My Problem with Action Movies

I love me a good action movie. The excitement! The explosions! The high stake plots! But there is one issue that I'd like to see resolved. And so I thought we'd talk about that today. (Hint: You can also keep this in mind when writing.)

Character Development

The one thing action movies lack most of the time is proper character growth. Sure, they have all these awesome, kick-butt characters. But how many of them can you point to and say they actually change and grow of the course of the movie?

It frustrates me every time I watch an action movie where we get so close to having a character actually show a little growth and then get interrupted by another action sequence. An excellent example of this is Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. In the movie, these four teens get sucked into Jumanji (which is now a video game) and have to find a way out before they lose all their lives and die for real. It's a great movie and continuation of the first one.

But the one scene where we were about to get some real character growth, they break up by having the two boys fight. Instead of having the excellent bonding and growth moment where the characters get real and vulnerable with each other, they just make it about even scores. It bugs me big time.

Time and time again you see this happen. Characters finally start to let down their walls and open themselves up to growth and change and then boom, there's an explosion. Or now the attack comes. Or they reach their destination. And they don't get another chance.

Flat characters are fine. But if you really want to people to like your character, then they need a chance to change. Character arcs can work just as well in an action movie as a romance one. It's all about how you do it.

Like Abbie Emmons likes to say in her videos, we need to see why what's happening matters to the character. Without it, there's no internal conflict and nothing matters in the story. Some stories work without internal conflict, but add that extra layer and you've got a story people will remember.

Consider instead the masterpiece of Pixar's Onward. It's a fantasy quest, action adventure sort of movie. There are car chases and booby trapped tunnels and frequent brushes with death. But in between those sequence, there are deeper, heartfelt ones where the brothers get to open up and change.

At one point, they do interrupt what could have been a growth scene, where Ian and Barley are fighting. But the important thing is they come back to it at a later point, and finish the change that was happening there. It's beautiful.

It annoys me every time I watch another action movie with characters that could have been great with just a little work. Sure, not every movie needs to be amazing, but think of your favorite films, the ones that stuck with you. They're the ones where characters change, aren't they? Where they learn a lesson and change who they are because of it.

It isn't hard to do and something I'd love to see more of in movies. I may just be wishing on a star, though. You should never sacrifice character development for another fight scene or car chase. Your characters carry the story and thus need to be built to hold up in it.

What are your thoughts on this topic? What's something you'd love to see more in action movies? Tell me in the comments.

Suggested Posts:

Writing Lessons from Mission: Impossible

A Desire for Good Stories