Adventure Awaits

“Let us step into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure.” 

                                             ― J.K. Rowling

I'm finally on the last genre of my three top picks! Even though I only researched a very small amount of genres I've learned a lot and come to realize that a lot of them were different to what I originally had thought. I saved the one who I never even knew was a major genre for last- Adventure.

The AMC Filmsite describes the adventure genre as "exciting stories, with new experiences or exotic locales...the viewer of adventure films can live vicariously through the travels, conquests, explorations, creation of empires, struggles and situations that confront the main characters, actual historical figures or protagonists." Adventure is closely linked to action films since they provide action-filled and energetic experiences for the audience but unlike action there is not a predominant emphasis on violence and fighting.

I'm not going to talk much about the common genre representation within this genre because it is linked closely to that of action which I've already done an in-dept analysis of but if you haven't read it and are interested you can click here to view my previous post regarding the topic. In summary, the genre is predominantly male and is usually intended to appeal mainly to men, creating major male heroic stars through the years like Indiana Jones, Jack Sparrow, and Zorro (AMC Filmsite). Women tend to be portrayed in a sexualized way to appeal to the male target audience. However, through personal observation I've come to the conclusion that the adventure genre has been taking a shift in recent years and featuring more empowering females who aren't as sexualized or even at all compared to the action movie heroines talked about in my previous post.

The Hunger Games Trilogy (or should I say quartet?) is one of the big names under the adventure genre that does a great job at introducing a strong female heroine where there in never a focus at all on her figure. We follow Katniss Everdeen's (Jennifer Lawrence) story as the spark that ignites a revolution in a dystopian world and we are exposed to her experiences, skill, and emotional health. You could argue that she does wear some tight, figure-enhancing clothing throughout the series (like the 2nd Quarter Quell outfit) but the way the films are directed it is clear to the audience that these costumes weren't created to serve that purpose, they're just bringing the book to life.
One of my favorite promotional posters of the films is this one to the right from the last film of the series The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2. First off, poster is completely attention drawing and striking but it also portrays Katniss as such a strong, capable character. The way she is sitting, positioned right in the middle, and the red body suit contrasting against the white background depicts her as powerful and capable. We can also see the arrows poking from her back, a symbol of her acute skill in hunting. She is truly the face of the rebellion.

Another recent example is Rey (Daisy Ridley) from the newest addition to the Star Wars series Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens. Although the series has generally had strong female leads we can see through the years the shift. Bellow are three stills from three of the 7 films each featuring the female lead.

Still of Anthony Daniels, Carrie Fisher and Michael Carter
 in Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)

The very first one is from the sixth episode of the series which was released in 1983. This scene has been very controversial and is often been criticized because Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) is depicted as a slave wearing barely any clothing. Leia being one of the most influential female characters at the time who was previously depicted as witty, brave, and strong throughout the films is suddenly stripped back to being an object of male lust showing that females can never really be seen completely as strong heroines while keeping their femininity. The sad thing about this too is that any time you search up "Star Wars Episode 6 Leia" in places like Google and Youtube this is scene that pops up the most- it is disgustingly iconic.

Still of Natalie Portman and Hayden Christensen
in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002)

The second still is from the second episode of the series which was shot twenty years later (if you've never seen Star Wars and are confused by the episode order watch this video to clear things up). Now we've moved on from Leia to Padme (Natalie Portman). Padme is also a character for young girls to look up to, she is courageous and kind not to mention the queen of the entire planet of Naboo and later moved on to become a senator. Palme still wears revealing clothing in the movies but nothing relatively scandalous, just a couple outfits showing off her stomach which is a big improvement from the Leia's slave getup.

Still of John Boyega and Daisy Ridley
in Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)

The third and final still is from our most recent heroine, Rey. Rey is an independent character who supports herself and has an amazing knack for piloting. She is more pulled together and stronger than her male counterpart Finn (John Boyega) and is never sexualized in any way in the entirety of the film. The rags you see her wearing in the still is what she wears for the majority of it. Her figure is never marketed yet the film still managed to bring in an enormous audience and gross more than 500 thousand dollars more than the previously highest grossing film in the series (which is surprisingly Episode 1, the one regarded as the worst of the 7) proving alongside the Hunger Games movies that an adventure movie does not need to sexualize women to attract people to come and see the film and be successful.

Sources:

 "Adventure Films." AMC Filmsite. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2016. <http://www.filmsite.org/adventurefilms.html>.

IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2016. <http://www.imdb.com/>.

"Star Wars Movies: Production Costs and Global Box Office Revenue 2016." Statista. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2016. <http://www.statista.com/statistics/311356/star-wars-production-costs-box-office-revenue/>.