Finessing a Funny Fight Scene Moment

A Case Study in Executing Humor in a Fight Scene

Compelling fight scenes are essential to many different film genres, and a range of things can elevate a fight scene, including a funny moment or line. So, we tested 6 funny fight scene moments from the films below to see which ones really stood out for audiences, and why.

Movie posters of the various films included in this case study

Here are some of the things we learned!

Funny Fight Scene Moments Have Very Broad Appeal

Over 90% of people said they like humorous moments implanted in fight scenes at least some of the time.

Pie chart showing how people react to funny fight scenes

Funny Fight Scene Moments Have Very Broad Appeal

Over 90% of people said they like humorous moments implanted in fight scenes at least some of the time.

Chart showing top reasons humor works in a fight scene

Execution is Key

When it comes to landing a funny fight scene moment, focusing on execution is probably your best bet. Whether it actually makes people laugh or not seems to matter more to audience members than whether it fully meshes with the story, the world, or if it draws on earlier content from the movie.

Execution is Key

Also worth noting, viewers show the least overall concern for undercutting the stakes of the fight with a funny moment. Given how cartoonish a great deal of Hollywood fighting is, suspension of disbelief is likely strong well before a character stops their fight to issue a humorous quip.

Character Matters, Even in High Action Sequences

When we asked our viewers what the best part of each fight sequence was, in most cases we were surprised to find “the characters” coming in first or second place.

Each film included in this study and the top voted aspects of the fight scene as voted on by viewers

Character Matters, Even in High Action Sequences

When we asked our viewers what the best part of each fight sequence was, in most cases we were surprised to find “the characters” coming in first or second place.

And this may explain why funny fight scene moments work so well. They allow you to showcase characterization and character dynamics, even when a sequence is heavily action oriented.

Ranking of the funnies fight scenes in the study

Classics Are Classic for a Reason

While Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War made a decent showing in our head-to-head, overall Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark still safely took the top spot among the six scenes we tested. The iconic moment when Indiana pulls out a gun while facing down an intimidating opponent with a sword remains a viewer favorite, despite this scene pushing 40 years of age.