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