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