doesn't
get the girl the last American Virgin oh
the last American Virgin the seemingly
dead ordinary 80s boner comedy that was
absolutely positively going to end with
timid High School AG Gary played by
Lawrence mon
getting the girl of his dreams the
lovely Karen played by Diane Franklin
this is hammered home by the film's
efforts to depict Gary as a nice guy in
St comparison to Gary's sexist pal Rick
played by Steve Anon who ends up getting
Caren pregnant and then immediately
dipping out of her life Gary conversely
helps Karen pay for an abortion at Great
cost to himself and as the pair seem to
grow close she invites him to her 18th
birthday party but when he turns up in
the film's final scene he enters the
kitchen to find Karen making out with
Rick the pair having apparently made up
and emotionally destroyed Gary simply
leaves the party and drives home in
tears as the end credits roll and that's
all she wrote what a weird bummer of a
movie given that sex comedies are
basically Duty bound to leave their
hormonal audience and the kidy high this
one was a bit of a shocker number five
Daniel and Miranda they divorced this
downfire think of basically any
mainstream pre 2000s movie centered
around divorce and the overwhelming
majority of them will end with the
estranged couple getting back together
for a crowd-pleasing happy ending and
that's certainly seemed to be on the
cards for a movie as broad skewing as
Mrs downfire that Miranda played by
Sally Field and Daniel played of course
by Robin Williams would reconcile for
the sake of their suffering kids except
that's not what happens at all the film
ends with Miranda and Daniel remaining
divorced but on much better terms which
is surprisingly given what Daniel
actually did if you think about it too
much your brain will leak out of your
ears and even more surprisingly though
Miranda's new partner stew played by
Pierce brosen isn't made out to be a
villain of any kind he's a Charming
super likable guy all the way to the end
just a poor victim of driveby frings
it's since been revealed that Mrs dfire
indeed a ended with Miranda and Daniel
getting back together but Sally Field
and Robin Williams both of whom had been
divorced in real life felt that this was
a disingenuous note to end the movie on
and would send the wrong message to
Children of Divorce and so director
Chris Columbus rightly made the call to
end in a more authentic left field no
and honestly Mrs downfire is way
stronger for it number four revenge
isn't easy Blue Ruin Jeremy sonier T
Thriller Blue Ruin is basically a
featurelength exercise in taking the
Revenge movie formula and turning it
brilliantly inside out the film follows
Dwight played by mon Blair a man who
embarks on a quest to kill the man who
apparently murdered his parents two
decades earlier but there's absolutely
nothing badass about Dwight's violent
Crusade Blue Ruin considers what it
would be like if a regular person with
limited weapons experience wanted to
extract a pound of Flesh a fact best
embodied by a mid-film scene where
Dwight ends up shot in the leg with a
crossbow forcing him to perform
self-surgery except rather than the hero
tidily patching himself up as expected
Dwight's attempt to remove the crossbow
from his leg only makes things worse
causing blood to gush from the wound
promting him to groggily go to the
hospital and let the professionals do
the job instead if there's a lot of love
for competence porn movies basically
films which focus on a character who is
extremely skilled at something going
about it Blue Ruin is basically the
opposite a Savage story all about how
utterly El equip the average person is
to wreak Vengeance of any kind number
three glass tables don't break game
night it's a cliche of action films that
basically everything in the vicinity is
extremely fragile and breakable during a
fight scene because more often than not
it looks really damn cool we've all seen
dozens of movies where a carent is
thrown onto a glass table during a fight
and it just explodes
like but in reality they usually a good
deal more sturdy than that and the
terrifically entertaining 2019 action
comedy game night has great fun
illustrating this fact as on two
separate occasions characters are thrown
onto a glass table only for it to just
not break at all the second instance
even results in Kevin played by lamon
Mor hilariously quipping glass tables
are acting weird tonight well it's
totally understandable that action
movies love breaking glass tables
because frankly it just looks amazing
game night went unexpectedly out of its
way to point out just how unrealistic
this incredibly common Trope actually is
number two Aussie Mand is's villain
monologue Watchmen oh there's nothing
more frustrating than listening to a
villain prattle through a bond villain
monologue explaining what they're going
to do and how there's nothing the hero
can do to stop them of course they
almost always can and will enter
Watchman which climaxes with Adrien V
AKA oie mandas revealing that he's
orchestrated all the very bad things
that have happened throughout the movie
and his final Gambit involves detonating
a series of nuclear reactors across the
world killing 50 million people
personally I prefer the squid but I
digress more to the point he intends to
frame Dr Manhattan for it in turn
uniting the US and USSR against a common
alien entity once Vite finishes his
speech a shocked raw Shack and nidal
attempt to stop him putting his plan
into action only for him to reveal that
far from a cliche com villain he
triggered the explosions 35 minutes
earlier and there's nothing they can do
to stop them this is technically a com
book cliche so you can't really give the
movie credit but despite my misgivings
with the adaptation this was
diabolically refreshing to see on the
big screen and number one there's no
final showdown No Country for Old Men as
taught and brilliantly executed as No
Country for Old Men is on an initial
viewing it nevertheless seemed to be
headed towards an incredibly typical
final showdown between our hero luell
and Mos played by Josh broland and the
ruthless killing machine Anton shur
played brilliantly by bardam but in a
wonderfully bewildering end of second
act twist Moss is unexpectedly killed
off screen not by shagar but by a group
of Mexicans who have been following him
and it gets even better as the audience
is then led to believe that Sheriff Ed
Tom Bell played by Tommy Lee Jones will
take over from moss and be the one to
take shagura down except he just doesn't
the film instead ends with bell retiring
and effectively admitting to himself
that he hasn't got what it takes to deal
with the likes of shagar who manages to
escape into the night with all that too
the Corin Brothers slippery approach
left some casual minded audiences pretty
underwhelmed but damn if it wasn't a
trip to see a pair of filmmakers totally
upend our expectations of how a western
like this is supposed to wrap up
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