Assignment 4, Part A – Action Films

William Howard

Terryl Atkins

VISA 1500_02

November 26, 2021

Assignment – Action Movie Analysis

Part A

     The above image is clipped from a scene in the popular Marvel movie, Thor Ragnorok, depicting the protagonist Thor descending onto a bride covered in enemies. This scene is part of a chain of events that begins with a confrontation between Thor and his sister Hela, the antagonist, in which Hela has the upper hand on Thor, pressing him to the edge of a balcony. She taunts him, saying: “What are you the god of again, brother?.” This line prompts a moment of self-reflection in Thor, where he interacts with a memory of his father to overcome his inner turmoil. He then casts Hela from the balcony in a brilliant display of power with an enormous lightning strike. Until this point, Hela had been an insurmountable force that mimics a concept often used in action films that inverse a power dynamic where powerful foes are only defeated through greater power. This aspect exploits the intensity of the clash of forces to shock and awe audiences (Christiansen 2018).

     Christiansen also has a four-fold argument that uses its first three to form a pharmakon which postulates that “action movies render warfare sensible, but also render us senseless (Christansen 2018).” This aspect of the argument resonates in this scene as the layered motivations for the conflict paint the battle in a necessary light.

Thor’s motivating factors are:

• To uphold the work of his father.
• To protect his people from his sister’s tyrannical rule.
• To ensure the safety of his friends and homeland.

     These ideals, in contrast to the actions of Hela during her tyrannical rule, create an environment of acceptance for a war-like response from Thor. The scene continues as Thor lands upon the bridge, and through a series of cuts, he and his friends defeat Hela’s forces and save Thor’s people allowing them to escape on a nearby ship. This scene plays out in the famous Immigrant Song by Led Zepplin. The popular rock tune syncs with the battle both tonally and lyrically, even referencing the “hammer of the gods,” which is Thor’s iconic weapon. However, the more relevant factor is how it turns the battle into a spectacle in the truest sense of the word desensitizing the audience from the violence of the fight.

     The growing popularity is evident in recent years concerning the rise and success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Marvel movies, by nature, are action movies with the occasional dual-genre of action/adventure, action/drama. The success of the MCU is undeniable. Of the top 15 highest-grossing films of all time, the MCU represents a third with the Avengers Infinity War Trilogy, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Black Panther (WatchMojo).

     With its growing popularity and a seemingly limitless capacity for entertainment, the action film genre continues to go strong. Audiences are drawn to theatres by the thrill of watching heroes overcome adversity, challenge villains, and live the exciting and dangerous lives of notable figures like James Bond vicariously. However, there is a level of repetition to the genre of action films that begs the question of how often we can recycle a trope until it wears out its welcome.

Reference List

Kopf, D. (2015). The rise of the action movie. Priceonomics. Retrieved November 27, 2021, from https://priceonomics.com/the-rise-of-the-action-movie/.

Christiansen, Steen Ledet. “Mediating Potency and Fear: Action Movies’ Affect.” Cultural Studies 32, no. 1 (January 2018): 43–62. doi:10.1080/09502386.2017.1400573.

Wildfire, V. (2017). Battle of the rainbow bridge. Marvel Cinematic Universe Wiki. Retrieved November 27, 2021, from https://marvelcinematicuniverse.fandom.com/wiki/Battle_of_the_Rainbow_Bridge?file=Battle_of_the_Rainbow_Bridge-01.png.

Mojo, W. (2021). Top lifetime grosses. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 27, 2021, from https://www.boxofficemojo.com/chart/top_lifetime_gross/?area=XWW.