Academic
Yvonne Tasker described most post-classical Hollywood
action films as "more or less
hybrids." Action films are set across multiple settings and spaces with no single defining landscape and can become complicated in categorization which is sometimes acknowledged through hybridized designators such as action comedy.
Characteristics (pictured) began taking roles in action films. Cynthia King said that the term "action comedy" is typically reserved for action films in which humor plays a relatively central role. Such films can take on a wide variety of formats, including
buddy films involving mismatched partners such as the
Lethal Weapon (1987-1998) and the
Rush Hour (1998-2006) film series, as well as
Hong Kong action cinema films featuring actors such as
Jackie Chan. King also included within the genre the more comedic
superhero films such as
Mystery Men (1999),
Hancock (2008) and
The Green Hornet (2011). Elements of action comedy existed in early cinema, such as the chase sequences in pre-1915 films such as
The Lonedale Operator (1911), which anticipate editing patterns of later action films such as
Wheels on Meals (1984). Later silent film comedies such as those featuring
Charlie Chaplin and
Buster Keaton (e.g.,
Easy Street (1917) and
The General (1926)) featured chases, gags and stunts that would serve as inspirations for both comedic and non-comedic action set pieces in later action films. These films include Chaplin and Keaton using physical materials on stage, either weapons or props, to emphasize, affect or respond to their bodily actions. King wrote that despite a large cinematic history of humor and peril, the action comedy film only "came into its own" as part of American action film genre in the early 1980s, notably when actors who had backgrounds in comedy such as
Eddie Murphy began taking roles in action films. In his book,
Lights, Camera, Action: Crafting an Action Script (2005), Gregory Sarno said that not all films containing conflict and humor are action comedies; Sarno considered films with action-laden subplots such as ''
Big Momma's House (2000) and Dumb & Dumber (1994) to be closer to straight comedies because the action lacks an integral role in their narratives. King echoed this point, saying that films such as Night at the Museum (2006) or Loaded Weapon 1 (1993) are better categorized as straight comedies since most of the action is framed comically with no serious violence or peril. She also said that the occurrence of sardonic one-liners in an action film, such as "Go ahead, make my day" from Sudden Impact'' (1983), is insufficient to categorize such a film as an action comedy. Mark Gallagher, in
Action Figures: Men, Action Films and Contemporary Adventure Narratives (2006), stated that action comedies often feature a
fish out of water theme, such as Murphy's character clashing with upper-class white communities and conventional police procedures in the
Beverly Hills Cop (1984-2024) film series.
List of films ==TV series==