Top 10 Movie Tropes That We Expect But Still Love
#10: The Mentor's Sacrifice
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The mentor figure is an important part of many heros’ journeys. Unfortunately for them, their story often ends with a death, sacrificing themselves for the one they’ve been guiding. A perfect example of this is, of course, can be found in “Star Wars.” Obi-Wan allows himself to be killed by Vader, thus giving Luke and company time to escape. And while this may be a trope we’ve come to expect, we’ll also admit that it gets us every time. Tell us you don’t tear up during “Armageddon” when Harry decides to die so that A.J. could live happily ever after with his daughter!
#9: Cliché Villains
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Whether for selfish or altruistic reasons, some of the most memorable villains in film history have been the ones that fall into this clichéd trope. Indeed, so many of cinema’s greatest bad guys have global domination as their ultimate goal. They’re also not subtle or lowkey about it in any way, but there’s something about the over-the-top nature of it all that always ends up being compelling. One obvious take on this trope would no doubt be Blofeld from a number of “James Bond” movies, and his satirical counterpart Dr. Evil in the “Austin Powers” films. The MCU’s Thanos takes it even further, with his plan to reduce the population in order to ensure the universe’s survival.
#8: The Last-Minute Rescue
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Yes, sometimes the hero of the movie dies. But for the most part, we know that the main characters will make it to the end credits alive and well — especially if they’re played by big stars. Generally when we see our leads in peril, on the precipice of certain doom, we can’t help but expect a last-minute rescue. Remember the Aliens saving Woody, Buzz and the gang from a fiery fate? It isn’t just kids movies either. Near the end of “The Rock,” Nic Cage’s character looks to have met his end after a bomb hits the island — that is, until Sean Connery’s Mason rushes to his rescue. And it isn’t even always another person doing the saving. Thank you T-Rex in “Jurassic Park”.
#7: The Montage
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It takes longer than a few minutes to get a full makeover, prepare for the biggest boxing match of our lives, or become a great dancer. But thanks to the magic of the montage, all movies need are a couple minutes, a good song, and voilà! Of course we expect it. But the moment that music starts you can’t tell us a smile doesn’t appear on your face. The montage is such a wonderfully-cliché and iconic movie trope that Pam Brady, Trey Parker and Matt Stone honored it brilliantly with its own song in their 2004 puppet comedy, “Team America: World Police”.
#6: Love at First Sight
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It’s the idea of laying eyes on someone and knowing instantly that you’re meant to be with them. We’re not talking lust at first sight, but rather true, deep, everlasting LOVE. It’s the stuff of fairy tales and so many movies. When Romeo and Juliet see each other through that fish tank, nothing else matters. “Time stops” for Edward Bloom when he sees Sandra in “Big Fish”. “10 Things I Hate About You”’s Cameron can’t focus on anything else once he lays eyes on Bianca. This is as much a trope as it is something many long to find. That’s why we love it: seeing it in the movies gives us hope that we can experience it one day in real life.
#5: Grand Romantic Gesture
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Think about your favorite romantic comedies. What do so many of them have in common? Of course, it’s the grand romantic gesture - often at the end, sometimes doubling as an apology. Airports are a favorite location for these moments, as are crowded areas more generally. Sometimes, it's a dual effort by both parties, as we see in “Crocodile Dundee”, when Sue races after Dundee and professes her love (with some help), and he literally walks over a crowd to get to her. Now, people might disagree with using the term “romantic” to explain the cue cards in “Love Actually”, and that’s fair. But there’s no denying the grand gesture that is learning another language to win over the love of your life.
#4: Bad Guys Are Terrible Shots
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Rather than needing a last-minute savior, sometimes the hero can simply rely on the terrible aim of the bad guys to save his life. In “The Matrix,” Neo has to manipulate time to avoid the bullets. Yet in “John Wick: Chapter 2”, the protagonist is pursued by multiple shooters down a tunnel, but they mostly hit the wall and the dirt by his feet. In “Bad Boys 2,” Martin Lawrence and Will Smith’s characters hit almost everything they aim at while the villains, shooting at close range with shotguns, can barely hit anything. So, why do we love this one? Because if this trope didn’t exist, it would probably mean the hero getting killed and the movie ending pretty quickly.
#3: Big Dance Number
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If you’re anything like us, this one predictable trope you hope for, and love seeing happen. Often found in rom-coms, the dance number can start off slow and awkward and build to a big group dance, like in “13 Going on 30”. It can also start off as one man’s happy day and burst out into a flash mob like in “(500) Days of Summer”. Let’s also not forget the big finale dance number à la “The 40-Year-Old Virgin”. Unfortunately, we rarely get the chance to bust out our moves like this in real life, but we sure enjoy seeing it in the movies.
#2: Age Change
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Whether helped by a janitor on a bridge, a Zoltar machine, or “magic wishing dust”, the characters in “17 Again”, “Big” and “13 Going on 30” all magically become younger or older versions of themselves in practically an instant. And we love it every time. Children trying to be adults and adults trying to be kids - it’s a classic fish out of water story, except it’s the fish that’s changed more than the water. You might think you’re a mature kid or a cool grown up, but when dropped directly into ‘enemy’ territory, it probably wouldn’t be as easy as you think. So while it’s been done again and again in film, it’s fun watching characters figure it out.
#1: Friends-to-Lovers
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Sometimes, friends are just friends — and that’s perfectly okay. But sometimes, you can just tell two people are meant to be together — they just need to figure it out for themselves! That’s where the friends-to-lovers trope comes in. We’ve seen it happen multiple times on the small screen, like in “Friends” with Ross and Rachel and Monica and Chandler. There is no shortage of examples in the movies, either, from Lelaina and Troy in “Reality Bites” to Chris and Jamie in the aptly named “Just Friends.” No matter how often we see it unfold, we fall for this romantic trope as hard as the pals in these flicks fall for each other. Are there any awesome tropes we forgot? Let us know in the comments.
