Tropescilloscope: Action Prologue

An exciting beginning followed by the "real" story. (read more at tvtropes.org)

More Tropes The Oner Reality Ensues True Companions Creepy Child Rewatch Bonus The Bad Guy Wins Interrupted Suicide Funny Background Event Logo Joke Fan Disservice Contrived Coincidence Anachronism Stew Arc Words Fingore Straight Gay Large Ham Dull Surprise Insult Backfire Pre-Asskicking One-Liner Blonde, Brunette, Redhead What Happened to the Mouse? Mercy Kill Token Minority Call-Forward Manipulative Bastard Abhorrent Admirer Face–Heel Turn Hong Kong Films Dissonant Serenity Kill 'em All Ms. Fanservice Country Matters Black Best Friend A Father to His Men Creative Closing Credits German Films Evil Cannot Comprehend Good Casting Gag Adaptation Dye-Job Beauty Is Never Tarnished Bad "Bad Acting" Spanner in the Works Dumb Blonde Guns Akimbo Non-Indicative Name Toilet Humour aka: Toilet Humor Early Installment Weirdness Revenge Punctuated! For! Emphasis! Adaptational Attractiveness Corpsing Arch-Enemy You Killed My Father The Mafia Deal with the Devil Grievous Bottley Harm I'm a Humanitarian Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right! Shout-Out The '80s Cool Car Didn't Think This Through N-Word Privileges Wicked Cultured Bald of Evil Japanese Films Does Not Like Shoes Boom, Headshot! Woman Scorned Neck Lift I Did What I Had to Do Big Applesauce Romantic Comedy Artistic License – Law Defiant to the End Amusing Injuries Amoral Attorney Would Hit a Girl Foreshadowing Scary Black Man Action Genre Bowdlerise The Smart Guy This Is Gonna Suck Badass Grandpa Red Oni, Blue Oni Hypocritical Humor Mr. Exposition Betty and Veronica Totally Radical Deus ex Machina Cluster F-Bomb Crucified Hero Shot She Cleans Up Nicely Chewing the Scenery Taking the Bullet Married to the Job Superhero Daddy's Girl Informed Ability Butt-Monkey Horror Films Shut Up, Hannibal! Fat Bastard Gender Flip Toplessness from the Back Break the Haughty Body Horror Not What It Looks Like Big Eater Aside Glance Suddenly SHOUTING! The Load Wretched Hive Insane Troll Logic Red Shirt Stock Footage The Brute War Is Hell Offscreen Moment of Awesome Last-Name Basis Exactly What It Says on the Tin As the Good Book Says... Empathic Environment Arranged Marriage Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy Retirony Dirty Coward I Need a Freaking Drink Red Right Hand Bittersweet Ending Bar Brawl Kubrick Stare The Un-Favourite aka: The Un Favorite Novelization Roaring Rampage of Revenge Italian Films Auto Erotica Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane Canadian Movies Improbable Weapon User Pre-Mortem One-Liner The Dog Bites Back Too Dumb to Live Almost Kiss Make It Look Like an Accident Disappeared Dad Famous Last Words Noodle Incident Real Life Writes the Plot Police Brutality My God, What Have I Done? She's Got Legs Fire-Forged Friends Evil Laugh Chekhov's Gunman World of Ham Handicapped Badass Irony Catapult Nightmare Hero Antagonist Insistent Terminology Papa Wolf Big-Bad Ensemble Manic Pixie Dream Girl Leave the Camera Running Rousing Speech Screw This, I'm Outta Here! Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold Slashed Throat Say My Name Hate Sink Reality Is Unrealistic One-Word Title There Is No Kill Like Overkill Sanity Slippage Christmas Movies Index Expository Hairstyle Change Jerk with a Heart of Gold My Greatest Failure Heel–Face Turn My Beloved Smother Dark Action Girl Driven to Suicide All Just a Dream Bottomless Magazines Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil Visual Pun Back from the Dead Kill It with Fire The Big Guy From Nobody to Nightmare Becoming the Mask Improbable Aiming Skills Cool Old Lady Rated M for Manly Shown Their Work Alliterative Name Random Events Plot Brother–Sister Incest Agony of the Feet Despair Event Horizon Plot Hole Anti-Villain Up to Eleven Fatal Flaw Author Avatar Cloudcuckoolander Eureka Moment Mexican Standoff A Minor Kidroduction No OSHA Compliance Jump Scare Black and Gray Morality Bad Boss Defrosting Ice Queen Karma Houdini Fake Shemp Take That! timeperiod Happily Married Be Careful What You Wish For Camera Abuse Jerkass Bilingual Bonus Based on a True Story Black Dude Dies First Bait-and-Switch Closed Circle Very Loosely Based on a True Story Adaptational Heroism Same Language Dub The Sociopath Deadpan Snarker Ripped from the Headlines Girl-on-Girl Is Hot The Power of Love Genre Savvy Ironic Echo Important Haircut Faking the Dead Slasher Smile Batman Gambit Decoy Protagonist Dirty Cop Why Did It Have to Be Snakes? A Date with Rosie Palms Love Triangle Advertised Extra Freeze-Frame Bonus Fanservice Extra Unusual Euphemism Adaptational Badass The Stoic I Just Shot Marvin in the Face Hidden Depths Moment Killer Card-Carrying Villain Easily Forgiven Leitmotif Politically Incorrect Villain Pragmatic Adaptation Instant Death Bullet Cool Old Guy Big "NO!" Trailers Always Spoil Eiffel Tower Effect Nothing Is Scarier The End... Or Is It? Knife Nut Dying Moment of Awesome Spiritual Successor Better to Die than Be Killed Damsel in Distress Paper-Thin Disguise Ambiguous Ending Fantastic Racism Laughing Mad Fourth Date Marriage Recap / RiffTrax aka: Riff Trax Movies Take a Third Option Film Noir Five-Man Band Reasonable Authority Figure "Well Done, Son!" Guy La Résistance Depraved Bisexual Redemption Equals Death Crapsack World Meaningful Background Event Mad Scientist Anti-Hero Adorkable Gainax Ending Left the Background Music On Not So Different Neck Snap Death by Sex Hell Is That Noise Meaningful Echo Skewed Priorities Evil Is Petty Sadistic Choice Beware the Nice Ones Fanservice Horror Comedy Big Bad Duumvirate Daylight Horror Rule of Cool Idiot Ball The X of Y Stealth Pun Facial Horror Ghost Fiction Dark and Troubled Past O.O.C. Is Serious Business Intergenerational Friendship Took a Level in Jerkass Psychopathic Manchild Cool Shades Time Skip Sci-Fi Horror Science Fiction Films Artistic License – Physics As Himself No-Sell Department of Redundancy Department Stylistic Suck Never My Fault Catch-Phrase Killed Mid-Sentence Woman in White Author Appeal folderlabel Victoria's Secret Compartment Accidental Murder Determinator Bloody Hilarious 20 Minutes into the Future Bland-Name Product Expy Offscreen Teleportation You Have Outlived Your Usefulness Destination Defenestration Meet Cute Australian Movies Big Brother Instinct Cat Fight Ragtag Bunch of Misfits In Name Only Big Damn Heroes Did Not Get the Girl Police are Useless Broken Pedestal Not So Stoic Bond One-Liner And I Must Scream Wrong Genre Savvy Spared by the Adaptation Screw the Rules, I Have Money! And Starring All for Nothing Narrator One-Man Army Pun aka: Incredibly Lame Pun Even Evil Has Standards Once More, with Clarity! Shoot the Shaggy Dog Artistic License – Geography Dirty Old Man Colour-Coded for Your Convenience aka: Color Coded For Your Convenience Running Gag Get Out! No Ending Wham Line Breaking the Fourth Wall Creator Cameo Not So Above It All Pimped-Out Dress Mighty Whitey Psycho for Hire Car Fu Ominous Latin Chanting Age Lift "The Reason You Suck" Speech Enemy Mine Russian Films Annoying Younger Sibling Only in It for the Money Star-Crossed Lovers Reckless Gun Usage Curb-Stomp Battle Heroic Sacrifice Disney Villain Death The Ditz Adult Fear Double Entendre Man on Fire Soundtrack Dissonance I Want My Beloved to Be Happy The '70s Blackmail The Musical The Hero Armor-Piercing Question Implacable Man Hypocrite Those Wacky Nazis Race Lift Face Death with Dignity You Have Got to Be Kidding Me! Distracted by the Sexy Parental Incest Dramatic Gun Cock The Dreaded Homage Line-of-Sight Name Poor Communication Kills Translation Convention Getting Crap Past the Radar Chase Scene Index of Film Westerns Bi the Way Only a Flesh Wound Gorn Film Series Big Fancy House Mr. Fanservice Unusually Uninteresting Sight Madness Mantra Rule of Three Foregone Conclusion The Reveal Genre Shift Failed a Spot Check Hollywood Law In the Back Drowning My Sorrows The Dragon Slasher Movie Well-Intentioned Extremist Unreliable Narrator Deconstruction The Place Red Herring Flashback Parental Abandonment Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking No Good Deed Goes Unpunished Punch-Clock Villain Diabolus ex Machina Made of Iron Captain Obvious Anachronic Order Drill Sergeant Nasty Off with His Head! Unresolved Sexual Tension Gratuitous English NO INDOOR VOICE Brainless Beauty Cat Scare Big Bad Mood Whiplash Danny Peary Cult Movies List As Long as It Sounds Foreign Brutal Honesty Psychological Thriller Air-Vent Passageway Dual Wielding Artistic License – Gun Safety The Casanova Gory Discretion Shot Imagine Spot The Mole All There in the Script Rich Bitch Ungrateful Bastard Disguised in Drag Race Against the Clock Artistic License – Military I Have Your Wife Villain with Good Publicity More Dakka Whole Plot Reference Wounded Gazelle Gambit Shipper on Deck Ambiguously Gay Light Is Not Good Self-Deprecation Tranquil Fury Protagonist Title Posthumous Character Dwindling Party Greater-Scope Villain Stalker with a Crush Heterosexual Life-Partners Aluminum Christmas Trees Henpecked Husband Femme Fatale Rape as Drama Drugs Are Bad Book-Ends Sacrificial Lion Overprotective Dad Belligerent Sexual Tension Artistic License – History Spiteful Spit Bloodless Carnage Alas, Poor Villain Guile Hero What You Are in the Dark Evil Is Hammy Sealed Evil in a Can The Alleged Car Accidental Misnaming Vacation Films Action Survivor Babies Ever After The Lost Lenore Camp Gay The Un-Reveal A God Am I An Aesop The Hero Dies Determinator aka: The Determinator Comically Missing the Point Red Eyes, Take Warning Morality Pet Animated Credits Opening Stepford Smiler Crazy-Prepared Serial Killer Leaning on the Fourth Wall Pay Evil unto Evil Retcon Adaptation Distillation In Medias Res Credits Gag Gone Horribly Right Chiaroscuro Animal Motifs Action Girl Double-Meaning Title Why Don't You Just Shoot Him? Exact Words Never Trust a Trailer Covers Always Lie Martial Arts Movie Evil vs. Evil Refuge in Audacity Film Noir Index Sir Swears-a-Lot Match Cut B-Movie Heel Realization Smoking Is Cool Older Than They Look Vampire Fiction Room Full of Crazy It Will Never Catch On Hoist by His Own Petard Curse Cut Short Villain Song Have a Gay Old Time The Alcoholic Those Two Bad Guys Hooker with a Heart of Gold Celebrity Paradox Ascended Extra What the Hell, Hero? Establishing Character Moment Men Are the Expendable Gender Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds Parental Substitute "Shaggy Dog" Story Throwing Your Sword Always Works Earn Your Happy Ending Sassy Black Woman Composite Character Properly Paranoid Stealth Hi/Bye Cold-Blooded Torture Names to Run Away from Really Fast Four-Temperament Ensemble Authority Equals Asskicking Anyone Can Die Blatant Lies No Antagonist Mistaken for Gay Death Seeker Unspoken Plan Guarantee Artistic License – Biology Foil The Faceless Loophole Abuse Children Are Innocent You Have Failed Me Motor Mouth Bloodier and Gorier BFG Half the Man He Used to Be Framing Device Bunny-Ears Lawyer Monumental Damage Faux Affably Evil Death by Adaptation Break the Cutie No Name Given The Stinger Berserk Button Naïve Newcomer Vitriolic Best Buds Every Car Is a Pinto Captain Ersatz Mystery and Detective Films Sinister Minister Bury Your Gays Mugging the Monster A.I. Is a Crapshoot Scenery Porn Twist Ending Fantasy Films Sequel Hook Bullying a Dragon Evil Brit Rule of Funny Badass Normal Evil Counterpart The Quiet One Beard of Evil Coming-of-Age Story Disproportionate Retribution Taking You with Me Slap-Slap-Kiss Brick Joke Malevolent Masked Men Nice Hat Your Head A-Splode Darkest Hour Put on a Bus Fate Worse than Death Sliding Scale of Idealism vs. Cynicism Worthy Opponent Costume Porn Mythology Gag Jerk Jock Our Vampires Are Different Bare Your Midriff Tagline Kids Are Cruel Product Placement Pretty in Mink Pragmatic Villainy The Ace Plucky Comic Relief Dark Is Not Evil Humans Are Bastards Jitter Cam Historical Villain Upgrade Missing Mom Nice Job Breaking It, Hero! After the End Actually Pretty Funny Stuff Blowing Up The Great Depression Does This Remind You of Anything? Black Comedy Rape "Awesome McCool" Name Ship Tease Improvised Weapon Unwitting Instigator of Doom Sports Stories Humiliation Conga Black Comedy The Ghost Aww, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other Green-Eyed Monster The Chick Redshirt Army Recycled IN SPACE! Hero of Another Story Mind Screw Needs Wiki Magic Love Fatal Family Photo Continuity Nod Bolivian Army Ending Historical Hero Upgrade Grey and Gray Morality Manchild Vomit Discretion Shot MacGuffin Chuck Cunningham Syndrome Show Within a Show Villain Protagonist Extremely Short Timespan Parental Neglect Frame-Up Really Gets Around Due to the Dead Disney Death Eagleland Blood Knight Epic Fail Thriller Evil Sounds Deep Eyepatch of Power Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique The Lancer Deliberate Values Dissonance Evil-Detecting Dog Lock and Load Montage Obviously Evil Let's Get Dangerous! Heroes Want Redheads Fun with Acronyms "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue Cassandra Truth Bound and Gagged Badass Longcoat Nice Job Fixing It, Villain! One Steve Limit Ugly Guy, Hot Wife Storming the Castle Affably Evil Took a Level in Badass Hair-Trigger Temper Title Drop Setting Update Gold Digger Vomit Indiscretion Shot Roger Ebert: Great Movies List Truth in Television Corrupt Corporate Executive Together in Death The '50s Adaptational Villainy Conspicuous CG Hollywood Darkness Immune to Bullets Ass Shove Tap on the Head Improbable Infant Survival aka: Infant Immortality Adults Are Useless Gilligan Cut Bavarian Fire Drill The Chessmaster The Voiceless Ax-Crazy Dramatic Irony Blood from the Mouth Domestic Abuse Only Sane Man Mama Bear Final Girl Obfuscating Stupidity Real Life Military and Warfare Films Television Movie Index Laser-Guided Karma Karmic Death Major Injury Underreaction Kick the Dog Broken Bird Bond Villain Stupidity Mundane Made Awesome Badass in a Nice Suit Obstructive Bureaucrat He Who Fights Monsters Deliberately Monochrome Extreme Doormat And the Adventure Continues Villain Opening Scene Spell My Name with an "S" Soft Glass Darker and Edgier Music Stories Intrepid Reporter Affectionate Parody French Films Badass Bookworm Fainting Death Glare Wham Shot Funny Foreigner All Girls Want Bad Boys Badass Boast Loads and Loads of Characters Death of a Child Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass Asshole Victim Riddle for the Ages Works Set in World War II Pyrrhic Victory Smug Snake All There in the Manual Animal Title Index Attempted Rape Maybe Ever After Heroic BSoD Love at First Sight Character Development Dies Wide Open Meaningful Name Scenery Gorn Cool Guns Alpha Bitch Here We Go Again! Crazy Jealous Guy Cruel and Unusual Death Not Quite Dead Everyone Has Standards The Vamp Abusive Parents Training Montage Actor Allusion May–December Romance Action Film, Quiet Drama Scene Villainous Breakdown The '90s Beta Couple Pretty Little Headshots No-Holds-Barred Beatdown The Cavalry Only Known by Their Nickname Super Strength Fish out of Water Friend to All Children Dramedy Adapted Out Outrun the Fireball Bitch in Sheep's Clothing Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping Genre Throwback Central Theme Canon Foreigner Small Name, Big Ego Playing Gertrude The Remake Never Found the Body Historical-Domain Character Cowboy Cop Romantic False Lead Market-Based Title Sole Survivor Sequel Escalation It Can Think How We Got Here No Celebrities Were Harmed Video Credits He Knows Too Much British Films Calling the Old Man Out Even Evil Has Loved Ones Evil Plan Epic Movie Scare Chord Sir Not-Appearing-in-This-Trailer Manly Tears Serious Business It's All About Me The Starscream Honor Before Reason Word of God Reality Has No Subtitles Cain and Abel Precision F-Strike Dark Reprise Villain Ball Undying Loyalty Demonic Possession It's Personal Sexy Discretion Shot Antagonist Title Horror Doesn't Settle for Simple Tuesday Bring My Brown Pants The Film of the Book Fiery Redhead Action Prologue Retired Badass The '60s Rule of Symbolism Early-Bird Cameo Dutch Angle Shower Scene Anguished Declaration of Love Naked People Are Funny Male Gaze Dogged Nice Guy Dressing as the Enemy The Bully Knight Templar Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas Demoted to Extra Yandere Downer Ending Dropped a Bridge on Him Peek-a-Boo Corpse Silent Movie Mooks Awesome, but Impractical The Stoner Your Cheating Heart '80s Hair Documentary Never Trust a Trailer aka: Trailers Always Lie Only One Name Made of Explodium Hope Spot For the Evulz Not Using the "Z" Word Freudian Excuse Drives Like Crazy The Smurfette Principle Oh, Crap! Overly Long Gag Chekhov's Gun Adaptation Name Change Groin Attack Suspiciously Specific Denial Our Zombies Are Different Silence Is Golden Kick the Son of a Bitch Jerkass Has a Point Award-Bait Song From Bad to Worse For Want of a Nail Good Is Not Nice Zombie Stories Off-into-the-Distance Ending Male Frontal Nudity Adaptation Expansion Death by Irony Biopic The Cameo An Arm and a Leg Punny Name An Axe to Grind Rasputinian Death Eldritch Abomination Those Two Guys Public Domain Feature Films Lampshade Hanging Developing Doomed Characters Flipping the Bird Combat Pragmatist Nice Guy Impaled with Extreme Prejudice Call-Back Shirtless Scene Ambiguous Disorder Suspiciously Similar Substitute Eye Scream Screw the Money, I Have Rules! Chekhov's Skill Re-Cut Historical In-Joke The Atoner As You Know Lighter and Softer Apocalypse How Pet the Dog Not Even Bothering with the Accent Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep" All Men Are Perverts Shell-Shocked Veteran Broken Aesop Would Hurt a Child Tempting Fate