Annoying movie/TV trope - The teleporting escape

VincentHanna

VincentHanna

VincentHanna

Caporegime
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Does anyone else absolutely hate this in shows?

It's usually happens when an antagonist has been caught/injured and then there is either a distraction for a very small amount of time and the character just disappears in to thin air, usually in a way that would be utterly impossible.

The most obvious one is Batman disappearing when talking to Commissioner Gordon but I don't actually mind that one so much, as you could imagine he could dive off a roof (still implausible that the other characters wouldn't see/hear it)


Apparently the above is called the Stealth Hi/Bye trope?

Another more egregious example would be in HEAT, after the opening heist of the movie, when the Deniro and his crew try and kill 'Waingro' in a diner car park. A police patrol car appears. They pause what they are doing briefly and then when they look back he is magically gone. I can't demonstrate with a video as that scene as it has swearing.

The most recent example that inspired this thread was in Season 4 of Slow Horses, in episode 3

Hugo Weavings son (Patrice) is stabbed near the neck, run over at fairly high speed by a Hackney Carriage taxi and manages to escape with only 1 exit and about 10 seconds when nobody is looking for his body

There's loads of other examples, if you can think of any feel free to add them (with spoiler warnings if necessary)
 
It was cool when it was only seen occasionally in films, and only done by people like Jason Bourne who are supposed to be good at that sort of thing anyway... But now every superhero, every spooky villain, every monster and pretty much anyone who isn't Jabba The Hutt can do it at will, it seems.
 
"Man looks across a road at a suspicious looking person, bus goes buy, suspicious person has now vanished - OMG!!!!!!" - I detest that trope, it's insulting to common sense unless the person has a superpower etc.
 
ianh said:
"Man looks across a road at a suspicious looking person, bus goes buy, suspicious person has now vanished - OMG!!!!!!" - I detest that trope, it's insulting to common sense unless the person has a superpower etc.
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Good example.

That's one of the most overused ones and It's just silly.
 
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Slightly different, but this topic reminded me of the B&W Flash Gordons from the 30's, if anyone remembers those! :D The cliffhangers from the end of one episode looked nothing like the start of the next lol

A bit OT, but my personal bug bear is when the scary monster that has just been eating NPCs with abandon, when faced with a main character will then just stand there hissing, waving arms/tentacles about and not attacking.
 
ianh said:
"Man looks across a road at a suspicious looking person, bus goes buy, suspicious person has now vanished - OMG!!!!!!" - I detest that trope, it's insulting to common sense unless the person has a superpower etc.
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Everyone knows they grab the bus.

For me it's when the protagonist is getting their posterior handed to them then just as they're about to pass out/die they get a moment of clarity seeing all their loved ones and people dependent on them.

Then they go full Super Saiyan and batter the person who just had them on deaths door
 
Was watching tears of the sun last week I noticed when the fighter jet takes off near the end it's not carrying any missiles or bombs, then when it gets to its target it's carrying air to air missiles which it uses to bomb ground targets. I mean why? Then the explosion is one of those napalm like explosions with lots of fire and smoke. I mean have they never seen a real bomb going off?
 
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cheesyboy said:
I have no problem at all with this trope. You're not watching a documentary, and these tricks make it a better experience. Like musical accompaniments, or well lit night scenes.
Filmmakers making use of the medium and its inherent limitations.
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There's a difference between use and overuse, though.

Imagine a film where every shot is in 'shaky cam', every reaction to even the slightest pain is a Wilhelm, every honest cop is two days from retirement... and every soundtrack is a Kenny Loggins song.
 
Walk around any office where a project is running massively behind and you'll see this in action. What's far worse is sound effects in knife fights, that tiny blade isn't going to make whooosh sounds.

Scott Pilgrim had a good stealth Hi/bye when he went to meet his sister at the cafe/her work (mmm Kendrick) and it was a different member of staff.
 
Junglist said:
Everyone knows they grab the bus.

For me it's when the protagonist is getting their posterior handed to them then just as they're about to pass out/die they get a moment of clarity seeing all their loved ones and people dependent on them.

Then they go full Super Saiyan and batter the person who just had them on deaths door
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What about when Fury got up after the KO?




Or the many times that The Undertaker rose from the abyss.
 
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