...and why we stay glued to the screen.
Take John Wick - it’s pure, simple revenge. We get it right away. No explanation needed.
Now look at Interstellar: Cooper’s mission is for humanity, sure, but above all, it’s for Murph. That’s the core - save what matters most.
Of course, we all know about “finding yourself,” the hunger for adventure, redemption arcs - the more nuanced emotions that critics love. But let’s be real: sometimes those just don’t land with folks cracking open a beer after a ten-hour day.
So, what do you think is the most powerful, working motivation for a protagonist?
Is it revenge - or saving what matters?
Is it the drive to gain something (a new self, a treasure) - or to get rid of something (the past, a curse, the monster under the bed)?
Drop your pick.
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After a long day, I usually want to watch something exciting like John Wick, Alex Gutenberg!
I think saving what matters is the most powerful, working motivation.
"Is it the drive to gain something (a new self, a treasure) - or to get rid of something (the past, a curse, the monster under the bed)?" That's tough. I say both.
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Maurice Vaughan Absolutely, sometimes the simplest motivations hit the hardest — not “save the cat,” but save the dog… and then go full vengeance mode.
You’re right - sometimes it’s both. Save something, lose something, maybe even become someone new in the process.
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Great question! I think the most powerful motivations are the ones that hit close to home. Revenge works because it’s raw and universal — we all know anger and loss. Saving what matters works because it taps into love and connection.
Personally, I lean toward “saving what matters” as the strongest driver. Whether it’s family, freedom, or even a piece of ourselves we’re afraid to lose, that emotional core tends to resonate long after the action ends.
That said, the best stories often blend the two — revenge that transforms into protection, or survival that forces a reckoning with the past.
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I always have used those two in action scripts and ghost written novels. But I never thought about it. Those two have gone together since the Sumerian legends.
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Asia Almerico Jon Shallit By the way, if you look at the stock market, it is always a struggle between Fear and Greed. Also motivation.
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Alex. You buy the 3.5 % lower band and sell the top 3.5 % upper band. Never the middle.
The bands mark fear and greed. Use a stop loss. Same with RSI/STO -under 20, over 80.
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All of the above and non of the above; to say it boringly, often, for the protag it's going from their A to their B live, but only the fifth try they succeed. You need the build up. Then again, there isn't just one holy structure that works.
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Alex Gutenberg For me, the most powerful motivation tends to be saving what matters, whether that’s a loved one, a community, or even an idea worth protecting. I think it resonates so strongly because it taps into something universal: we all have something or someone we’d fight to the ends of the earth for. That kind of motivation instantly raises the emotional stakes and keeps us invested.
That said, I also think the absence of something (like running from the past, or trying to escape a curse) can be equally gripping when it’s layered with personal stakes. Those stories hit especially hard when the protagonist realizes they can’t just run; they have to confront what they fear.