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