action-adventure : Spreety TV Online Glossary
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action-adventure n. 1. A genre where the
story follows the main character as he goes on a journey to exotic locations to
explore the unknown or undertakes an unusual quest where danger, stunts, and
special effects are principal attractions. Star actors have less of an impact
on audience interest in action-adventure works than in other forms of drama.
Such works also travel well (they experience a relatively low cultural
discount) and generally perform better in foreign markets than comedy or
character-driven drama.
As the name implies, action-adventure is a combination of the
two genres: action and adventure. An action movie is filled with physical
stunts, battles, car chases, martial arts, etc. and tends to take place in a
contemporary domestic location. Plots are often simple, compact and
predictable. Adventure films are often set in exotic locations. Unlike an
action movie, an adventure film does not focus on violence, but instead allows
the viewer to live vicariously through the main character and join him on his
journeys and adventures with the unknown, such as in The Young Indiana Jones
Chronicles (1992–1993).
Action-adventure works are highly formulaic. Once a successful
combination has been found, it is often repeated in numerous sequels and
imitated in other works. For example, Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
inspired King Solomon’s Mines (1985) and its sequel Allan Quatermain
and the Lost City of Gold (1987) – produced together but released
separately – while Mad Max 2 (The Road Warrior, 1981) inspired a
slew of post-apocalyptic imitators, including Metalstorm: The Destruction of
Jared-Syn (1983). What little plot there is in the typical action-adventure
work is straightforward and can usually be summarized in one sentence. For
example, a typical film will have the “bad guys” battle the “good guys” for a
prize or dominant power. If there is a female lead character, she is usually a
romantic interest or a prize to be won and rarely has a direct contribution to
the plot. Laura Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) is a noted exception and
features a female action-adventure hero.
The villains of contemporary culture are often the villains of
action-adventure. Until the end of the Cold War, many villains in US
productions were Communists. The villains often have their own evil society or
subculture, providing them with a supply of villainous associates.
Occasionally, one of the villains may have infiltrated the good guys (or the
villains may have turned one of the good guys to evil purposes). These moles
rarely survive to the end of the film.
The good guys are harder to pinpoint. Often, the hero is a lone
individual who has a personal agenda with the bad guys. Some action-adventure
heroes are super-agents working for an espionage organization, such as James
Bond, or have a conflict with the law that leads them to become rogues, such as
Nicolas Cage in Con Air (1997) or Uma Thurman in Kill Bill: Vol. 1
(2003) and Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004).
Although Hollywood studios
produce most action-adventure movies, other countries contribute significantly
to the genre. Hong Kong, for instance, is well
known for its martial-arts action films.
Action-adventure works are generally expensive to produce. The
wholesale destruction typical of the genre is one of the contributing factors
to the high cost. Practically speaking, if one wants to blow up a building, it
must be built for that purpose, purchased only to be later destroyed, or
recreated using special effects. Another significant cost factor is the genre’s
reliance on extensive stunt sequences. Stunts require careful planning and
specially prepared props to be effective. Actors may have to be trained well in
advance of production and stuntmen must be hired to perform dangerous stunts or
those requiring special skills.
In recent years, digital special effects have been consuming an
increasing portion of the action-adventure budget. With an actor performing in
front of a green screen, live action can be fused with the computer-generated
imagery to create special effects that were impossible a decade ago. A digital
effect can make an explosion bigger, a hero stronger, or an environment more
detailed. These effects are impressive, but costly.
2. A type of video game that focuses on overcoming
physical obstacles by running, jumping, shooting, etc. and collecting objects
or performing tasks. The first action-adventure video game was the aptly named Adventure
(1978), published for the Atari 2600 game console. Other examples include The
Legend of Zelda (1986), Sonic the Hedgehog (1991), Prop Cycle
(1996), and Lego Star Wars: The Video Game (2005).
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