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