Action movies are boring to me. Sure, they're a visual marvel, but they're painfully predictable. The most insulting thing to me is putting a protagonist in near-death experiences. It's the protagonist; they're immortal.
People still do it because it's supposed to be thrilling and exciting. Well, if we insert ourselves into a story and live vicariously through the protagonist, it may actually be exciting. The rush of a fast-paced sequence that brushes with death, but still laughs in its face would totally make a normal person feel alive. But as a storytelling technique, it's worthless.
Heroes don't die. There are certainly exceptions, but by and large, this is the case. It's especially true for anything that hits the main stream. And once you are aware of this fact, no amount of peril is concerning. When it comes down to life or death, life wins.
This is why we should focus on character development. It is so important for stories to be about characters and their journeys and growth because they can never be in true danger. When protagonists fall off of cliffs, you know that something will save them, so it really is a pointless scene. When a guy has a nasty fight with his wife, goes to a bar to blow off steam, and a woman starts hitting on him, that is a scene whose outcome you cannot guarantee.
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