… than words. So why shouldn’t that be true for action films as well?
All too often we see that painful moment when the hero has nearly lost, and the villain – so close to victory – decides to reveal his entire evil plan, which of course is used against him as soon as the hero is back on top again.
Or how about when the hero and heroine are sharing a brief moment, and instead of just letting the tension speak for itself, they go on and on in monologues of how much they care, and how foolish they’ve been, and what they plan to do to take care of/win back/protect the other.
I’m so sick of over-explanatory dialogue! It makes enough sense in a witty comedy or wordy drama. But in an action movie? Come on!
We need to see the action, not hear about it!
And that goes just as strongly for women as for men. I know it’s tempting to make your heroine emotional and brooding, but it is possible to communicate that without giving her excessive dialogue. She doesn’t need to break down and cry in the man’s arms, or her best friends, and confess her every fear to seem human. We don’t need her to explain how she’s going to rise above and win the fight.
We just need to see it.
That’s where good acting comes in, and trusting in a good actor to communicate these thoughts and feelings on her face and in her gestures and mannerisms.
Let her be strong with actions, more than strong with words, and it will go miles to creating a truly believable strong female character – one that women the world over can relate to and root for.
