Action-adventure genre
The action-adventure genre typically features an adventure-based plot filled with "action" — fights, chases, and other scenes of pulse-pounding, heart-stopping violence or imminent peril. The adventure-based plot sends the character(s) on a quest or series of trials, facing danger, surprise, and uncertain consequences.
Because SF has a long history with adventure-based plots, many SF works are action-adventure. Because "action" is popular and makes its creators lots of money, this is particularly true for for-profit corporate produced works, such as SF films. The genre is also closely related to the spy-fi genre, which is largely action-oriented with adventure consisting of spy-thrillerness, usually in a "realistic" mode but with non-realistic fighting skills and supertech.
The impact of feminism on popular culture can be seen clearly in the action-adventure genre, with the rise of the action heroine — kick-ass female protagonists and villains.