What is the most overused movie cliche?!


Question: Here is a list of some interesting cliches:

A car will always explode when shot at, unless the hero is driving it

The male and female lead will start off as bickering enemies, and end up as lovers after a series of trials...
All members of alien species wear the same outfits, including clothing, hairstyles, and jewelery. This makes them readily identifiable. Aliens who do not dress like aliens are hiding something.

If a good person dies with his eyes open, a friend will close them, and they will remain closed. If a villain dies with his eyes open, no one will close them, and the camera will linger on his face.
Dogs always know who's bad, and bark at them.

Bombs always have big, blinking, beeping timer displays. Evil geniuses who devise bombs to destroy things/people are always thoughtful enough to include a visible display (usually LED) of how much time remains before the bomb detonates, giving the hero accurate feedback on exactly how much time remains.

Police cars involved in chase scenes usually tend to suffer more than any other vehicles- they have head on collisions, smash parked cars, fall into water, and of course, experience the ever popular flying-roll, causing the car to land upside down and crush the lights and siren. Usually, we never get to see the unlucky police force member before or after the inevitable accident

If a character uses martial arts rather than a weapon, his opponents will always face him one-to-one. Spare bad guys may dance around the fight taunting our hero, but none will engage until his predecessor has been disposed of. And if it's an oriental martial arts film, they will fight in perfect one-two rhythm and form, hit-block-hit-block.
At some point in a fencing duel, the hero and villain will cross swords at face level, allowing them to grip each other's weapon while making nasty/sarcastic comments before they break the clinch and continue fighting. (Why doesn't anyone just ram the sword guard into their opponent's face, stun him, and then finish him off?)


Answers: Here is a list of some interesting cliches:

A car will always explode when shot at, unless the hero is driving it

The male and female lead will start off as bickering enemies, and end up as lovers after a series of trials...
All members of alien species wear the same outfits, including clothing, hairstyles, and jewelery. This makes them readily identifiable. Aliens who do not dress like aliens are hiding something.

If a good person dies with his eyes open, a friend will close them, and they will remain closed. If a villain dies with his eyes open, no one will close them, and the camera will linger on his face.
Dogs always know who's bad, and bark at them.

Bombs always have big, blinking, beeping timer displays. Evil geniuses who devise bombs to destroy things/people are always thoughtful enough to include a visible display (usually LED) of how much time remains before the bomb detonates, giving the hero accurate feedback on exactly how much time remains.

Police cars involved in chase scenes usually tend to suffer more than any other vehicles- they have head on collisions, smash parked cars, fall into water, and of course, experience the ever popular flying-roll, causing the car to land upside down and crush the lights and siren. Usually, we never get to see the unlucky police force member before or after the inevitable accident

If a character uses martial arts rather than a weapon, his opponents will always face him one-to-one. Spare bad guys may dance around the fight taunting our hero, but none will engage until his predecessor has been disposed of. And if it's an oriental martial arts film, they will fight in perfect one-two rhythm and form, hit-block-hit-block.
At some point in a fencing duel, the hero and villain will cross swords at face level, allowing them to grip each other's weapon while making nasty/sarcastic comments before they break the clinch and continue fighting. (Why doesn't anyone just ram the sword guard into their opponent's face, stun him, and then finish him off?)

I love your examples! As for the fighting, you should take a look at "18 Fingers of Death", a mockumentary about a martial arts actor who has never quite achieved stardom. It covers all of the cliches of these films.

Well, I now have to reconstruct my list since I accidentally deleted it when I picked up the wireless mouse. Darn it! I keep a notebook of cliches because I write a lot of fiction and try to avoid these pitfalls. However, I suppose that some cliches are comfortable to viewers because they are familiar. Some people like knowing what to expect. Here's a partial list:
1) Women in labor generally have ultra-speedy deliveries of babies, with very few complications. Also, the baby is usually a hardy-looking infant, nothing like a newborn. Perhaps with CGI, they can create a realistic-looking newborn.
2) When a vampire meets the leading lady, she looks EXACTLY like his lost love!
3) The killer's body disappears at the end of movie in far too many films. This worked beautifully in "Halloween", then EVERYONE decided to use it.
4) Everyone else can die after one snake bite or other critter attack, but the hero or heroine can survive multiple injuries. Occasionally, the comic relief will survive, too, as in "Snakes on a Plane". "Piranha" (1978) is a prime example because the hero gets attacked by the fish and manages to escape relatively unscathed.
5) Don't look at the strange pod, especially when it starts to move!
6) Don't look down a drain~even if it's clogged, even if you've dropped your last cigarette in the sink and especially if you hear noises and someone talking to you! Exit immediately!
7) Don't stick your hand in the garbage disposal unit!
8) If you are in a horror or suspense/thriller film, do not leave that block with knives in it on the kitchen counter! You can be guaranteed that much more than vegetables will be sliced and diced! Go ahead! Arm the crazed killer!
9) People believe the most unbelievable things because the scriptwriter/filmmaker wants them to; no one has to be convinced. "Lady in the Water" is a good example of what I consider to be the Gullibility Factor.
10) It's always easier to start the self-destruct process than to stop it. That sort of makes sense because you don't want the bad guy to stop it, but someone should be able to come up with a surefire way for the good guy, even one of those handy-dandy secret passwords.
11) Someone gets into a car, closes the door, turns the key and BLAM!!!!!!!!!!! Well, that's in crime stories. In horror/suspense, the critter/killer attacks from the back seat.
12) The light switch in the basement never works, but s/he goes downstairs anyway. I suppose the scriptwriter could defend this by saying that, unless a person knows there is a murderer or monster there, the average person probably would go check out that sound. However, I know that I wouldn't descend those stairs without at least a flashlight.
13) It does seem inevitable for someone being chased to fall down a couple of times. But, if something scary was after me, I probably WOULD fall down while trying to run away! I agree that it does happen an awful lot, but the person generally a) has an unfortunate choice of footwear, b) uneven terrain to cross, and c) the tendency to keep looking behind him/her.
14) Someone is shown in a parking lot or at his/her door, suddenly fearful that someone or something is getting close! The person begins fumbling with keys. However, if something creepy was pursuing me, I probably WOULD drop my keys and fumble with them and have trouble getting the key in the ignition or the door! I do that anyway; yes, I'm a klutz, and fear could only make me klutzier.
15) The dead guy isn't really dead. This is far, far overused, even in a good film like "Die Hard", they just had to have that guy who had been hanged in chains throw off that blanket and run shrieking at people ONLY so that the cop could prove he could shoot someone!
16) Don't pet the doggy, especially if it's the only thing left alive in town or on an arctic post!
17) When you see a horrific sight~a body in the trunk of your car, blood everywhere, etc., call your friends and don't leave the place! As sure as you do, someone will miraculously clean it up so that you look crazy!
18) If you take photographs of whatever it is, it won't show up on the photographs or negatives if you desperately need it to. In "Grudge 2", I liked the developing tray bit!
19) When someone screams, how do they KNOW who is screaming? "That's Julia!" "That's the neighbor's little boy!" Unless these people go on the rollercoaster a lot, just how do they know who it is that screamed?
20) If you're alone with the psycho killer, don't tell him you know it's him/her! Don't tell the bad person that you know his/her secret! Don't ever say, "When I see (police, your mom, another living being), I'm going to tell (true identity, horrific crime commited, anything else that is sure to get me killed right now)! Smile and nod a lot! Boost his/her ego! Do ANYTHING to stay alive! Remember not to bolt for the exit. S/he will always catch you and be very, very displeased.
21) OMG! That mysterious person that our hero(ine) has fallen in love with is in the Witness Protection Program!
22) Far too often, people have plenty of money for plane tickets and other transportation in an emergency situation. I always wondered if it's usual for people to have so much ready cash on hand. Generally, they're on the run or supposedly have money troubles, so they can't rely on credit cards. But, if someone is in trouble half a world away, they hop on a plane and go!
23) If you're in a sci fi/horror/suspense film and have a pet, it's very likely that Fluffy and/or Fido are going to end up in bad shape.
24) You've got everyone out of that horrible place! "I have to rescue Fluffy!" "I forgot the carkeys!" "I need to give the creature/killer one more chance to get me!" "All of you wait here 'cause I'll be right back!" Sure you will!
25) "What's keeping him/her so long? You wait here. I'll be right back!"

Cops pushing a suspect against the wall. (Cop on the edge, oh no a loose cannon).

Chief of police warning that cop about the boys up stairs, and letting him know it is his last shot.

"Frankly my dear, I don't give-a-damn!"

(Rhett Butler in "Gone with the Wind".)

How many times can action heroes dodge dozens of bullets and never get hit? They have obviously never heard of target practice.

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.

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!

Like the TV protagonist in 24, some men like James Bond emerge from any beating looking as fresh as a daisy.

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.

get a life

what about the bad guys with 15000 rounds but bad aim from a revolver.

When a group of bad guys surround the hero they ALWAYS face him one-on-one.

No matter how perfect the movie....the characters (both protagonist and antagonist) never wait for change! someone gets out of a taxi and pays with exact cash, someone goes to a coffee store and places a few dollars on the counter....never waits for change....

SHOOTING: Bad guys can't hit the broadside of a barn, with an atomic bomb. Good guys can shoot the eyes out of a potato, at 30 yards, looking in a mirror, around a corner.

KISSING: Male Hero's heads tilt to his right, ladies to his left... until the director wants the shot from the opposite direction... then magically the kiss is reversed... aaaaaand, then back again.

WATER: if there's a tight shot from behind a female filling a water glass at the kitchen sink, five bucks says that glass is gonna be in a million pieces on the floor within ten seconds.

TEENAGERS: oh, just see SCREAM 1, 2 and 3.

STARTING A CAR: for REAL dramatic tension, make it take FOUR tries before the engine catches.

CAB DRIVERS: can always look in their rear-view mirrors and see Down into the Laps of their backseat passengers. Try that in your Own car sometime.

CITY BUSSES: Your bus Never comes!... unless you're looking at the long-lost beloved or the murderous villian across a busy thoroughfare. Then the bus always arrives to block your sightline.

COINS always flip in close-up and slow motion.

TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS: always rupture the gas line.

Ok, I'll stop now. Fun question. Thanks.

good guys always win.

vampires always loose.

all zombies are wiped out. (the exception to this rule, is if it is a trilogy, or a sequel is planned, it might take until the 2nd or 3rd movie for this to happen. and sometimes it is only implied that this will happen)

In the end of romantic films there is always a chase scene in an airport. One of them always has to leave for another country and the other one chases after him/her.

I hate the way Spielberg will make it seem like a character has died and then at the end of the film they return. he does it in E.T. Jaws War of the worlds Jurassic park ...batteries not included, saving private ryan he does this thing at the beginning where one character does not want to go on the mission and he is the one who lives and all his mate that wanted to go help die.....i could have written that crap in my sleep. i wish people would open their eyes for a few hours and realize what crap they are watching!!!!!!!



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