Talk:Killer Gorilla

Needs a Better Description
Quoting from the "Needs a Better Description" page: "Description needs tweaking"

--Robkelk (talk) 20:16, 16 July 2019 (UTC)

How's this for a new description?
"Gorillas, orangutans, and sometimes chimpanzees: about the same size and shape as humans (normally), but tougher, hairier and generally meaner. Don't incite them to gorilla warfare, because the things they throw tend to hurt. They may also may like to squeeze people to death, claw their faces off, or even eat them. And of course, that's assuming the big apes don't just beat them until they're dead."

"In a nutshell, this trope is when gorillas and other great apes (excluding humans) are, contrary to their real usual behaviour, treated as belligerent, pugnacious creatures. For the longest time, great apes were thought to be savage monsters, with gorillas in particular getting a bad wrap for this thanks to their imposing appearances, hulking stature, and the ferocious way a silverback will protect his troupe from foreign threats. But as time and science marched on, we gained a greater understanding of primates and learned that for the most part, they're rather placid creatures that will leave people alone if they leave them alone. Orangutans and gorillas have since embraced a new stereotype as Gentle Giants, while chimpanzees are usually silly and goofy."

"But of course, that doesn't stop gorillas and other intimidating primates from serving as monsters or dangerous animals in fiction. At the end of the day, a surly, beefy ape still makes for an imposing physical threat, as many a pulp serial, adventure novel, or giant monster movie would show. And even when they're portrayed as friendly, Beware the Nice Ones is fully in effect when they or their loved ones are threatened."

"A subtrope of Maniac Monkeys. For the Lighter and Softer relative of this trope, see Everything's Better with Monkeys."

Does this make for a good expansion, or should I go back to the drawing board?


 * I like it. I'd make only two changes on my first reading -- "real usual behavior" to "real-life usual behavior", and "bad wrap" to "bad rap".  -- Looney Toons (talk) 13:14, 26 April 2021 (UTC)