Genre conventions: sci-fi/action

By Thomas McIlhatton

Antagonist
One of the key conventions of a sci-fi action is the villain as
I see it there are two types of antagonists in sci-fi action
movies and these are the ones outside of human hands so
technological, mutant, alien and there are those of political
power so the government/military or a corporation
depending on this the entire atmosphere of the movie
could change such as if it was a political power the
character would become paranoid and live in constant fear
as he is constantly under surveillance while if it was an
enemy out of human hands the character would feel
isolated and have to become more confident and
independent if he is to overcome his enemy.

technology
A second key convention is new technology to which the
character or their enemy could use to their advantage this
is key as without new tech the movie will have less of a USP
also this is why some people watch sci-fi movies to see
what could potentially be coming in the future also with all
the action movies out there chases are starting to become
predictable but adding technology into the mix adds a
sense of the unknown and makes the direction of the
movie unpredictable to audiences.

character
Another key convention is a character with an
average life from which he gains purpose from less
than admirable means such as a close death. This
gives the character motivation and it helps the
audience want the protagonist to defeat his enemy.
It also helps the audience escape from their reality
as they can almost pretend they are this average
Joe leaving their life for a higher purpose.

A sense of isolation
It is key for the character to feel isolated and
alone in their purpose/cause this sets up the
story for them to meet their allies and
companions. This is key as sci-fi is a genre very
much based around making those who do not
fit in and helping people escape their reality.

morals
Morals is a key factor as sci-fi uses morals to
show us the course our modern society is
running and the consequences of this such as
they way technology and the media is
influencing our daily lives and as most sci-fi is
set in the future it easily shows the faults in
the way we act in our lives and warns us off
the future to come.