Cliche

First, a link to what inspired this post.
http://www.drhorrible.com/index.html
Joss Whedon, Neil Patrick Harris, and Nathan Fillion, if any of you asked I would give up my anal virginity to you. You are individually that awesome. Joined together, however, you are like Voltron, capable of feats any one Lion couldn't do.

Now, onto the post itself.

The cliche. Simultaneously one of the most loved and hated aspects of any story. If it's too cliche, people are jolted out of their suspension of disbelief, ending up just shaking their head in disgust. Even worse then that, they can be too predictable. If your average audience can predict how things will end precisely, it just weakens the story and makes it less enjoyable.

Notice, however, that I said "predict how things will end precisely". THAT is an important point. There are always a few things the audience will be able to predict, unless you mangle the story so badly it becomes unenjoyable. There will always be a love interest. There will always be a low point the hero(es) has(/have) to recover from. Some cliches are nearly (but not quite) essential, and it takes a very deft hand to write a movie usurping the cliches successfully.

Some other cliches, however, if usurped can be quite fun. The above link is proof of that, making a story where the bad guy is not only the main character, he's the one you sympathise with more then the good guy. I, one day (in the imaginary world where I become a successful screenplay writer), hope to try my hand at writing a moviescript where the story is all about the villain. The nearest I've seen to this being done (aside from 'that' old Western everyone knows) are the 'smart crook' movies and Lock Stock style underworld movies. Don't get me wrong, I love the those movies and REALLY hope to write a smart-crook one myself, but let's face it, they're criminals but they're not BAD guys.

Let's actually look at what a cliche IS. A Cliche, at it's most essential analysis, is something that has been used so much in a particular genre that people expect it. In many ways the cliche is a bad thing, but in terms of characters the cliche can be good. A cliche is used alot, and why is it used alot? Because more often then not it WORKS. A well written cliche can be alot of fun. Often it can be a lot more fun then an attempt to break the cliche.

So, what is my general point?

Respect the cliche. Treat it with respect and surprise it occasionally, but don't overuse it lest it fall apart. Sometimes the fantasy story beginning with the young boy thrust into a world outside his humble village, unaware of his grand fate or incredible lineage, is the best kind of fantasy story.

Just don't let it become a Steven Segal. Not sure what I mean? Try to think of a single Steven Segal movie that can't be summarised with the following.

"Steven Segal is a maverick (ex?) [Cop/FBI agent] who bucks [authority/the bureaucratic system], and has to break the rules to break a [terrorist organisation/drug syndicate/arms dealer], doing things his own way. He happens to know martial arts."


As a final note, if you want to see a movie that takes the common cliches of the hollywood movie, cuts them up with a razor, and snorts them with a hooker in a hotel room, see 'No Country for Old Men'. Go out and rent the movie. Sit down, and after twenty minutes write down on a piece of paper what you think will happen, then put it to one side. Read it again at the end of the movie, and weep.