Movies/TV Shows without romantic plots? (Rogue One spoilers?)

[Kickaxe]

Digging this one up again because I just rewatched Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. Talk about a show that knows how to do friendship. Ed and Winry end up together but that's expected from the start. But at the end, when Roy and Riza DIDN'T end up in a romantic relationship? I was just so damn surprised and excited. It's not often my favorite friendships get to STAY my favorite friendships.

[techno]

On 6/27/2017 at 5:46 PM, Kickaxe said:

Digging this one up again because I just rewatched Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. Talk about a show that knows how to do friendship. Ed and Winry end up together but that's expected from the start. But at the end, when Roy and Riza DIDN'T end up in a romantic relationship? I was just so damn surprised and excited. It's not often my favorite friendships get to STAY my favorite friendships.

That show is a BLESSING. I agree with you 100%.

[SamwiseLovesLife]

On 13/02/2017 at 5:27 PM, Aava said:

What annoys me is that often times it doesn't even fit in. I can only think of "The Hobbit" where they forced that romance between Kili and Tauriel in the movie. The screen time for that (in my eyes) unnecessary romance, could have been used for the other dwarves, who actually played a rather important role but whatever. I could keep ranting about that. Still salty  

DON'T GET ME STARTED D:<

[DeltaAro]

We forgot two very classic sci-fis: Alien (1979) and Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991).

 

Also not yet mentioned: Moon (2009). No romance there.

 

Do sci-fis tend to lack romantic subplots more often?

 

For a 2:40 hour epic movie set around 1900, it's surprising that there is no romantic subplot in There Will Be Blood (2007).  The only romance that is shown is the little bit between H. W. and Mary.

[Dodecahedron314]

If you squint, the romantic subplot in the new Wonder Woman movie is minor enough that it's pretty easy to ignore. It's still there (for like 30 seconds), but it's definitely not as egregious as pretty much any other superhero movie I've seen recently.

[Momo]

18 minutes ago, Dodecahedron314 said:

It's still there (for like 30 seconds), but it's definitely not as egregious as pretty much any other superhero movie I've seen recently.

I actually found it pretty bad. You're right, it's short, but I cringed hard at the ending. It felt like a means to an end to me rather than something real. 

[SamwiseLovesLife]

Jurrassic park (origional) isn't too romantic.. at least the one romance is already pre-established and doesn't take screentime

[DeltaAro]

“The Imitation Game” has some sort of romantic plot in it (yet in a very odd way) and so doesn't qualify.

 

But it was really refreshing to be assured beforehand that between Alan Turing and Joan Clarke definitely no romance would develop, though they even managed to become engaged.

[Apathetic Echidna]

it is too late at night and I should be sleeping but I have been staring at this topic so I feel I must post something.

28 Days Later, but I may just be logic-ing away any romantic overtones

Daybreakers, a good vampire movie that focuses on the differing opinions which have caused a dysfunctional relationship between 2 brothers

Cube, people be too scared for their lives to romance

the anime Juuni Kokuki (The Twelve Kingdoms) I don't remember it having obvious romance, there is probably some minor side character stuff but it mostly focuses on how differing personalities perceive and interact with their world. Youko might as well be aro.

How come no one has mentioned Hot Fuzz? after the crime scene break up there is only minor side character stuff and the Romeo + Juliet scene is ridiculously laughable

[DeltaAro]

19 hours ago, Apathetic Echidna said:

Cube, people be too scared for their lives to romance

I wonder if it's really 100% romance free because:

On 2/9/2017 at 8:59 PM, DeltaV said:

Anyway, does Cube (1997) count? What about Worth and Leaven? Or was there some romance hinted at in the end?

NB: Often romance in violent movies seems more realistic to me! If you save each other's lives or go through some horrible stuff together, it seems plausible to me that you get very close together that fast (as it happens with romance in normal circumstances).
 

Oh, the opening post mentioned Rogue One. What about the next most obvious example Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens ?

Not 100% romance-free (that little bit rekindled Han + Leia romance), but no romance* between Finn and Rey.

* pretty much the only good thing I can say about the story, which spoiled the movie for me. I don't expect high art, but when I watch a $250 million budget movie, I do expect some level of professionality, not multiple gaping plot holes and -inducing moments. I don't understand what went wrong here. Any professional screenwriter should be able to produce a much better script. It felt downright amateurish, like fan-fiction.

[Apathetic Echidna]

@DeltaV uhhh, it has been about a year since I last watched Cube but I saw the connections as care and reliance, certainly not the flirty interactions and obviousness of the relationship in Speed for example

 

Just had a brain wave, Signs and Lady in the Water don't have romance do they? unless a death scene can be romantic?  

 

Back again! How about Kung Fu Hustle (2004)? whenever there seems to possibly be romance there is a flashback to childhood, or they turn into children! Then there is also Resident Evil: Afterlife and Resident Evil: Retribution (tbh, just watch these for the soundtracks)

[OpenAce]

Can I just say that I loved Rouge One because there was no romantic story line...

I also like the vulcans from Star Trek, although capable of experiencing love and emotions they experience it obviously quite differently to humans- something I identified with, especially also being an INTJ so I like to consider myself a very vulcan like human...

[Star Girl]

I have had multiple disagreements with multiple people about Rogue One and whether it has a romantic plot.... all the non aros read romance into it, arg! (My friend didn’t believe me at first when I claimed there wasn’t a kissing scene!)

[Apathetic Echidna]

1 hour ago, Star Girl said:

all the non aros read romance into it

yeah, that seems to be fairly common. I guess that is the shipping drive kicking in? it is like the incestuous fanfics that occur when there is a close familial relationship, it seems some people see every close relationship as having romance, or they want it to have romance so much they fantasise and delude themselves, like imagining a kissing scene that doesn't occur. I guess the eyes see what the brain wants. 

 

Another movie for the list is The Adventures of TinTin gotta love TinTin for some aromantic asexual adventure

[OpenAce]

I really also like all these historical fiction films coming out- based on real people/true stories. I know that there is romance in some/a lot of these, but cause its based on real events I'm more okay with it, i guess its because I feel that they aren't just adding it in for the sake of it...

[DeltaAro]

On 12/8/2017 at 11:16 PM, Star Girl said:

I have had multiple disagreements with multiple people about Rogue One and whether it has a romantic plot.... all the non aros read romance into it, arg! (My friend didn’t believe me at first when I claimed there wasn’t a kissing scene!)

maybe “holding hands on the beach when you're going to die” counts as romance now…?

 

Seriously, people get false memories of a kissing scene?

[Apathetic Echidna]

9 hours ago, DeltaV said:

false memories of a kissing scene

just like in A Song of Ice and Fire series where the author even forgot and added a phantom kiss a character misremebers an event and add in a kiss scene that didn't happen into the memory of the scene. 

 

 

[starstuff]

Pacific Rim!   I know some non-aros read Riley and Mako as "romantic", but to me it just felt like an incredibly genuine QPR.  Two people who understood each other on a deep level, literally inside each other's brains, and just aggressively became the ultimate cheerleaders for each other, rather than falling in love.

 

Also, they fight giant monsters together. 

[Mark]

On 08/12/2017 at 10:16 PM, Star Girl said:

I have had multiple disagreements with multiple people about Rogue One and whether it has a romantic plot.... all the non aros read romance into it, arg! (My friend didn’t believe me at first when I claimed there wasn’t a kissing scene!)

From my POV
Kissing != romance.
Lack of kissing != lack of romance.

 

15 hours ago, starstuff said:

Pacific Rim!   I know some non-aros read Riley and Mako as "romantic", but to me it just felt like an incredibly genuine QPR.  Two people who understood each other on a deep level, literally inside each other's brains, and just aggressively became the ultimate cheerleaders for each other, rather than falling in love.

To me the two person gestalt seems to have a lot in common with romance.
Indeed it's things like merger, "two become one", "other half", etc which I find squicky about romantic relationships.

[starstuff]

43 minutes ago, Mark said:

To me the two person gestalt seems to have a lot in common with romance.
Indeed it's things like merger, "two become one", "other half", etc which I find squicky about romantic relationships.

 

I see where you're coming from, but I guess to me, the idea of a partnership doesn't necessarily mean a romance.  Just because two people happen to compliment each other and work well together doesn't mean they can't have a platonic relationship.  

 

And the movie explicitly avoided a kiss scene when they could have easily made it into one, which to me enforced the non-romance of it.  (Although now that there's a sequel coming out soon I may end up deeply disappointed...)

[Guest]

10 hours ago, starstuff said:

 I guess to me, the idea of a partnership doesn't necessarily mean a romance.  Just because two people happen to compliment each other and work well together doesn't mean they can't have a platonic relationship.

 

YESSSSSSSSSS TO ALL OF THIS! I love it when movies and tv shows don't go the easy way (and just write a romance between two characters) but write a friendship instead. We need more representation, and even if we don't get explicitely aromantic characters, having more platonic relationships onscreen is a good thing.

[DeltaAro]

Who has seen “Star Wars: The Last Jedi”?

 

Oh daaaaaamn… the script. Though overall TLJ is far superior to “The Force Awakens” in many ways (scenes, visual effects, aesthetics, cinematography, soundtrack [way better utilized than in TFA], sound effects [TFA was just too constantly loud]…), the script was even worse.

 

If there's one hackneyed plot device in bad TV soaps it's lack of communication, which creates situations that could otherwise have been easily avoided. You know that one, right??? Well, “The Last Jedi” has that, too, massively. Also a long filler side plot that doesn't go anywhere and lack of motivation of the characters.

 

Again, like TFA such a script is simply baffling for a $ 200 million production. The problematic “safe” decisions regarding the backstory (recycle, recycle ♲) set some limits to how good the script could be, but that still doesn't excuse it.

Spoiler

One of the few great ideas was how Snokes uses Kylo Ren as bait for Rey … but in the end how cringeworthy his plan fails and how he dies ruins that…

So, it's a mindless soapy script with liberally applied weak slap stick humor and also destroying iconic characters in a ham-fisted and deliberately mean way.

 

Of course, if you want to just watch something that looks and sounds great, you will enjoy it. It's the visually most beautiful Star Wars movie and one of the most visually beautiful ones ever.

 

Anyway, now there's romance in it!! Oops… so strictly this post is off-topic…

Spoiler

I still have no intuitive grasp how romance works, but from my own observations of alloromantics, I found the love story between Rose and Finn very unrealistic. Sure, romantic love can develop very fast, but that fast?

 

What do you think?

 

If even I as an aromantic with no talent for writing would probably be able to produce a more convincing romantic subplot what does that say about the screenwriting process?

 

[Apathetic Echidna]

3 hours ago, DeltaV said:

soundtrack [way better utilized than in TFA]

I was severely disappointed in the soundtrack in TFA (like how much regurgitation of A New Hope do they need?) So is this new one along the lines of the subtle beauty of Attack of the Clones? (~I'm just assuming the plot isn't dark enough for the moody minor key glory of Revenge of the Sith). Not that either way I really care that much to go see it or pay any sort of money to see it ever. 

And by visually I assume you are talking about everything visual in the movie? 'cause as for costumes beating The Phantom Menace is a tall order. 

[DeltaAro]

19 hours ago, Apathetic Echidna said:

I was severely disappointed in the soundtrack in TFA (like how much regurgitation of A New Hope do they need?) So is this new one along the lines of the subtle beauty of Attack of the Clones? (~I'm just assuming the plot isn't dark enough for the moody minor key glory of Revenge of the Sith).

I'm not so good at describing this; much recycling took place, but still it was more varied, more complex and heavier than the TFA one. The biggest improvement was how it was utilized, contrary to TFA it really always fit the scenes and it was used more effectively (didn't interfere with the sound effects – you sometimes barely perceived the soundtrack in TFA).

19 hours ago, Apathetic Echidna said:

And by visually I assume you are talking about everything visual in the movie? 'cause as for costumes beating The Phantom Menace is a tall order. 

Yes, I mean that every frame looked just fantastic … and the scene of Admiral Holdo's sacrifice … wow. Now the costumes… yeah, ‘The Phantom Menace’ had Queen Amidala's costume, which is simply the most memorable of the whole saga, and it had tons of widely different costumes. There's not this massive variety in TLJ, of course. But it looks all very stylish, for example Leia finally looks great, who looked pretty rough and tumble in TFA. There's a lot to see in the Canto Bight casino scene (of the botched subplot). Now, every guest was dressed in black and white there; that was very likely the right decision to catch the elegant flair of the casino, but of course imposed a limit for variation – it's still pretty amazing what was done just with black and white costumes.

 

Snoke's Elite Praetorian Guard is probably kind of controversial, they're Samurai-like and look more aggressive and ready to fight, less ceremonial than the Emperor's Royal Guard – and they're bright red, they take us a bit back to Sci-Fis of the 1960s, but IMHO it fit the style of Snoke's throne room which seems to have a Kubrick-esque vibe to it.

[Alaska Native Manitou]

• I think that Chance, the main character of Being There is aro ace.  Others keep projecting romantic & sexual ideas on to him, though.
• Born to be Sold.
• The Boy With Green Hair.
• In Canadian Bacon a woman named Honey is romance-repulsed.
• Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close.
• A Family Thing.
• Fish Hawk.
• Flash of Genius is the true story of Dr. Robert Kearns who invented the intermittent windshield wiper.  He does his duty as a Catholic by getting married & having too many kids, but his wife realizes he doesn't love her & leaves him.
• Hard Candy starts off looking romantic, but...?
  Spoiler

  A child molester is being tricked.?