credit: Nobody
The evolution of fight and action scenes in movies has been an ongoing process for decades, and to say that things have improved is easy, but to say that it’s a universally accepted change would be highly inaccurate since action scenes, especially choreographed fight scenes, still tend to become ridiculous bouts of endurance now and then, as they end up showing combatants that are not out of breath, are barely showing any sign of being wounded during a fight, and essentially act like nothing is amiss when they take a punch or engage in an extended bout of action that would easily wind a normal human being.
There are a lot of fans out there who likely don’t care that much about fatigue in an action scene, as they might think that it makes an individual look weak, exhausted, and incapable of handling a fight that lasts for more than a minute or two. But no matter what the movie is about, be it a sports movie, action movie, comic book movie, etc., the issue of fatigue is important since it builds a sense of realism that’s quite important to the story and can heighten the enjoyment. There are those who might want to argue with this since some don’t enjoy watching people stumble about in a fight scene when it lasts longer than a minute, but there are also many upon many people that enjoy this realistic look.
credit: MCU
It shows that heroes and villains are living, breathing beings that have limitations just like anyone else.
Watch a movie such as Nobody, and you’ll see a man that doesn’t look as though he could go two rounds with an amateur fighter, much less take on several thugs in one go. But the thing about this movie, even if it’s still highly fictional and not likely to happen, is that Hutch is seen getting tired very quickly during the fight. It could be due to the fact that he’s out of practice and hasn’t fought in this manner in a while, but that’s even better since it shows that he’s not going to last that long, and he knows that he has to do whatever he can to end the fight quickly. Even in Endgame, Captain America might be able to endure Thanos’ onslaught for longer than most could, but it’s still seen that by the time his backup shows up, he’s exhausted, he’s hurt, and before that miraculous second wind comes along, he looks like he’s about done.
Fatigue can create important pauses in a movie that might allow for further development.
Realistically, people won’t talk in a fight or even take the time to notice their surroundings since their minds are on more pressing matters at that time. But in a movie, pauses in a fight that is due to fatigue can allow exposition that’s needed to fully understand the situation and push the story forward.
It might sound and even feel extraneous, but the fact is that fatigue can create openings in a movie set that can help to further the story in a manner that will better explain why the fight is happening, what it’s costing the combatants, and why the action can’t be sustained for longer than a few minutes at a time. Too much action doesn’t offer a lot of explanation unless a director knows how to make the action tell the story they want to convey, and there are only a few directors in existence that can deliver this type of story on a regular basis.
credit: Fast and Furious
The idea of making everyone superhuman and immune to fatigue or highly resistant to it gets incredibly boring.
Dom from the Fast and Furious franchise is a good example of what it’s like to look superhuman when he’s suddenly able to overpower individuals or groups of people that should, by all rights, be the end of him. There’s no need to state that Dom is only a man, and he’s only so strong since that point should come across quickly and without reservation.
But the point here is that characters like this, who are outmatched, outclassed, and should quickly become tired and unable to sustain that rage that appears to give them so much strength, become kind of tiring after a while since the moment they find that inner toughness is when they become less effective.
As entertaining as action scenes can be, they create seriously unreal expectations.
It needs to be said that what’s shown in the movies should always be taken with a big grain of salt, even if there’s a good deal of truth in some features. But those who aren’t able to separate fiction from fact that easily can sometimes believe that a person could possibly do the things that are seen in the movies, and that’s a problem.