Clichés you dislike/hate
Do you have any clichés that you can't stand and just end up rolling your eyes when you see it? Feel free to share them here.
I'll start, somehow only villain clichés are on my mind:
"We're not so different, you and I" - This classic phrase used when the bad guy tries to convince the good guy that being evil is the right glorious way. I don't really dislike it, but that makes me laugh every time. Sometimes it's fitting, more often it's quite far-fetched. Carver in TWDG S2 comparing himself to a little girl was comedy gold.
Psychopath cliché - When a character is overpowered and pretty much invincible just because he's a psychopath. The only way to kill a psychopath cliché is to win them in their own games or by some miracle rescuer/rescue squad. Rarely do they simply just die. See Ramsay Bolton. I even liked the character, before all the 20 good men nonsense and shirtless fighting. Writers, you didn't have to rub the plot armor in our faces.
Comments
I remember carcking during that scene. I was expecting him to say that he's 12 too any moment then.
I hate the cliche when the evil guy is sure to win only to be defeated in some lame last ditch stuff that should not happen
I actually really like this question... I have to think about it. I'm also glad there is somebody else who wasn't salivating over Battle of the Bastards.
I'll note, best case of "we're not so different, you and I," not ironically, Hannibal Lecter talking to Will Graham in the prison scene of Manhunter.
Probably the worst one is the dream cliche. Though I think most people hate that one.
Then maybe catching somebody falling off of something at the last minute.
I actually tend not to remember cliches as I get so thoroughly bored by them because it means I can predict everything that happens in the story. The last movie I remember getting angry at wasn't because it was cliched - it was unique in so how absolutely stupid the characters were. It wasn't standard genre blindness, it was a completely lack of any common sense.
In films and games cliches come across as lazy and unrealistic but in reality most people I meet are cliched in one way or another
I don't have that much of a problem with cliche's/cheezy moments. I actually like most of them. Though I do cringe a bit when they're painfully obvious.
I was pretty surprised that there were many people going crazy because of that episode. It was the best episode of the season though, but a pretty lame season if I may say.
Also yes, Manhunter is excellent. I love the film as much as I love The Silence of the Lambs. They're very different type of films and it's a shame to see it under TSotL's shadow, but I guess it's understandable that Michael Mann's very Mannly Mannhunter (the atmosphere is so heavy and stylized that you can cut it with a knife) could never get as mainstream.
The one where when villain captures hero and instead killing him. The villain explains his whole plan then leaves him there to escape in
simple way.
Even as young kid I scream STAB, SHOOT wtf are u doing at tv
Everytime there is timer involved always goes to 1 second left before stopped so cringy. I remember one movie had 3 seconds left to me ones of biggest plottwists in history cinema.
When make hero morally perfect in everyway and overpowered makes it impossible to connect that character plus takes away all suspense
When a game character says I just got lucky to explain impossible return of character lazy writing
I hate when movie is just villian and hero rather be hard to choose side that comes down to perpective rather then tags
Add more later
There was a man/woman/hero who was serving in a military/science institution for the government/large company. Then one day things got terribly wrong: our hero got stranded somewhere/an experiment went awry/hero's forgotten by their employers and goes batshit insane, swear to go on a murderous rampage driving by desire to avenge themselves and their crew/colleagues/friends/relatives and etc. And so we can welcome our newborn villain, who will do whatever it takes to wipe out humanity/any species there is.
Now that's not as much a cliche, rather than a basic canvas of a backstory. Of course it can be implemented gracefully and in such peculiar way that you wouldn't mind it at all. But when it's the other way around, I find myself bothered by that 'canvas'. It's great when the villain has an interesting backstory, so you'd be amazed by their utterly horrendous ways while at the same time feeling sorry for them or feeling something even more complex, but trying to achieve it via that 'cliche' just makes their character look ridiculous - right, you're just another miserable madman, I've seen that before.
Also Big Bad's speech aka 'the reason you suck', because let's face it, villain absolutely must give our hero time to jeopardize evil plan/kill the villain/miraculously escape and etc, heh.
The guy and girl best friends become lovers. It happens way too much, especially in fiction aimed at teens, but it's still prevalent in media aimed at other age groups.
"But I love her/him!!" - sure, you love them although you only know like 3 things about them
The man loses his child and wife to a murder and is fulll of vengeance and has a excuse now to kill everyone...
The boy loses his family or member to a crime that they didn't commit so the boy hunts down who are responsible and kills everyone of them... Except when he doesn't want to at the end ''murdering won't bring my family back'' or something along those lines.
...The black guy dies first
An "ugly" girl harbors a superficial lust over a popular boy. She is teased for her appearance, but then takes off her glasses and everyone starts swooning at her. Then, the boy and girl live happily ever after because they're both haaaaawt. Nah. She then ditches the popular dude and gets with her nice friend that "secretly" crushed after her. Woah! That was such a shocking plot twist! Never saw it coming!!!
It's not the worst thing ever, and I appreciate how in the end this "average, everyday girl" gets with someone she connects with emotionally instead if simply physically. Decent lesson and I know this situation does occur in real life. It's just such a predictable plot that rarely adds in new twists and the romance is usually cringe-worthy. Most of the characters in these types of movies are caricatures with the same exact personality that I never discovered relatability in.
Edit: Is this considered a rant? If so, this was my first internet rant. I feel so proud!
Misunderstood teen with dead parents discovers he has special powers and is the chosen one and has to save the world. Pretty much any prophecies that can't be changed are quite annoying too.
You were refering to Zelda, right?
I'm sure this has already been mentioned, but any time a villain goes on a long rant that reveals their entire elaborate scheme instead of just killing the hero when they have the opportunity to do so pisses me off whenever I see. It is only acceptable when it is played for laughs or done to highlight a particular villain's stupidity such as in the case of Colonel Volgin in MGS3.
The power of wuv saves the day. It's always god awful and nothing more than disguised deus ex machina. Seriously, it just sucks.
Any time an evil megacorp is behind the spooky happenings in a horror movie. This might be the most overused trope in history and I vehemently refuse to see horror movies in cinemas now because of how overused this has become (along with jump scares). Actually, pretty much every horror movie cliche could be listed here at this point, but a special shout out to all the unrealistic things dumbass horror movie protagonists do that end up getting themselves killed (why does no one ever call the police?).
STRONG INDEPENDENT WOMAN. Ugh, I have no problem with well-written and interest female characters, but it is just plain fucking lazy when a writer's only method of creating one is to have them completely emasculate all the male characters to show how "progressive" they are.
Not as much as I thought I'd have. Honestly, these are the only two that piss me off to no end:
-When a backstory is explained to us via narration.
-When a villain's motivation is that he's just evil. (I'm looking at you, Thor 2.)
I dunno, not a ton really bug me. Kinda like @AgentZ46 said, cliches only really bother me if they're painfully obvious.
I don't really hate/dislike Clichés.
Sounds like Attack on Titan
Truth has been spoken.
Then you think, "this could easily feature in a novel someday," and even though you witnessed it in real life, it fits a cliche mold and people would call it out.
Max Caufield minus the dead parents part, @MarijaaNo7.
When writers attempt to introduce the ideas of "good" and "evil" on their work, and especially when the protagonists are the "good" and the antagonists the "evil." I am fed up with these two, and I'd very much rather have the concept of moral correctness and ambiguity have a larger role in fiction in the future.
among others...
I just try to ignore them though, even if it does bother me a bit.
To be honest, that's one of the clichés I actually like and enjoy. Although, it's definitely overused.
Cliche things i hate, hmm... Three words. WHAT ARE THOSE!
• Every male/female partnership or friendship or even mere acquaintanceship will always evolve into something "more". This mostly applies to heterosexual relationships (gay relationships are still sadly under-represented in media). I can't think of many shows where a guy and a girl become friends and remain friends without that pesky sexual tension making itself apparent sooner or later. One episode later, they're banging.
Only happens on the rebound. Then things get very awkward.
When clichés are pointed out within the movie.
Seriously, Hollywood.
This self-aware stuff is really old.
It was already old when Scream 2 came out.
I don't really hate clichés.
My Max didn't save the world tho.
Ooh, this. All it says to me is that the creator recognized the cliche and was too lazy to think of something original.
Max is anyway more like a teen (not misunderstood) (no dead parents) who discovers she has a special power (is not the chosen one) (whose fault it technically is that the "world" is getting destroyed but still can save it). Great lol.
Ah yes the cliches...
the list goes on.
Pretty much what has been said. I have one more that is specific to anime: When the protagonist (or sometimes another 'good' character) is almost defeated, but then one of his friends gets hurt and he has enough strength to fight on. It's so overused and annoying.
Something like this .
The Ichigo Vs Grimmjow fight in Bleach .
(harder to post videos here)
Ichigo vs Grimmjow Final Fight English sub
Pretty much, though this is still ok. Worse examples are Natsu from Fairy Tail and Luffy from One Piece (both do that frequently and even more over the top)
One I truly hate would be "Lightbulb" moments certain characters may have. Let's say there's been a murder. There are cops everywhere gathering evidence. Our lead walks in to the scene instantly finds the needed clues. Then solves the case. Though I love cop shows. I hate this one.(Mainly because I used to use it far to often in my short stories.)
For the most part, cliches don't bother me on one condition; that they're executed well. If you have a cliched scene, but it's handled well despite that fact, I'll usually let it slide. Or if you do something unexpected with it. I'm a fan of subversion, so seeing something flipped on its head can be a nice change of pace if utilized correctly.
That being said, there are some cliches that are just too ridiculous to be executed well. So ridiculous they might as well be taken out back and executed for real.
Clichés typically don't bother all that much. Unless it's overly rediculous, then facepalm through my face.
I hate the cliche where:
It sounds very specific but I have actually seen it lot. Perhaps the best example of this cliche is in A Bug's Life (strangely enough a favorite of mine). Flik means to drive the grasshoppers away with his "army" while lying to his friends that they're not circus bugs. He is eventually found out and the colony shuns him. Then when the grasshoppers are attacking, he comes back to save them, redeeming himself.
A nice subversion to this cliche was in Star Wars The Force Awakens. Finn was lying to Rey that he was a resistance member and not an ex-stormtrooper. The whole time I was expecting Rey to find out he's an ex-stormtrooper and then get angry and shun him. However, instead he admits he had been lying to her, and Rey's response was basically "I don't care, you're my friend." It was a nice twist to see and also reinforced the relationship between two characters.
Anyways, I watch and used to play a lot of horror so there is a lot of cliches I hate, though these are the main ones. However I am usually down with the final girl, which has always been a favorite of mine and killing the bad guy/monster rather than ruining away, cause badass I guess - though can result to death.