Trouble Comes To Small Town

2021-10-07

There's a certain type of movie I find that I really like. It's not exactly a genre. In fact it can exist in just about any genre. For lack of better options, I'm calling it "Trouble Comes To Small Town". The basic premise is this:

  1. There's a small town somewhere in a remote location.
  2. Some outside force threatens the safety of the townspeople.
  3. The townspeople put aside their differences and various feuds and come together to fight off the danger.

That's it. It makes for some really entertaining movies. Often, but not always, there is a romantic entanglment between two of the townspeople. They were in a relationship in the past, but now they're estranged. Guess what? This emergency causes them to realizes how short life is and they put their differences aside and get back together. That's nice.

Here's some of my favorite examples:

  1. The Last Stand - Schwarzenegger movies are another genre-but-not-genre of movie I have a fondness for. This post-governator outing brings back a lot of the fun of his 90s heyday. Johnny Knoxville and Luis Guzman are also a delight.

  2. Tremors - Maybe the GOAT of this trope. I've heard rumors that it's shown in film schools as an example of an exceptionally tight script where not a single scene is wasted. One of those movies that if you happen to come across it, you just watch it. Every time.

  3. Alien vs. Predator: Requiem - Even the Alien and Predator series join in on the fun.

  4. 30 Days of Night - Vampires attack a small town in Alaska where the sun goes down for a month. Makes sense, right? If there were vampires, they'd definitely be hanging out where they can maximize the amount of night time.

  5. Red Dawn (1984) or (2012) - Both versions have their charms, but of course the original is the best. North Koreans are just not as credible a threat as the USSR was.

I'm sure there's many more examples. If you found this via somewhere with comments, leave one with a recommendation, or feel free to tell me directly.