John McClane. Rambo. Han Solo. Riggs and Murtaugh. Indiana Jones. Rocky Balboa.
When I sit down to watch an action movie, there's an expectation. There needs to be lots of fights, explosions and do-or-die moments, sure-but more importantly, the action hero needs to be a badass. There's an incredible drawing power in those action movies of the '70s and '80s, and it's all about the hero.
Where did those badasses go? Granted, action films themselves are still alive and well, considering the glut of mediocre flicks that were in theaters this summer, but not one of them truly stood out as an original action film.
Comic book heroes are getting proper treatment, but what about their counterparts that are based in reality? Are you honestly telling me that we can't get ourselves someone better than Vin Diesel as a leading man? Are you honestly telling me that The Rock even deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Harrison Ford?
Technological breakthroughs in computer effects and stunts might be to blame, but I'd rather call it lazy filmmaking. The image of XXX ramping his motorcycle into the air and shooting through several strands of barbed wire unscathed will remain in my memory for the sheer ridiculousness of the entire scene. Films like \XXX,"" ""Charlie's Angels"" and ""Lara Croft: Tomb Raider"" are created under the impression that if the stunt is big enough or the effects cool enough, the audience will ""ooh"" and ""ahh"" like kids on the Fourth of July.
The saddest part of all this is that those classics are starting to get dragged down the special effects drain. This summer's ""T3"" was less sequel and more self-parody of the first two ""Terminator"" films. With Arnold cracking self-referential jokes throughout the entire film, it was hard to take it too seriously-considering ""T3"" was probably the best action film this summer, that speaks volumes on the state of the genre.
The fact of the matter is we're attached to those old action heroes not only for their grit and edge, but also for their heart. The focus in recent films has been more on what these men and women are capable of doing and not on why they're doing it. How are we supposed to care about Vin Diesel racing cars when there's no indication that he cares about racing cars?
The fact of the matter is we're attached to those old action heroes because they had a defined character-they had a drive that carried us from Rocky's first punch through Han Solo's last blaster shot. They were badasses you couldn't help but love.
