The TVTropes Trope Finder is where you can come to ask questions like "Do we have this one?" and "What's the trope about...?" Trying to rediscover a long lost show or other medium but need a little help? Head to Media Finder and try your luck there. Want to propose a new trope? You should be over at You Know, That Thing Where.
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openNo Title Film
resolved Bow = Gun Film
Is there a trope about bow and arrow users behaving like gun users? Either as a source of comedy, or because the writer Did Not Do The Research and assumes the two weapons are similar enough they can cross out gun and replace it with bow if he's setting the story far enough into the past.
openReclusive Hero Film
A main or supporting character is very private about their private life amongst their peers, to the point where those around them — including those close to them — know almost nothing about them.
Not sure if Hidden Depths could work.
Edited by Henshin4LifeopenSubverted indulgences Film
A character or place that seemingly satisfies a character's obsessions, but ends up being a trap instead. An example is Club Vandersexxx in Euro Trip, which poses as an ordinary brothel but turns out to be a BDSM dungeon with tons of Loophole Abuse such as the safeword being deliberately unpronounceable.
openThe Dark Middle Chapter Film
What’s the trope name for the dark middle chapter in a story, most typically the penultimate entry in a trilogy having somewhat of a downer ending a la Empire Strikes Back.
openwhen the bully gets karma and works a "dead end" job Film
what's the name of that trope where the highschool bully ends up ugly, working a dead end job, and stays in their small town in the future.
openPost-documentary revelations? Film
Can't figure out how to word this but I'm looking for a trope that involves the subject of a documentary having something significant revealed about their existence *after* the media was released rather than as a part of it - the example in mind being Dorian Corey, a performer featured in Paris Is Burning, revealed to have had the preserved corpse of a man last seen in 1968 hidden in a suitcase in her apartment in the early 90s.
openfridge / door opening scare Film
you know in horror movies where the person opens usually the fridge door but also closets etc and you can no longer see the rest of the room and when they close it someone is usually standing there. what that called? i am also looking for the origin of it :)
openGrouchy adult gets back in touch with their inner child? Film
I saw Despicable Me for the first time a couple of weeks ago, and it occurred to me that Gru's character arc in this film is an extremely common and specific one, especially in family-friendly movies: the adult who is a grouchy, grumpy son of a bitch because they long ago lost contact with their inner child, and the story that tells how something renews that contact, leading to the adult becoming a considerably nicer and happier person. It can happen to any character of any type, hero or villain, although it's probably more common with villains. Is there a trope that specifically covers this? It seems to me that it's not quite Beneath the Mask, and it's not quite Hidden Heart of Gold — so what is it?
Edited by walking-wolfopenMagic World Falling Apart Film
Need to know super fast for work, but I'm trying to figure out where I've seen a trope akin to "Fading Away", where it's the environment thats disappearing, not the character. I may be wrong on the fading part specifically, but the effect is that the world is semi-slowly but steadily (for tension) going bad and it's creeping closer and closer to the characters. My gut says it's from something animation but I haven't been able to find it myself. Any help would be appreciated, thx in advance!
resolved Tortureland Montage Film
Is there a trope for a scene where a character goes to a place and finds everyone is being tortured and/or enslaved? Like the robots in the Jawa sandcrawler from Star Wars: A New Hope?
resolved An Affair Before the End of the World Film
Let's say a man decided to cheat on his fiancé with a random woman after hearing a nuclear war was very likely to happen. What trope would that fall under?
openGuilt By Butterfly Effect Film
A trope where someone is blamed for something they had nothing to do with, simply because of some past action they WERE involved in.
Example: A serial killer is wounded and lying in the OR. The other doctors want to leave him to his fate, except for one doctor, who by moral standards, feels obliged to same this murderer, and therefore does so. A few weeks later, the killer rapes and murders a young woman. Even though the killer is caught and convicted, the girl's family blame the doctor, stating that if he had let the killer die, he wouldn't have killed their daughter.
Edited by JohnShel91openLoud Mouth Film
Do you guys have a trope for people who are extremely loud for no apparent reason? Example: Justin (Lanky Box)
openDissonant serenity or soundtrack dissonance, but specifically right before mass destruction Film
I've only seen this in two places before, but I'm wondering if there's a trope or term for it. In the moments preceding a massively destructive event, such as a nuclear detonation in the middle of a city, a scene is shown near the impact of citizens either quietly coming to terms with the impending explosion, perhaps futilely trying to run from it, or holding each other in their last moments. The scene may or may not be shown in slow motion, and might have serene music played over it with little or no sound from the impending victims. In the 2009 Watchmen film (and if I'm remembering correctly, in the same scene in the comic), as the massive explosion in New York City is shown, people on the street are shown to just stand still or cower together as they realize they're in their final moments. In the film, the music played over the scene seems to have a kind of finality to it, both warning of the explosion and sort of relishing these people's final moments. A similar scene occurs in the 2023 film Godzilla Minus One, at the end of the Ginza attack scene. As the titular monster prepares another breath attack, some people are shown fleeing, while others can only stand in place. Similarly haunting music is used in the soundtrack here. I believe both scenes use slow motion in at least some of the shots. I just want to know if there's a single trope that encapsulates these moments before devastation, possibly with a haunting soundtrack.
openThe first time takes longer Film
A sort of inverse Monster Threat Expiration - the first time something spectacular happens, it takes a long time, so the viewer can see it every detail. Then, once it's just another aspect of the movie, it happens pretty fast.
For instance, if a character can teleport: The first time it'll take several seconds, with his body starting to glow with amazing special effects, until he finally disappears. Later, during a fight scene, he'll be teleporting everywhere in a fraction of a second. Or a laser-type superpower, it'll take time to charge the first time, then it's instantaneous during battles.
openPopular then Fogotten Film
The inverse of Vindicated by History. A film that was popular in its day but was eventually forgotten about by the public.
openThe Magic Hour Film
A scene in a movie filmed using natural light, right before the sunrise, or before the sunset, which gives off an interesting-looking bright yellow hue to the landscape (or, in scenes with a lot of white structures or snow, a pink hue). I've seen some mentions of it in behind-the-scenes movie talk, is there a trope for it?