Adventure films are films identifying a broad sweep of conflicts and actions that follow a central character through a journey or mission. Adventure films are sometimes hard to define because they are mixture of several film types. This means that the movie is very energetic with a series of narrow escapes as the protagonist attempts to achieve a goal. Definition:

Film Types The swashbuckler or pirate film (Pirates of the Caribbean) The sword-fighting film (The Princess Bride—also a fantasy— and The Three Musketeers)

Film Types The outlaw film - an outlaw fighting for justice or battling a tyrant (Robin Hood, Zorro or Star Wars – also a fantasy, even James Bond films)

Film Types The treasure quest film - searching for a lost city or for hidden treasure (National Treasure, The Mummy, Conan the Barbarian)

Characteristics of the Adventure Film: over-the-top action sequences exotic location and circumstances hero vs. villain quest Strong female character Dramatic music score

Over-the-Top Action Sequences Create heightened drama through chases and fights, narrow escapes and close calls. They also comprise the principle obstructions that the hero must overcome on his way to the ultimate prize (whether it be a thing or concept). Characteristics of the Adventure Film:

Exotic Location and Circumstances Part of the adventure film experience is to catapult the audience to places they have never been before or into outrageous situations. Characteristics of the Adventure Film:

Exotic Location and Circumstances Adventure films often take place in exotic locations, foreign countries or time periods, and even circumstances that are not ordinary to the audiences’ own lives. Vicarious experiences allow us to escape from our ordinary lives. Characteristics of the Adventure Film:

The exotic settings and flamboyant actions of the characters in adventure films provide wonderful opportunities for filmic presentation. Spectacle: is a production value involving the elaborate visual scope of a motion picture. Specifically, it’s the depiction of wide vistas of geography of faraway places, frames full of colorful costumes, masses of people, animals, and objects—though not exclusive to the adventure film genre, nowhere is it more amply produced. Characteristics of the Adventure Film: Exotic Location and Circumstances

Pirate ships booming over the waves, their sails filled with a driving wind. Spectacle Characteristics of the Adventure Film:

A safari trekking over the steaming veldt. Spectacle Characteristics of the Adventure Film:

Two armies clashing on a plane. Spectacle Characteristics of the Adventure Film:

The Hero A hero is usually strong, quick thinking, chivalrous, attractive and trustworthy. The hero relies heavily on his wits and resources. Characteristics of the Adventure Film:

The Hero The hero either has or develops great and special skills and overcomes huge obstacles in extraordinary situations. The hero battles and defeats a villain of some stature. The hero always wins. Characteristics of the Adventure Film:

The villain usually adopts opposing traits to the hero: disloyalty, selfishness and greed. The hero may share the same goal as the villain, such as trying to claim a valuable artifact, but the villain will pursue the goal out of greed and the need for power. The Villain Characteristics of the Adventure Film:

The villain in adventure films usually come in one of these forms: Human Antagonists: Most prevalent in adventure films – more than just a bad guy, emphasis on evil. The Villain Characteristics of the Adventure Film:

The villain in adventure films usually come in one of these forms: Natural Antagonists: A force of nature such as wild weather, harsh terrain, or raging seas can all hamper the hero from achieving his goal. The tornado in Twister is a natural antagonist. The Villain Characteristics of the Adventure Film:

The villain in adventure films usually come in one of these forms: Natural Antagonists: Animals sometimes can be unusually predatory as in the case of JAWS. The Villain Characteristics of the Adventure Film:

The villain in adventure films usually come in one of these forms: Supernatural Antagonists: Supernatural is essentially nature which cannot be explained by science. Antagonists here can include supernatural beings (ghosts, demons, the undead, vampires, and more) and circumstances (curses, miracles, spells, divine punishment, and more). The Villain Characteristics of the Adventure Film: Orlando Bloom’s character faces the spirits of pirates in The Pirates of the Caribbean.

Strong female lead character with an initial adverse relationship with the hero. Their relationship is antagonistic throughout much of the film. The Heroine Characteristics of the Adventure Film:

The relationship between the lead male and female characters in an adventure film is similar to that of a romantic comedy (despite often being in opposition, they are brought closer together after surmounting obstacles). By the end of the movie, they resolve their differences and there may be a romance or a suggestion of one. The hero rescues the heroine from danger during the film. The Heroine Characteristics of the Adventure Film:

A quest is the hero’s journey toward his specific goal often involving the necessity to overcome challenges. The hero and villain may share the same quest, adding a sense of competition and rivalry. The Quest Characteristics of the Adventure Film:

The goal of a hero’s quest can be an object or a concept. Protecting the family name in National Treasure and preserving justice in a James Bond film, or acquiring treasure. The Quest Characteristics of the Adventure Film:

The adventure movie often has different musical themes representing different elements and characters in the film. The music in an adventure film is almost always epic and grand. Music Theme Examples: Darth Vader, Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker (Star Wars Trilogy) The Music Score Characteristics of the Adventure Film:

Characteristics of Action Films Action films are primarily about the action scenes such as cars crashing, planes blowing up, and people shooting each other.

Characteristics of Action Films The action scenes are more important in these films than plot and dialog. The films are usually based on loose plot lines such as the main hero trying to save a group of people from something bad.

Characteristics of Action Films There are usually some nice fast cars and beautiful women.

Action and adventure films often overlap. Adventure films are different because there is an element of romanticism attached to the adventure genre. Action movies usually specifically focus on violent acts (gun shots, explosions, etc.) which are part of the central plot. In adventure films the action is presented as background to complicate the hero’s quest.

Douglas Fairbanks starred in the first adventure film The Mark of Zorro. Fairbanks became the most popular 1920s film hero. 1920s Rudolph Valentino added the formula of a dashing hero and a love story to the adventure genre. He was known as “The Great Lover.”

1930s The original King Kong was released in While Douglas Fairbanks was the most popular hero of the 1920’s adventure films, Errol Flynn was the most popular of the 1930’s adventure film actors.

The popularity of adventure films declined. 1940s & 50s Movies of the 1940s focused on World War II. Movies of the 1950s focused on the real life fears of communism and nuclear destruction.

The James Bond films of the 1960s brought a renewed interest in adventure films. 1960s The Bond movies stretched the boundaries of acceptable sex and violence while entertaining audiences as they hadn't been since the 1930s. Sean Connery is credited as being the first James Bond film in 1962 – Dr. No. Eight actors have played James Bond, these films have been popular among audiences in the past 40 years.

1. Barry Nelson played Bond in a 1954 television production of Casino Royale 2. Sean Connery - 7 Movies 3. David Niven in the 1967 spoof of Casino Royale 4. George Lazenby - 1 Movie 5. Roger Moore - 7 Movies 6. Timothy Dalton - 2 Movies 7. Pierce Brosnan - 4 Movies 8. Daniel Craig - 3 Movies 1960s

At the beginning of the 1980s, Hollywood gained a newfound source of inspiration for adventure filmmaking out of its own past in the form of the hero Indiana Jones, portrayed by Harrison Ford. 1980s

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) directed by Steven Spielberg, drew on traditions from movie serials of the late 1930s and early 1940s. He also used 40 years of technological advances in filmmaking to upgrade them. The public, hungry for adventure, devoured it.

1980s The influence of the Indiana Jones series can be seen in The Mummy series, the National Treasure films and The Pirates of the Caribbean films.

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