There are a ton of story tropes that are used over and over in movies, television, and comics such as the girl who trains the bad boy, solving life’s problems through song, and of course, chick-flick leading females who are so adorably quirky that they are on the verge of being saccharine. There are, of course, many ideas that don’t get used in movies as much as they probably should. I have a few to put on the table:
1. The psychiatrist who is actually crazy
Examples:Dr. Johnathan Crane/Scarecrow (Batman Begins) , Dr. Harleen Frances Quinzel/Harley Quinn (Batman:The Animated Series and The New Batman Adventures)
Generally in movies with psychiatrists, the psychiatrist might have some mild problem about themselves that is reflected in their patients or their research. Rarely does a movie or tv show decide to make the psychiatrist as crazy as their patient, but when it does happen, the results are oh-so-good. In the cases of the above examples, Dr. Crane, a person who hid his mental instability, studied/tortured Arkham Asylum inmates and by examining what triggered their fears, created a toxin which exploits one’s deepest fears. Dr. Quinzel was also a psychologist at Arkham when she met and began counseling the Joker. Through their sessions, she fell in love with him and subsequently lost touch with reality and morality.
2. The villain with an awesome backstory
Examples: Buddy Pine/Syndrome (The Incredibles), Adrian Veidt/Ozymandias (Watchmen)
Villains are generally great if they have absolutely backstory. Just think of what happened to Darth Vader. Even the Joker, who has a backstory in one of the greatest DC graphic novels, The Killing Joke, has his backstory contested as to whether it’s canon; the Joker’s backstory didn’t even exist in The Dark Knight. However, when a villain has a backstory that is awesome and it’s a part of canon, it just makes the villain even better. In the case of the examples above, Syndrome was a kid who was a fan of Mr. Incredible, but after being shunned by his idol, uses his technological smarts to make himself into a supervillain in order to destroy Mr. Incredible. Adrian Veidt was a former superhero who, when the government requires all superheroes to reveal their identities, uses the requirement to his advantage and creates a brand from his former hero days. Due to his squeaky-clean image, no one suspects that he is behind a plot to “save” America and the world from nuclear destruction.
3. The villain who actually succeeds
Example: Ozymandias (Watchmen), Aku (Samurai Jack)
It’s been hardwired into our heads that villains (especially Bond villains) never win. But what if they did? That is precisely what these two characters mentioned above do. In the beginning of the series Samurai Jack, evil being Aku succeeds in sending Jack into the future and ruling the past, and (SPOILER ALERT)Ozymandias’ plot (as alluded to above) actually works, even when other superheroes try to stop him. To have a story where the villain actually succeeds not only creates a change in storytelling, but also makes the reader/viewer re-examine the villain’s priorities and what “right and wrong” really means.
4. The non-clumsy leading lady in a chick flick
Example: the women in Valentine’s Day
I’m probably one of the few people that gave Valentine’s Day a glowing review, but one thing that made me like the movie upon retrospect was the fact that there were no clumsy, standard chick flick girls in it. That was pretty refreshing. One reason why I don’t gravitate toward chick flicks because most of the time, the leading ladies either have to fall or choke on something or walk into a wall in order for some women to think “Wow, that woman’s imperfect like me. I can relate to her!” Most women aren’t like this (I’m one of them), and it would be great if women movies portrayed women as women, not accident-prone girls.
5. The makeover montage of a bespectacled woman that doesn’t include her losing her glasses in place of “glamour”.
Glasses are a fashion statement nowadays. I wear prescription glasses, and I generally make sure to get fashionable ones. People who don’t even need glasses are wearing glasses now. So why is it that the penchant for removing someone’s glasses during a makeover scene is still the norm?! In this day and age, wearing glasses doesn’t mean you’re a dork. Women still land men while wearing glasses.
Can you think of some other tropes that need to be utilized more in movies?
