Cinema is a gateway to dream worlds where audiences can escape, yet, pet peeves are prevalent in movies just as they are in life. Everyone has different tastes, but some of these pet peeves are becoming more mainstream as audiences become tired of some worn-out tropes.
Did Halloween Ends bring the same "car/vehicle won't start as the villain approaches" trope seen before in countless horror movies? Some cinema annoyances simply come down to taste, but others seem to be almost universally disliked.
Poorly Balanced/Mixed Dialogue And Music Scenes
As Reddit Tenet have been especially guilty of this. While the reasoning is due to directors wanting the best possible experience for the film (IMAX, XD, or Dolby speakers) when audience are watching it on a regular screen, or even at home, the sound mixing becomes heinous.
This has especially worsened with the arrival of higher-end speakers in many theaters. The dialogue can become hard to hear, yet action sequences can become deafening. It is understandable that producers want their films to be enjoyed with the highest tech available, however, for most theaters and home entertainment systems, the sound is terrible.
Easily Solved Misunderstandings
Several films over the years have been guilty of this. What could have easily been resolved turns into an unresolved problem that is brought up later in the film. As Reddit , Flaky-Ad-2918 mentions, it's often something similar to "hey it looks like I caught you cheating," which all could have been resolved in one sentence but is left unanswered as the accused stammers and stays silent.
Over the years, many sitcoms have also fell victim to this trope, but audiences are not stupid. It makes no sense to create a long-drawn-out issue when in reality, the problem is resolved in a matter of minutes. Thankfully, writers are hearing viewers' complaints. Shows like Ted Lasso have done a wonderful job at avoiding conflicts built off willful misunderstandings while keeping each character unique and true to themselves.
Overdone Filters
Ever since Saving Private Ryan, war films have stuck with the same gray, gritty filter. As Reddit , wandereed8 notes, "no one can make a war movie without these filters." Filters are there for a reason, they do add tone and style to movies. However, when it becomes standard, maybe it is time to switch it up; there have been several battles fought on bright sunny days.
Other victims of the "filter effect" are films set across the Mexican border. Shows like Sicario use a "yellow" filter across border scenes, with several other films copying this tired cinema trope. Mexico is a beautiful country known for its vibrant colors, and consistently showcasing it as a "yellow" landscape takes away from its true scenery.
Characters Getting Knocked Out With Little Consequence
As Reddit Gibbonici points out, characters in several films may have just gotten knocked out when they "wake as if they've just had a nap." Getting knocked out is a traumatic experience on the brain; almost every action film imaginable features a good guy making his way through the hallway, pistol-whipping the bad guys out.
Usually, after this sequence, the knocked-out party eventually wakes as if they've had a deep slumber. In reality, getting knocked out is a short experience that can have devastating consequences. Those that have suffered from a knockout will often feel dizzy, nauseous, and unbalanced, far from the illusion shown in films.
Modern Films With The "Car/Vehicle Won't Star" Trope
What was almost a certainty of any horror film for the last 50 years has become worn down to exhaustion. As Reddit Coincrocodile says, "It's almost embarrassing at this point." Picture any film where characters are running for their lives, only to find out the car isn't starting.
While this was more plausible with older vehicles, modern cars are computers at this point, like Teslas with their futuristic engines and batteries. There isn't any "cranking" until the vehicle comes to life. Not only this, but it is insulting to audience who have seen the same scene play out in many films. Perhaps a different take on it, something akin to a hacked Tesla.
Lack Of Peripheral Vision And Hearing
Many of the pet peeves listed are in the horror/suspense genre. Rightfully so, a tired trope of these films is how their characters suddenly become deaf or lose all sense of peripheral vision. Suddenly, the audience is jolted by a carefully laid jump scare.
In films like Friday the 13th, characters getting jump-scare killed are routine and expected. However, they need to be rightfully earned. It doesn't do justice to the characters who appear to be smart and capable of suddenly losing awareness and being surprised by someone that was standing to the side all along. As Reddit sanguiniusswept mentions, "the characters should have noticed well in advance."
Hanging Up Without Saying Goodbye
As Reddit Blue_Water_Bound mentions, "when people hang up the phone without saying goodbye." This is a tricky one; many times in films and television there are scenes featured where a character abruptly hangs the phone up when in real life, there would be a "goodbye, thanks for the information" moment.
In reality, sometimes the audience doesn't know what they really want. It is a common writing tactic to avoid "shoe leather." This is to avoid unnecessary information that will slow the film down. An audience doesn't need to see a shot of a side character walking into the main room, the same way it doesn't need an extra few seconds of someone saying "goodbye" on the phone.
Guns With Unlimited Ammo
As Reddit Hashashin455 mentions "Guns with bottomless clips" as a pet peeve. Rightfully so, for as long as action movies have been around, there have been gunfights with a seemingly unlimited supply of ammo.
While it does help with the pacing and intensity of the movie, it isn't realistic. Fortunately, gun aficionados have entered the film industry and have consulted on films that pay close attention to real-life combat, martial arts, and tactical maneuvers. Check out John Wick for gunfight sequences with realistic ammo expectations.
The "Click Clack" Of Hacking
Another pet peeve for several film watchers is how easy it is to hack into extremely complex software and databases. As Reddit zoidbert calls it, "
While hacking at this level most certainly exists, it is a tired trope that movies continue to show. A coding green screen followed by the typing of a few letters is seemingly the entrance into any computer software in the world. While this can be explained by the film avoiding "shoe leather." The audience doesn't need to see the real-life, slower process of hacking. They have seen the green letters long enough to know what it means.
Walking Away From Explosions
Reddit Expert_Persimmon_925 does not like it when characters walk away from "explosions they caused and not reacting." This pet peeve takes a jab at the action genre. Over the years, there have been so many action films that feature the characters nonchalantly walking away from a large explosion.
This does not happen in real life, not only would the shockwave cause characters to fall, the debris would certainly be felt. Luckily, the last ten years have shown films that make fun of the trope. The Other Guys did this bit wonderfully, showing exactly what an explosion would look like in proximity.
