Tweetstorm: Eric Heisserer on the Current Slate of Action Heroes
“Perhaps this is the result of comic book heroes taking the throne at the box office, but I’ve been missing the vulnerable protagonist.”
Twitter can be a gold mine for writers. Case in point, when pro writers decide to go on a rant about the craft, such as Eric Heisserer, who occasionally will sidle up to Twitter with a libation at hand, and lay down some flat-out wisdom, 140 characters at a time.
Back in 2015, Eric went put together a tweetstorm about a subject that should be a concern to all movie studios who have gone all-in with movie franchises based on action heroes / superheroes.
Perhaps this is the result of comic book heroes taking the throne at the box office, but I’ve been missing the vulnerable protagonist.
I don’t mean a hero who dips at vulnerability due to the loss of someone/thing personal, as a conduit to vengeance. I mean: an underdog.
So many of our action heroes are larger than life. Super-powered. God-like. Supernaturally- or preternaturally gifted. Not ordinary.
This makes them a kind of surrogate to fighting our problems; these Special Ops badasses or caped crusaders who solve the crisis.
In that way, I worry about a message seeping into current culture: “Normal people can’t handle the big issues. You need Iron Man.
The thing about DIE HARD is, John McClane is just a cop on vacation, woefully outgunned by Hans and Company. Just a guy. An underdog.
Likewise, for all the charisma and clever bullwhip skill Indy shows in RAIDERS, he regularly gets his ass kicked. He has many flaws, too.
And I want to see heroes fail more! To stumble. To lose a fight. And to get up again. But this is becoming an endangered element. Why?
Because so many major action stars now have written into their contracts that they CANNOT LOSE A FIGHT. Seriously. That’s in the contract.
And do you know how much of a nightmare it is when you have two stars like that fight each other? It’s a recipe for disaster.
Where are the heroes who don’t need to be born into magic, or descended from a god, or a billionaire to overcome great odds?
I’m not saying those special/superheroes are bad news — comic book movies are fabulous entertainment, but I want a full diet.
But what happened to the John McClane stories of a person who may be just in good physical shape and smart?
I had some fun at times with LUCY, and Scarlett Johansson is a joy to watch, but the story held no tension for me after 10 minutes.
Had she just been an involuntary drug mule who suddenly had to escape and fight for her life, you know, I might’ve been more invested.
What I liked about the childhood scenes in MAN OF STEEL is how it took a character I felt distant from, and brought me close to his fears.
Boy Clark Kent was made vulnerable. Was made human and relatable. Even with astonishing powers. (And then all that goes away for BOOM!)
So what can we do with our protagonists to make them more like us? How can we remind the world, “You don’t need superpowers. You can do it.”
But we human beings need reminders that heroes can get glass stuck in their bare feet. Can end up being tied to a pole as the ark opens.
Let’s fail more often. By TRYING.
So I’m saying we push a new agenda until buyers get on the train: Heroes earn their victories every step of the way.
No more owls giving out invitations. No “special blood” with near invincibility. More humans like us. Vulnerable. Fallible. Lovable.
Let’s find people like Rocky Balboa, who even LOSES THE FINAL FIGHT and we don’t care because we’re cheering and crying.
Let’s get excited to be regular humans who occasionally pull off amazing feats because our hearts and minds are set in purpose.
Let’s learn from TV — which by the way has been KICKING MOVIE’S ASS at this for quite some time.
Maybe, with a few stories like this, stars will consider dropping the “can’t lose a fight” clause.
Of course I know studios — and networks — find comfort in the preternaturally gifted hero. Fox TV often demands “Like House, but…”
But you push back with the kind of character a reader legitimately cheers for as they turn the page. An underdog.
I’m saying all this because I’m writing a hero now who receives a great power in Act 1, and I’ve discovered something about power.
Power is just a drug. It enhances your personality. Makes it bigger. Your mistakes are amplified along with your victories.
So if I do this right, every fight scene is a giant magnifying glass to my hero’s character. His flaws. His wants and needs.
Now I gotta go write this action scene and make it work. Bottoms up, all you gorgeous monsters. Thanks for letting me ramble tonight.
I can relate to Eric’s rant as a writer, something I wrote about here. But more importantly, I can relate to this concern as a consumer.
As much of a proponent of indie film as I am, I love big blockbuster movies. Action heroes. Superheroes. All the CGI bells and whistles.
But if the hero can’t fail…
If hero isn’t really an underdog…
Where is the dramatic tension?
Eric mentions John McClane from the original Die Hard. That’s a character we can relate to. He’s like us. A blue collar kinda guy.
Pick up any Shane Black script from the 80s and early 90s. The Protagonists were majorly screwed up. They failed. And failed again. That ramped up the stakes. Plus because they were human, it shrank the distance between us and the silver screen.
Nowadays? Seriously, does anyone ever feel any tension that these superheroes will lose? Since when did underdogs become overlords?
Seems to me what Eric says here is key:
Power is just a drug. It enhances your personality. Makes it bigger. Your mistakes are amplified along with your victories.
So if I do this right, every fight scene is a giant magnifying glass to my hero’s character. His flaws. His wants and needs.
Power should not automatically translate into victory. Rather use it to explore the ups and downs of the character, their strengths and weaknesses. Otherwise…
Boring.
Thanks, Eric. Well said.
You may follow Eric on Twitter: @HIGHzurrer.
For more articles in the Screenwriting Tweetstorms series, go here.
