Action vs Adventure

First time in a while I actually ask a question instead of answering other people's things.

So I've hit a bit of a dilemma: I'm working on a screenplay right now and I keep describing it as an "Adventure Comedy." (It's literally in the logline.) My goal is to give it an air of "fantasy" while not actually being a fantasy story (hence the "adventure" label) but the script itself feels more like what you'd find in a standard action movie. It's got a limited scope, only a few distinct locations, set in a geographically small area, with a surprising amount of fighting in the second half.

I'm near the end of the first draft. To prepare for the coming round of revisions, I want to ask you all: What are some defining differences between Action and Adventure stories, especially in the context of our own world? Adding to that: How might a writer transform an action-packed story into more of an adventure?

Now I know what some knee-jerk reactions will be: "Don't pidgeonhole yourself into a genre!" "If it works as an action story, let it be action." And those are all extremely valid bits of advice that I've even shared (and used) myself. But they're not what I'm looking for.

My goal is to make a movie set in our real world that feels like a fantasy story without actually being one. That's why I'm aiming for adventure, and that's why I'm frustrated at how the script has swerved itself into action.

So! Thoughts? Ideas? Workarounds? Brainstorms? I'd love to hear them.

The other constraint I have for this script is to be low-budget, but TV Tropes is better suited for generating and refining ideas. Practicalities are something I'll have to hammer out with my local film contacts.

First that fighting's cause needs to be something the protagonists need to know about so that they start pulling the thread so instead of an Around the World in 80 Days adventure you get a more John Dies at the End adventure(even though that novel isn't an adventure novel).Then once the protagonists find out the cause the fights start coming.

In an adventure, the hero is taken out of his usual, accustomed setting, and placed in an unfamiliar environment where he faces some type of challenge and must overcome it. While the challenge may be dangerous, it is not necessarily a life-or-death struggle. For example, a trek through the wilderness, a voyage across the open ocean, or a country boy visiting the big city for the first time.

The action hero, on the other hand, gets into a dangerous situation because that's who and what he is — a guy who routinely faces danger (a cop, soldier, spy, etc.) The hero must then overcome successive challenges, which are usually escalating physical confrontations. (Fighting the mooks, then The Dragon, and finally the Big Bad.)

Naturally, there is often a lot of overlap between the two, but in the main, an adventure story is about journeying and discovery (including self-discovery), putting the protagonist into a context that is unfamiliar to him. An action story, on the other hand, focuses on physical confrontation or a tense, high-stress situation. (Fights, warfare, car chases, a race against time, etc.)

Action is usually Man vs. Man, adventure is usually Man vs. Nature (environment) or Man vs. Himself (testing his own limits).

edited 13th Jul '17 11:56:03 PM by pwiegle