Definition

1. Noun:
   • A movie featuring shooting and violence: A genre of film, and by extension video games, characterized by frequent, stylized gunfights and violent action sequences, often with a simplistic plot focused on conflict.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The film festival had a special category for classic Hollywood shoot-'em-ups.
  • He prefers playing fast-paced video game shoot-'em-ups over complex strategy games.

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used informally and critically to describe a work where the plot is secondary to repetitive action and violence.
  • The critic dismissed the film as a mindless shoot-'em-up with no character development.

Variants and Related Words

• Shooter (n): A common, more modern synonym, especially for video games (e.g., first-person shooter).
• Action film (n): A broader genre category that includes shoot-'em-ups.

Synonyms

• Action movie: A film with a fast-paced, physically challenging plot.
• Gunfight film: A movie whose central feature is sequences of characters shooting at each other.

Related Idioms/Phrases

• While not a phrasal verb, the term itself is a colloquial compound noun derived from the phrase "shoot them up," describing the core action within the genre.

Noun

1. a movie featuring shooting and violence