Realistic sometimes doesn't look right in movies. Perhaps we should use the term believable. "Is this a believable space ship?" or "Alien?" Because um WTF is a realistic alien??? But seriously the same applies to things we know as real. Sometimes we actually need to alter things to make them look believable which in reality does not exist.
Oh, I agree. I'd say most if not all times "real" wouldn't really suit a movie because, movies are at their heart theatrical, and not necessarily "re-enactments". Found footage might be an exception, so a movie like "End of Watch" actually does need a realistic fight scene, which it basically did pull off. But that's the rare exception. Unless you're a total stick in the mud, it's more entertaining to see Donnie Yen beat up 20 guys with moves straight out of Street Fighter II...
That's sorta why I landed on "watch some Pro-Wrasslin'" in my original post, because for what it's worth, that's the quick lesson on how to block a theatrical "fight" that actually works in front of an audience.
to Dahvrok-
I might as well throw this in, you might find it informative;
A few things that will ruin a fight scene
1. Slow movement. Especially during longer shots where you can see the actor's slow relative speed against the background, as well as see if the film has been sped up. A wide shot will likely also show...
2. Awkward movement. Fluidity is king. This is almost more important than the first one, since anything (even poor blocking) might turn out okay if the actors are
fluid
3. Poor framing. You can theoretically have your slow, sloppy, non-trained actor flail around a safe distance from the "target", and if it's framed right, it just might look okay. By contrast, there are a lot of very good high-budget fight scenes that are kind of ruined by framing that's too close. Those are like, what's going on? I just see sleeves flying around. You can also be too far, and have your actors awesome movement look too small in the frame.
4. No movement. It might seem obvious, but a lot of "bad" fight scenes are bad because the shot lingers to long on the actors doing... nothing. You know, doing things like (poorly) pretending to struggle, standing in a headlock, etc. This doesn't work, because fights are DYNAMIC. Movement is what you're showing the audience. It should be beautiful in it's violence, not unlike a dance. It might also be worth reminding your actors that a fight, especially in the context of most "stories" (and especially action movies) is going to be a fight for your life. It's a serious affair. Your movements are going to be swift, and deliberate, because your life depends on it.