Action Movies/TV Shows Are Amazing Dramas

I don't care what anyone says, as much as I enjoy a compelling drama, action movies/TV shows are remarkable dramas. People don't realize that the action pushes the story forward more and it makes you emotionally invested in the characters which enriches them. I was watching an interview with Jennifer Garner (Alias, Daredevil, who is still insanely gorgeous) when she was on Seth Meyers' show and she was promoting her current movie, Peppermint. She made an excellent observation that makes me appreciate my love for action more. I'm paraphrasing this but she said action is like drama because it focuses on stories and the fights are supposed to declare something to you because the drama is supposed to provide the characters no choice but to fight.

After I heard that, I thought of the great movies and TV shows I've seen like Marvel's The Punisher on Netflix, John Wick, Die Hard, Mission Impossible — Fallout, even Mad Max: Fury Road and I would think of scenes that sustained an emotional impact when the action happens like in John Wick when they kill his dog, I constantly think, "They gotta die now, man. They all gotta go," and when the action happens, it's like I'm on the same journey as him by the time the action starts.

Another extremely magnificent one and one of my personal favorites is Marvel's The Punisher, at first, you're on the same journey as Frank Castle when you think he's done killing everyone that had something to do with his family's murder but once you find out his best friend was not only in cahoots with the people that slaughtered his family and he could've thwarted it, it becomes a personal and deeper journey than it already was when it started. Spoiler alert ahead.

SPOILER: I always cheer with absolute happiness when he trails Billy's face against the mirror and goes to town on it while he communicates to him that he'll know about pain and loss.

As much as I appreciate dramas with some tremendous emotional moments, there are times where I watch a dramatic movie and it gets incredibly intense to the point where I want to punch it in the face. One more I really didn't see coming was when I saw Mission Impossible — Fallout in the middle of the movie. ANOTHER spoiler alert ahead.

SPOILER: When Henry Cavill's character said that he is part of the Apostles and he's John Lark but in addition, he has Ethan Hunt's wife, Julia under his thumb, I can't help but get pissed so when the helicopter chase happens at the end to not only get the detonator to prevent the nuclear weapons from going off but he can also save his wife in the process, it's an extremely intense moment.

Lastly, I cherish it when the action is critical to the story but it serves something to the character like in Die Hard, John McClane goes to L.A. to be with his family during Christmas and repair his marriage with his wife, Holly. Then, all of a sudden, Hans Gruber shows up and chaos erupts. What makes it better is that in a typical action movie, the hero just springs into action without looking at the big picture of the situation but John actually thinks about other options before he gets his hands dirty.

Action movies may be great when it comes to the emotional weight that they can carry but they can be a fun adventure as well like in Solo: A Star Wars Story or a Spider-Man movie. I treasure it when certain characters are not only kicking ass but they're also cracking jokes or performing a gesture while they do it. Han Solo is one of my favorite characters because I think he'd be the type of guy who will give you a smile or a wink while he's getting away after he conned you.

Spider-Man is the ultimate shit-talker because he'll web your face and crack a joke before giving the final blow to knock you out before the police come. I can never get enough of action movies but emotional ones are the types I'm starting to notice more which is awesome to me since it focuses on the story or characters because they're the driving force of it all.