For any unfamiliar with what a trope is, it's basically an often or overused plot mechanic. A cliché. There are so many of them, there's the site tvtropes dedicated to an endless amount of them. I figured it would be fun to discuss our own favourites amongst pop culture devices. A few of my favourites: The Chinatown Car Chase If you shoot a movie in San Fransisco, there's gonna be a car chase whether you like it or not. How can there not be with ten billion Dukes Of Hazzard take-offs to launch from? Not to mention the world's largest Chinatown: the home of the car-chase cliché. You can guarantee fruit carts will get wrecked, lots of viewings of dead animals hanging in large picture windows, don't forget the ancient Asian man or woman who gets narrowly misses getting crushed and pawns it off like nothing happened. The High Elevation Fight If you fight on a roof, near a cliff, the top of a tower, the back of an open plane, whatever, the bad guy falls to his death. I think Last Of The Mohicans is one of the very, very few times this cliché was denied. Of course when he falls, there is always some sort of dramatically-collapsing vehicle to cushion his fall, perhaps a police cruiser or an (for some reason) exploding news van. If the good guy happens to fall, he will land in the back of a truck of grain or Nerf footballs, maybe a garbage bin filled with trash bags containing packing popcorn. The Pyromaniacs Get It On What is it with candles and love-making? You have time to light those damn things when you're horny and half-cocked? Riiiiiiiiiiiight. And do you know how hot a room is with three candles in it during sex, much less eighty of them? I don't understand why sex has to look like the music video for Wrapped Around Your Finger. Focus: Your favourite pop culture clichés and tropes. This could include movies, video games, television, books, theatre, anything.
Females in the Shower: Yeah, you're getting hacked to pieces in 3, 2, 1... Polar Partners: If you work with one person regularly, only one of you can be serious, follow the rules and make smart decisions. Your partner is the comic relief, but don't worry, he'll save the day and get the girl. Russian Enemies: You're Russian and on camera? You're a criminal with terrible English and most likely associated with the mob and trafficking of some kind. Black People Shooting Guns: if you're black, you're shooting your gun cocked sideways. Period. Martial Arts Skills: if the main character has hand-to-hand combat skills he will take on forty guys at once, they will all fight fair one at a time, and they will all lose very quickly. Police Car Chases: If you want to evade the police, just continue driving. That's all you have to do, since they will all crash and burn into each other like they've never driven before. Cops Shooting Guns: Characters have never been safer than while cops have opened fire on them. I don't think a cop has ever shot anyone.
Coitus Interuptus: Are you a teenager? Is there some crazy fucker running around killing people? Are you either having, about to have, or just finished having sex? If you answered yes to these three questions, you're about to die. Fives land 10: Nerds don't land a lot of girls but the ones they do are pinup material. I didn't know they did that!: All computers are magic. Better call triple A: Car wrecks result in explosions basic law of physics.
Katanas (Samurai Swords) - yeah Katanas are cool and look great but what they are capable of cutting through is being taken to ridiculous levels. Locks, chains, etc.