There are always different opinions about movies, but the audience usually agrees on which ones are good fighting scenes. But that's what makes a good fight scene? Henry Boseley of the YouTube channel "The Closer Look" has taken a closer look at a number of movies (such as "Avengers: Infinity War", "John Wick", "Bounre Identity", "Terminator", "Star Wars", "Enders Spiel", "Batman vs. Superman" and movies by Jackie Chan) and shows some of the reasons why a fight scene is considered good. Some reasons are in the scene itself, others in the preceding plot.
For example, it is important that the outcome of the fight isn't already predetermined - the audience has to tremble with the hero, during many good fights the advantage changes several times from one side to the other, surprising twists and turns let the opponent gain the upper hand again and again - unlike in movies where the indomitable hero effortlessly mows down masses of opponents and doesn't create any tension .
(The somewhat annoying commercial in the clip can be skipped if you fast forward to 8:36)
Another factor: never use the same move* a second time, the fight has to surprise, always bore the same moves over and over again and especially good: surprising applications of known or newly introduced objects or abilities (for example in science fiction or fantasy movies). But most importantly: the fight must play a role in the plot, be part of the narrative and advance it.
Bosleley's perspective, however, is more that of the scriptwriter - further factors for a good fight scene are of course its choreography, the physical presence of the actors, camera, editing and also the sound design. As always in films, all the individual elements have to be good for the whole thing to succeed.
Here are some examples of well-pictured fighting scenes:
And more:
What are your favorite fighting scenes?
