Adventure in a nutshell
One of the most popular film genres is Adventure and for good reason. I have decided to research this genre and investigate why it produces such compelling and immersive stories.
At its most simple definition, Adventure is an Epic journey involving a protagonist that is attempting to complete some quest or challenge. Typically in any medium (books, films, television), the main protagonist encounters different obstacles throughout his/her journey but eventually achieves their goal while learning things about themselves or a world around them that was not previously apparent. Adventure is a spectacular display of events that is versatile as its target audience can range from toddlers to boomers.
Content
Plot twists are heavily utilized in adventure films specifically. There is a build-up of positives, and everything seems to be going right for our protagonist, he’s got the girl, he’s got the money, he’s got the “life”. And all of a sudden this is challenged by another figure, typically an antagonist. An antagonist is a character developed to be the main foe of the protagonist.
Ex. In Harry Potter and The Deathly Hollows pt. 2, Harry raises up an army against Voldemort and is told that they are “of the same mind” meaning one of them must die in order for the other to live.
Any good adventure must have a good plot twist, one full of excitement and joy with a transition into tension and some sort of battle. Adventure typically follows a: beginning middle resolution. Adventure usually does not deviate from this in order to provide a sense of relief at the end. There is almost always a moral lesson that the “hero” learns and is translated in his/her character development from the beginning to the end of the piece.
Ex. In Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief, Percy literally goes from lonely boy to god in the span of a day. Percy learns that we all have a place where we belong and being a hero is more than just the powers you withhold.
What makes the content of the movies so addicting is that immersive feeling. We feel as though we are there with the character as we watch them grow as individuals. We receive a sense of closure at the end because in a way the audience goes through the challenge too.
Production Techniques
A crucial part of the adventure genre is location. Typically adventure films involve a large landscape. The location is imperative because it sets the precedent of where the character was versus where the character is by the end of the movie. Typically adventures are shot in multiple locations to convey a journey. Movement from different locations is thought out and planned by the production crew to assure that each location represents a different point in the character's path to a specific goal or achievement.
Ex. In Ready Player, One Wade goes from dystopian broken earth to a world within the VR headset in which he attempts to win the prize.
What is also crucial about adventure is the sound. The adventure utilizes scores to match the atmosphere and typically exaggerates the character's feelings. Scenes of romance may include many harps and strings while scenes of battle and war may involve harder drums and bass. No matter the scene, music helps to guide the story and add to the emotions of the characters.
Ex. In the film Star Wars, the death star is almost always associated with the same score that involves bass and drums to add the villainous nature of the Empire.
Marketing
Statistically, adventure films contain a majority of young white male leads and protagonists. Thus, many of the pieces are targeted towards young men ages 15-55. This is evident in the sexualization of many of the female characters in adventure movies. Females are typically the love interest or someone the “hero” gains at the end of the film (which is kind of messed up).
Ex. In The Amazing Spider-Man, Mary Jane and Spider-man share a kiss, however, she does not know his identity is Peter Parker. Mary Jane’s only purpose in the film is to be the love interest to Peter.
The heterosexual relationships that occur in the realm of adventure are indicative of their traditional nature (hard set structure). However, we have seen a much more leading female representation in the past decade with movies like Wonder Woman, Black Widow, Alita, and The Hunger Games. While adventure is targeted mainly towards young men it actually attracts the largest audience out of any other genre.
According to a 2012 study by Nielson, Action/Adventure ranked the highest out of moviegoers age 12+
Adventure Films
Now that we have a good understanding of what the adventure genre is from a media standpoint look at two examples.
007 Skyfall
