Action is a way of externalizing an emotional state. You might not be running, leaping, climbing and doing all that. But, the way you create that emotional state in a movie is by having the characters have physical jeopardy that they have to work against.
James CameronRose: You have a gift Jack, you do. You see people. Jack: I see you. Rose: And? Jack: You wouldn't have jumped.
James CameronThe film industry is about saying 'no' to people, and inherently you cannot take 'no' for an answer.
James Cameron