Article 1A family appeal in the Action-adventure Genre

Most Action-Adventure films are released in cinemas with a PG or 12A rating. This allows most children and families to go and see them. Because family audiences make up a large percentage of the film-going audience, making Action-Adventure films appeal to them is big business. Merchandising allows millions of pounds worth of publicity and increased revenue, but many action-adventure films don't need this to appeal to younger audiences, as the genre itself has plenty of aspects that hold the interest of children.

STORY

Many Action-Adventure films are based on fairy tales and popular books. This appeals to children, who are often familiar with the source material, and allows everyone in the family to appreciate the sense of wonder as the books are brought to life. One perfect example of this is the evocation of Hogwarts in the Harry Potter series. When Hogwarts is introduced. It is shown from a long LAS which is held for a few seconds. This allows audience members of all ages to appreciate the beauty of the setting, and marvel at it in a way unique to film. It is this spectacle that primarily appeals to family audiences

CHARACTER APPEAL

Just like action adventure films for a more mature audience, action adventure films for a family audience rely on relatable,interesting characters. For example, in Race To Witch Mountain (2009) the alien children at the centre of the story are shown to be similar to ordinary children in many ways. at several points in the film, such as in the the taxi driven by the film's adult protagonist, Jack Bruno, they are shown in HAS. This emphasises that, for all their special powers, they can be vunerable too. This adds depth to them, and therefore appeals to everyone in the family. The children aspire to be like these characters. But can understand them too, as can the adults.

MESSAGES

Most Action-Adventure films provide the reassuring message that good can defeat evil. They can also incorporate more mature messages, such as Avatar(2009) which teaches it's target audience to respect the environment and other races. The former message is displayed through the beauty of Pandora, the planet where the film is mostly set. To emphasises it's beauty, the flora and the fauna of Pandora are shown in long, lingering shots. This shows all the children and adults in the audience that this wildlife is beautiful and precious and should be preserved, reminding them about the importance of the environment in a more subtle and persuasive way than other media. This appeals to adults wanting to teach their children about such things, and children, who want these life lessons presented in a more engaging manner than usual.

CONCLUSION

Action Adventure films are often released during the summer holidays, when families have a lot of time on their hands. Therefore, they are made to appeal to families as much as possible, which means that more of them use their free time to see the films. This allows the film to make as much money as possible, which is why appealing to families is so important for Action Adventure films.

Article 1B to what extent would you agree that A-A relies too heavily on stereotypes?

Audiences for Action-Adventure expect stock characters to have particular traits so that they can easily be identified as such. However, critics of the genre believe that this leads to stereotypical characters who are simplistic and underdeveloped, such as the Damsel-in Distress who spends the whole film getting into danger, running, and Screaming, such as Mary Jane in the Spiderman films. I am going to discuss the opinions for and against the claim that stereotypes are overused in the genre

FOR

Stereotypes are used in Action-Adventure as a shorthand for audiences around the world to recognise certain characters. For example, James Bond is recognisable to audiences all around the world as a stereotypical image of a British secret agent: Suave, strong and intelligent, in a tuxedo and drinking a "Shaken, not Stirred" martini. This familiarity appeals to audiences who aren't just British, because Bond, although a British stereotype, isn't built on stereotypes that only British people would understand, but on ones that have a universal appeal.Other Prince characters in the genre are also Stereotyped, because they are designed to be aspirational 'Alpha Males' for the audience to look up to

Another stock character who is frequently made into a stereotype is the princess. Because the action-adventure Genre is targeted at men, the female 'Princess' characters are usually sexualised and often need rescuing by the prince. As mentioned earlier, Spiderman's girlfriend, Mary Jane, is a perfect example of this, needing to be rescued by him frequently throughout the series. Women are often stereotyped in the genre because they are used to highlight the hero as even more aspirational as he almost always gets the beautiful girl in the end.

AGAINST

Since the rise of feminism in the 60's and 70's the number of stronger female characters in the genre has increased. This started with stronger princess characters, such as Princess Leia in Star Wars, and has led to female 'Prince' Characters, such as Ellen Ripley from the Alien series, and Lara Croft. However, probably the best examples of female protagonists in the genre are The titular heroines of 'Charlies Angels' (2000). In the film (based on the groundbreaking 70's TV show of the same name) the Angels are strong, smart and beautiful. This broadens the appeal of the genre, as both men and women are interested in these characters. the women want to be like them, the men want to be with them.

Furthermore, contemporary society has lost interest in the ultra-heroic prince, and embraced a new type of protagonist- the Anti-Hero, characters like Batman or Jason Bourne who are not conventional heroes, but are ordinary people who are at times reluctant to be a hero. Probably one of the most popular anti-heroes in the genre is Captain Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Caribbean series (2003+). He is a pirate (pirates are often villains in this genre) and a drinker, who would rather run away from a battle than fight it. However, when the need arises, he can be a brave and competent hero.

CONCLUSION

So,has the Action-Adventure genre really shook off those old fashioned stereotypes? Well, to an extent, yes. But it's also worth noting that stereotypes are never concrete and therefore change over time. The strong, sexualised Action Girl and the morally ambiguous antihero are fast becoming updated stereotypes due to their increasing use. action-adventure filmmakers can play with and change stereotypes, but they will never be able to get rid of them completely.

Article 1.A Why do you think action-adventure films are able to appeal so successfully to global audiences?

Action-adventure is probably the most popular genre in the world. Out of the 50 highest-grossing movies in the world, 34 are action-adventure, including Avatar (2009) the highest grossing film ever. Why is action adventure so appealing to audiences around the world?

·         Storylines

One of the most exciting elements of the Action Adventure genre is the storylines. The Heroes often have to accomplish a very difficult goal, with a large reward for success, and a large penalty for failure. Due to this, one of the most regularly-occurring scenarios in action-adventure films is the race-against-time (AKA the ticking clock), where the heroes have only a limited amount of time to achieve their goals. For example, in X-men: First Class (2011), the action takes place against the background of one of the most famous ticking-clock crises in history- The Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. This adds extra appeal, because, whilst audiences generally know what happened then, they are interested in how it happens and how it affects the protagonists. The use of a globally-recognized incident allows audiences all over the world to wonder what they would have done in the main character’s situation, thereby involving them in the action, and appealing to audience need for identification with the characters.

·         Characters

Characters in the Action-Adventure genre are conceived to be recognizable and familiar. This leads to stereotyping, as audiences around the world can recognize stereotypes. The Hero is often an intelligent, strong and charming character, usually male. This appeals to male audiences, who aspire to be like them. A perfect example of an action-adventure hero who is Aspirational to audiences across the globe (Despite being quintessentially British) is James Bond. In Casino Royale (2006), at the end of the final scene, Bond is shown in LAS, cementing him as a strong and confident figure and therefore Aspirational to the genres target audience, wherever they come from

·         Locations and settings

Many Action-Adventure films employ exotic settings across the globe. These fulfil the audience needs for diversion- they can forget that they are in a mundane cinema in their mundane town- and surveillance- they want to learn more about these settings. However, action films do not always have to be set on planet Earth. From 1977, the Star wars series created an entire universe on screen, but the most popular film to do this is Avatar (2009). By setting the film on the fictional planet of Pandora, it sidestepped the common problem of some films in the genre only appealing to people in the countries where these films are set. Therefore, it could appeal to audiences around the world, especially those sick of endless American-set action films.

·         Conclusion

Despite the above factors, the central reason for Action-Adventure film’s global popularity is their blockbuster nature. The simple but enthralling ‘High-Concept’ plots and the lavish production values attract cinema goers everywhere, but films in the genre need good stories, characterization and settings as much as high budgets, stunt work, and CGI .