With Hollywood turning out so many movies ever year, it is no surprise that they are often full of clichés. This is a list of the ten we see most often in movies. This is Wikipedia’s definition of a cliché: A cliché is a phrase, expression, or idea that has been overused to the point of losing its intended force or novelty, especially when at some time it was considered distinctively forceful or novel.
1. Henchmen Are Bad Shots
How many times can action heroes dodge dozens of bullets and never get hit? They have obviously never heard of target practice.
Seen in: Virtually every action film ever made!
2. Everyone’s a Cracker
It appears that these days all you need to crack into government files is a laptop and a local library. Nevermind the fact that a lot of government data is still on paper and is not electronic; if you need it in a film, you will find it. Oh, and it will take just a few seconds less than you need to save the day.
Seen in: The Bourne Supremacy, Enemy of the State, Mission Impossible
3. Third person Shooter
The bad guy is just about to kill the good guy when a shot rings out… But the hero doesn’t fall (though the look on his face is priceless). Suddenly the camera swings to reveal a saviour – the third person shooter – who just shot the bad guy!
Seen in: Die Hard, A History of Violence, Independence Day, Reservoir Dogs
4. Presumed Dead
How many times have you seen this in a film? The good guy kills the bad guy (or he dies by some other means) and the good guy lets out a sight of relief (and often turns his back on the killer). Suddenly the killer jumps up and the action starts again. There is a good side to this cliche – if we were ever in a position in which we needed to kill someone to survive, we would check the pulse!
Seen in: Halloween, Live Free or Die Hard, The Matrix, The Terminator
5. Jack Bauer Syndrome
Like the TV protagonist in 24, some men like James Bond emerge from any beating looking as fresh as a daisy. This has a counterpart in 80′s soap operas – every woman in a soap woke up with perfect hair and makeup.
Seen in: Demolition Man, Predator, Casino Royale
6. Sliding Doors
It seems that every action hero, at some point, will need to dive under or through sliding doors. This is especially true when you are a hero on a spaceship.
Seen in: Raiders of the Lost Ark, Terminator 3
7. Lame Disguises
The worst disguise of all is the oxygen mask. How many times have we seen this in a film? The hero – or the bad guy – gets himself out of a very sticky situation by sticking on an oxygen mask. In one variation on this cliche, the bad guy put the mask on a dead guy so he could escape (Silence of the Lambs).
Seen in: Silence of the Lambs, Ocean’s 11
8. The Car Won’t Start
Cars are incredibly reliable machines – except in movies! You are almost assured of a breakdown once the action starts. This can have particularly bad consequences for the good guys (e.g.: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre).
Seen in: 28 Weeks Later, Children of Men, House of Wax
9. The Gun is out of Bullets
Just as the moment of truth arrives, you run out of bullets. This one usually results in the hero running from barrier to barrier to escape the gunfire from the enemy.
Seen in: Desperado, Face/Off, Mr & Mrs Smith
10. I Still Love my ex-Wife
There is nothing like having your ex-wife kidnapped to help you realise just how much you love her and vice versa. This also has the amazing effect of completely changing both of you so that the problems that caused the break-up in the first place are no longer a problem. Maybe we should all try it?
Seen in: Black Rain, Die Hard, Running Scared
Inspired by the Metro.
I know this comment has nothin to do with this list, but every time i try and view the list of 15 historical photos. the page is moved to the left of the screen so that only half of every thing is exposed( except the adds on the right and other things.) Is it just me.. please help me Jfrater.=(
Monteze: what browser (and version) and OS are you using? Is it just that page?
Moteze: send me an email (jamie@frater.com) – it will make it easier to sort this out
“Seen in: Halloween, Live Free of Die Hard”
typo, should be “Live Free Or Die Hard”
And shouldn't it be Hacker, instead of Cracker.
Because I don't know about you people, but I thought of something different when I read "Everyone's a Cracker".
LOL now that you said…
Thanks kyouki: it is corrected now.
These are really amusing! I dont really get computer lingo, but suddenly I know what lol! means.
All unsolvable solutions solved for a happy ending but yet the end may be questionable…Is it truly the end???…. Or just the begining?– Like a false excitement finale. The trilogy factor has become a revised and trendy money maker within the CG age for sure.
#8 is pretty funny. The car wont start and.. what!? I’m stuck in the mud and I just sat on my glasses! Not to worry, I’ll just put on this oxygen mask..and become bullet proof…wait! there’s the gun in my glove compartment!…what? no bullets?
Christian: haha – you should be in pictures!
In Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal doesn’t use an oxygen mask on the face of the victim to escape. He cuts the victims face off and puts it on himself, seemingly upside down to add to the bloodiness. He then takes the faceless victim and tosses him on top of an elevator in HIS clothes, so the police can have a standoff with “him” while he escapes in the ambulance.
andrew: thanks for clarifying that – you are right.
#1 is one of the biggest annoyances I have with movies. *Everyone*, good buys and bad guys, are terrible shots until the plot demand they be otherwise. I’ve been shooting, it’s not nearly as hard as you’d think from watching movies, at least for the type of shooting they usually show.
blm: these cliches are partly to blame for me watching fewer mainstream movies these days. I would much rather watch a David Lynch.
Another: There’s a huge fish aquarium. It will be destroyed in spectacular fashion.
I saw one movie, name now forgotten, where there was a HUGE aquarium and it never burst. Bugged me the whole time waiting on it.
TC Byrd: that is so true – the best example and the most spectacular fashion in which it was destroyed is in Deuce Bigalow. A very cringe inducing scene.
You didn’t include the two best action movie clichés…
1. The exploding car
2. Unlimited supply of bullets…. no matter what gun they have.
Moona: they are both huge cliches – you are right. Isn’t it funny how running out of bullets, and never running out of bullets are both overused?
Hehe, this is a good list. I also wrote a joke list about Hollywood movie cliches.
“What the American movies taught us about American culture”
Just to give a heads up, in Running Scared, it is not his ex-wife. They are married and are a relatively happily married couple at that.
yeah, and she doesn't get kidnapped.
Jamesuss: thanks for that correction.
Talking about the cracker, it’s almost in the same league as “aliens-from-outer-space-with-MS Windows-OS-that-we-can-hack-using-some-code-i.e-virus” as in Independence Day
what about when someone says a cheesy line to their love interest early on in the movie, then the other person says it back to them in a different context right before they kiss for the first time?
Jesper: that really ruined ID for me.
Will: That is a good addition and true of so many movies!
One notable exception to the lame disguises rule is the ending of ‘The Professional’ when Leon tragically tries to escape wearing a swat mask.
For number 4 – Presumed Dead – It happened towards the end of The Hills Have Eyes too just so you know ^^”
Astute movie observations all of them, but let’s face it – no one did #9 the way Hot Shots! Part Deux did.
Anya: I am not familiar with that film – do you have an IMDB link or a youtube link?
The best bit is at the end.
Anya: haha brilliant!!
Actually #10 doesn’t apply to Running Scared (photo)…
When I watch television sometimes it annoys me that basically everything that comes on is just so typical.
Another: Most good guy/bad guy type films have at least 1 martial arts master.
How about: no matter what, the guy and the girl hook up at the end *rolls eyes*
Doesn’t matter if they met 2 minutes ago, if they hated each other, etc.
How about the buddy movie with the buddies being opposites and up being best friends (lethal weapon flicks.
The funny old mentor (karate kid) a lot of martial shows.
Yes, black & white partners who are forced to team up. In the end white one dances to rap music
Just regarding point #4 Presumed Dead… yes this kind of thing did happen in Halloween but as far as I can recall (and if I’m wrong let me know) this was the first time this kind of device had been used. The sight of Michael Myers rising up behind Jamie Lee Curtis was at the time one of the most suprising scenes in horror history.
yea and same with the faalli ng off roof cliche im almost 100% sure halloween was firsyt to do thatf
http://movies.aol.com/worst-movie-cliches/action-3
Who plagiarized who?
Craig: From what I understand (read), the addition of having Myers come back to life (i.e. supernatural) was a last minute choice by John Carpenter, the original story had M.M. getting snuffed, similar to the remake (depending on your’ interpretation). So, to agree with you, I wouldn’t include that title as being cliche, but the source there-of.
Dum Guy – I didn’t realise the resurection of Michael Myers was a last minute decision. Just think how different film history might be if they hadn’t changed their minds.
also shooting the fuel tank of car makes it explode.
check mythbusters for confirmation
Quoted from http://mythbustersresults.com/episode38
It has already been proven that when shot by a normal bullet a gasoline tank will not explode. However, if a gasoline tank is shot by a tracer round from a great enough distance so that the round can ignite with air friction, it will cause the gasoline to catch fire. By the time this happened the tank was so riddled with bullets (from previous tracers that were fired too close to ignite) that there was no contained pressure, but the MythBusters surmised that had the tank been properly enclosed, it may have exploded; but overall it remains extremely improbable.
how about the tough guy and loser who actually discover they have a lot in common…?
here’s one:
two people are chasing each other through a maze or building or alleyway, and the one doing the chasing always can tell or somehow knows which door or turn the other used.
OR
the one running away will make a noise just when the chaser loses track of them in the maze.
what about the old tv westerns . where no one ran out of bullets in a gun fight, unless they had to reload just to throw in some dialog, or to allow the bad guys time to throw a burning torch through the window.
Dude… you really have to add the following cliches. I guess it’s so overused that people don’t even care anymore. But it grates on me everytime.
1. The exploding building with the hero/villain who did the blowing up walking cooly away as if he’s not bothered at all, or notices at all, and doesn’t even blink (with matching slow motion). I can’t remember the movies I’ve seen it in, but you all know what I’m talking about.
2. Screaming “NNNNNNOOOOOOOoooooooooo!” into the sky, arms open, as the guy kneels over a dead loved one. I mean… COME ON. George Lucas did it Revenge of the Sith and everyone in the theater laughed. George Lucas (talented man that he is) probably doesn’t watch too many movies and doesn’t realize it’s a scene that’s been so annoyingly done to death.
3. The slow clap.
4. A relatively new cliche: Action scenes that are sped up, then slowed down. Sped up, then slowed down. Seen in The One, 300, Mission Impossible.
Good list…but I thought you left out a whole bunch of obvious ones.
The McGuffin: The entire plot revolves around finding/keeping/understanding one object which is usually, though not always, in high demand.
The Ticking Clock: “Oh no! We only have 24 hours to save the earth!”
Hate Isn’t A Dealbreaker: The guy-hero and girl-hero hate each other at the beginning, but fall in love by the end.
Equal and Opposite: The two buddy heroes (male or female) are the exact opposites of one another.
With Age Comes Wisdom: There exists one aged person who exists solely to give much-needed advice (bonus points if anyone in the audience could think of it.)
The Innocent/Guilty Victim: The victim of a horrible crime is always as innocent as driven show or as dirty as that same snow after being beside a major highway for two weeks.
The Femme Fatale: The babe with dubious ethical standards and a hot bod who’s after the hero (one way or another.) Bonus points if she has a small, concealable handgun or knife.
The Speech: Somehow, one speech at the end of the movie makes everything right.
The Red Herring: The most likely suspect is NEVER the real criminal.
This isn’t a cliche that is restricted to hollywood movies per se, but Deus ex Machina comes up quite a bit and is usually (but not always) a lazy way out of conflict. Easy example would be Dorothy waking up from Wizard of Oz, or quasi end of Vanilla Sky. Not to say those movies aren’t good in their own way, but it’s always a bit disappointing to realize the author/writer has worked himself into a bind he can’t extricate himself out of. Ooopsy!
The use of the desert eagle handgun sometimes irks me. Alot of characters use it and seem to be absolute pros with it. As well as the unlimited ammunition.
What about DCmovie Girl’s comment?
Holy hell Hayden Christianson is hot. that’s all i have to say (that is him in #10 right?)
satori: that is Paul Walker I believe – not Hayden Christiansen
I think the biggest cliche in movies AND made for TV movies/shows/series is the love interest. Why does EVERY story, no matter how intense the actual plot is, has an underlying love interest? The first season of ‘House, M.D.’ had NO domestic quibbling going on, just the Sherlock Holmes style medical mysteries, as it was supposed to be. Now, it’s what? Season 4 or whatnot and every third line is “Did you know so and so is sleeping with so and so?”
Doctor who was the same way until Russell T Davies got a hold of it. Son of a *****.
Yes, in every TV show people working together end up with love. That’s becasue it’s our/viewer’s fantasy.
When I was child, I cant understand why good guy has to win in movies. But now I see, life sucks so we fed with fantasies from movies…
In Running Scared she wasn’t his ex wife, she was his current wife.
on 7 lame desguises, in the silence of the lambs hannibal didnt use only an oxygen mask, he used the face of the police officer from his cage
you should add the film ‘leon’ to number 7
the one I hate the most is the hooker with a heart of gold cliche. Really? You’re just being a ***** to pay your way thru college? Only stripping to pay for your mom’s kidney transplant? Of course you are. Makes sense to me.
#2 also seen in transformers… come on, the guy from “scary movie” a genius hacker?
I was watching the mortal kombat movie earlier. The video game is 1 of my favorites so the movie kicked ass right? No. It was full of cheesy one liners, bad fight scenes and cliches galore.
1. When someone fights a bunch of ninjas, they all “die” with one punch/kick. Sometimes that happens but… You know
2. There is always a scene in action movies where they jump out of the way of an explosion. Ok, it was cool the first time
3. Not so shocking twists. “I’m the bad guys brother?!” (bad rip off of “luke I am your father” (star wars kicks ass))
I think they should put more effort into plot twists
I just wanted to get that off my chest
i hate cliches!!!!!!!
Good guys is chased by bad guys who are in car/plane and runs straight down the centre of the road.
In car chase when one car spins out or whatever to lose a heap of ground, then having been unable to gain any ground on the other car for last 5 mins suddenly catches it up in no time at all.
you should add Serenity to the presumed dead list. except in this case, it works both ways, once the bad guy assumes the good guy is dead too.
another example of number four that comes to mind is scream