Character Change

Traditionally, the external elements of the story are used to push against the internal values of the character, pushing him or her to change. Important thing to remember: Nobody changes until the pain of staying the same becomes greater than the pain of change. 

In Inception, Cobb does not want to let go of his dead wife but, eventually, decides to because holding onto her would result in his team dying. In Prisoners, Keller Dover resists his impulse to kidnap the creepy Alex Jones who might know where his kidnapped daughter might be… Until he realizes not kidnapping him would probably mean that his daughter might never be found.

It is notable that while in many Action/Adventure or Comedy movies the protagonist doesn’t necessarily experience this interior journey, many modern Blockbusters make an effort to include this in the overall experience. 

Compare the countless Bond movies of the yore with the recent Casino Royale and Skyfall where James Bond unmistakably changes throughout the course of the movie. Similarly, compare countless super hero movies with the first Iron Man where Tony Stark goes from a selfish weapons manufacturer to a benevolent philanthropist.

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