We expect these tropes, but we'll always love them. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for those well-known and sometimes overused storytelling devices that we see coming a mile away - but can’t help but love it every time.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00 I want my life to be like an 80's movie. Preferably one with a really awesome musical number.
00:05 Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for those well-known and sometimes overused storytelling devices that we see coming a mile away, but can't help but love it every time.
00:16 ♫ And take my eyes off of you ♫
00:20 Number 10. The Mentor's Sacrifice
00:24 The mentor figure is an important part of many heroes' journeys.
00:28 Unfortunately for them, their story often ends with a death, sacrificing themselves for the one they've been guiding.
00:34 "Maggie, don't leave me."
00:36 "I love you. I'll always be with you."
00:41 "We all have a power, and it grows when it is shared."
00:49 A perfect example of this, of course, can be found in Star Wars.
00:53 Obi-Wan allows himself to be killed by Vader, thus giving Luke and company time to escape.
00:58 "Luke, come on! Come on! You're going to kill me!"
01:03 And while this may be a trope we've come to expect, we'll also admit it gets us every time.
01:08 Tell us you don't tear up during Armageddon when Harry decides to die, so that AJ can live happily ever after with his daughter.
01:15 "Take care of yourself."
01:16 "Harry, no!"
01:17 "I love you."
01:18 "Harry, I love you!"
01:20 "Don't do it!"
01:20 "Harry, wait a minute! I love you so much!"
01:22 Number 9. Cliché Villains
01:25 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.
01:34 "Where are you going, Fran?"
01:35 "Back to the cage to plan for tomorrow night."
01:39 "Why? What are we going to do tomorrow night?"
01:41 "The same thing we do every night, Pinkie. Try to take over the world!"
01:46 Indeed, so many of cinema's greatest bad guys have global domination as their ultimate goal.
01:52 They're also not subtle or low-key about it in any way,
01:55 but there's something about the over-the-top nature of it all that always ends up being compelling.
01:59 "In a few hours, the United Nations will receive my Yuletide greetings."
02:05 "The information that I now possess the scientific means to control or to destroy the economy of the whole world."
02:12 One obvious take on this trope would no doubt be Blofeld from a number of James Bond movies
02:17 and his satirical counterpart, Dr. Evil, in the Austin Powers films.
02:21 The MCU's Thanos takes it even further,
02:24 with his plan to reduce the population in order to ensure the universe's survival.
02:29 "This universe is finite, its resources finite. If life is left unchecked, life will cease to exist."
02:36 "It needs correction."
02:38 "You don't know that!"
02:39 "I'm the only one who knows that."
02:43 Yes, sometimes the hero of the movie dies.
02:50 But for the most part, we know that the main characters will make it to the end credits alive and well,
02:55 especially if they're played by big stars.
02:58 "Lyle is a big doofus. Poor George was really shot but can't die because, let's face it, he's the hero."
03:02 Generally, when we see our leads in peril on the precipice of certain doom,
03:07 we can't help but expect a last-minute rescue.
03:10 Remember the aliens saving Woody, Buzz, and the gang from a fiery fate?
03:13 "Ack-la!"
03:16 It isn't just kids' movies either.
03:18 Near the end of The Rock, Nick Cage's character looks to have met his end after a bomb hits the island.
03:23 That is, until Sean Connery's Mason rushes to his rescue.
03:27 And it isn't even always another person doing the saving.
03:30 Thank you, T-Rex, in Jurassic Park.
03:33 Number 7. The Montage
03:38 "We have to make you a complete soldier in very little time."
03:41 "How are we gonna do that?"
03:43 "I think I know just what we need."
03:48 It takes longer than a few minutes to get a full makeover,
03:51 prepare for the biggest boxing match of our lives, or become a great dancer.
03:55 But thanks to the magic of the montage, all movies need are a couple of minutes, a good song, and voila.
04:01 "Well, the Plum Balenciaga, the Peach Chloe, the Jamba Teaster, all the Botegas,
04:06 with that Jason Boob with the deconstructed ruffles."
04:08 "And a sandwich for Piglin."
04:10 Of course we expect it.
04:11 But the moment that music begins, you can't tell us a smile doesn't appear on your face.
04:16 The montage is such a wonderfully cliche and iconic movie trope
04:19 that Pam Brady, Trey Parker, and Matt Stone honored it brilliantly
04:24 with its own song in their 2004 puppet comedy, Team America, World Police.
04:29 Number 6. Love at First Sight
04:40 "Did my heart love till now?
04:43 Forswear it, sight, for I never saw true beauty till this night."
04:48 It's the idea of laying eyes on someone and knowing instantly that you're meant to be with them.
04:53 We're not talking lust at first sight, but rather true, deep, everlasting.
04:58 L-O-V-E.
05:00 It's the stuff of fairy tales and so many movies.
05:03 "Ten minutes ago I saw you, I looked up when you came through the door.
05:09 My head started reeling, you gave me the feeling the room had no ceiling or floor."
05:17 When Romeo and Juliet see each other through the fish tank, nothing else matters.
05:23 Time stops for Edward Bloom when he sees Sandra in Big Fish.
05:28 Ten Things I Hate About You's Cameron can't focus on anything else once he lays eyes on Bianca.
05:34 "I burn, I pine, I perish. Of course."
05:37 This is as much a trope as it is something many long to find. That's why we love it.
05:42 Seeing it in the movies gives us hope that we can experience it one day in real life.
05:47 "To be loved a whole life long."
06:01 Number 5. Grand Romantic Gesture.
06:04 Think about your favorite romantic comedies. What do so many of them have in common?
06:09 Of course, it's the grand romantic gesture, often at the end, sometimes doubling as an apology.
06:15 "You can't just buy me a guitar every time you screw up, you know."
06:17 "Yeah, I know. But then you know there's always drums and bass and maybe even one day a tambourine."
06:25 Airports are our favorite location for these moments, as are crowded areas more generally.
06:30 Sometimes it's a dual effort by both parties, as we see in Crocodile Dundee, when Sue races
06:36 after Dundee and professes her love with some help, and he literally walks over a crowd to get to her.
06:42 Now, people might disagree with using the term "romantic" to explain the cue cards in "Love
06:59 Actually," and that's fair. But there's no denying the grand gesture that is learning another
07:04 language to win over the love of your life. Number 4. Bad Guys Are Terrible Shots.
07:22 Rather than needing a last-minute savior, sometimes the hero can simply rely on the
07:32 terrible aim of the bad guys to save his life. In "The Matrix," Neo has to manipulate time
07:38 to avoid the bullets. Yet, in "John Wick, Chapter 2," the protagonist is pursued by
07:43 multiple shooters down a tunnel, but they mostly hit the wall and the dirt at his feet.
07:48 In "Bad Boys II," Martin Lawrence and Will Smith's characters hit almost everything they aim at,
07:54 while the villains, shooting at close range, with shotguns, can barely hit anything.
07:59 So why do we love this one? Because if this trope didn't exist, it would probably mean the
08:04 hero getting killed and the movie ending pretty quickly. Number 3. Big Dance Number.
08:13 If you're anything like us, this is one predictable trope you hope for and love seeing happen.
08:24 Often found in rom-coms, the dance number can start off slow and awkward and build into a big
08:30 group dance, like in "13 Going on 30." It can also start off as one man's happy day
08:36 and burst out into a flash mob, like in "500 Days of Summer." Let's also not forget about
08:50 the big finale dance number, a la "The 40-Year-Old Virgin." Unfortunately, we rarely get the chance
08:56 to bust out our moves like this in real life, but we sure enjoy seeing it in the movies.
09:00 Number 2. Age Change.
09:17 Whether helped by a janitor on a bridge, a Zoltar machine, or magic wishing dust,
09:22 the characters in "17 Again," "Big," and "13 Going on 30" all magically become younger or
09:28 older versions of themselves in practically an instant, and we love it every time. Children
09:34 trying to be adults, and adults trying to be kids. It's a classic fish-out-of-water story,
09:39 except it's the fish that's changed more than the water.
09:46 You might think you're a mature kid, or a cool grown-up, but when you're dropped directly into
09:51 enemy territory, it probably wouldn't be as easy as you think. So while it's been done again and
09:57 again in film, it's fun watching characters figure it out. Before we continue, be sure to subscribe
10:09 to our channel and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos. You have the option to
10:14 be notified for occasional videos or all of them. If you're on your phone, make sure you go into
10:20 your settings and switch on notifications. Number 1. Friends to Lovers.
10:25 Sometimes, friends are just friends, and that's perfectly okay. But sometimes,
10:35 you can just tell that two people are meant to be together. They just need to figure it out for
10:39 themselves. That's where the "friends to lovers" trope comes in. We've seen it happen multiple
10:55 times on the small screen, like in Friends, with Ross and Rachel, and Monica and Chandler.
11:01 There is no shortage of examples in the movies either, from Lelena and Troy in Reality Bites,
11:07 to Chris and Jamie in the aptly named Just Friends. No matter how often we see it unfold,
11:13 we fall for this romantic trope as hard as the pals in these flicks fall for each other.
11:18 Are there any awesome tropes we forgot? Let us know in the comments.
11:36 Do you agree with our picks? Check out this other recent clip from MsMojo.
11:41 And be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos.