If you look at a film or TV show very closely, you’d notice that they tend to follow similar plot beats. And sometimes, moviegoers are sick of them because they’re predictable. It’s technically the same story but with a different label. However, some film and TV clichés aren’t inherently bad, and get people excited if executed right. A recent spate of social media posts shows movie fans on Twitter are figuring out just what those moments are.
Twitter user @downwithlcc asked people which plot clichés still excite them. They started the conversation by saying that their favorite cliché is when the main protagonist lets go of their hate and anger and are now fueled with love and joy.
The post has over 10k likes, over 500 retweets, and nearly 4.5k quote retweets, with other movie fans sharing their response. A few people have said they enjoyed stories where the old man has to protect a young child they’ve never met before. Examples might include the The Mandalorian or Batman.
— 😈 (@kynjyyst) July 25, 2022
I too enjoy this trope pic.twitter.com/K5wwjrH5DH
— Caleb Barton (@CalebBarton14) July 25, 2022
Others said they’ve enjoyed the story cliché when the bad guy decides to switch sides. A show that pulled this off perfectly was Avatar: The Last Airbender. But fans on Twitter gave other titles that also executed this trope well.
Plenty of people pointed out that they enjoyed laidback characters that suddenly revealed suped up power when needed. And of course, Shaggy from Scooby-Doo falls in this category.
One user said they enjoyed the ‘reverse-isekai’ cliché, where fictional characters enter the real world. A few shows and movies have pulled this off such as Once Upon A Time. But even the video game Kingdom Hearts IV will be following this trope based on their recent trailer.
And of course, who would forget the power of friendship?
And just like every Dungeons and Dragons campaign went wrong, who could resist a good old bar fight? Heck, even SpongeBob SquarePants: The Movie pulled this off. This better be included in the upcoming Dungeons and Dragons: Honour Amongst Thieves movie.
While we as an audience could recognize these repetitive tropes and story beats, it doesn’t mean they’re boring. All it takes is a good writer to make these cliché plot points interesting and engaging so that it feels unique and gives the audience an amazing and memorable experience.