Hello World!
It is good to be back. Sorry I haven't written in a while; school is nuts, and life is even crazier. Do to both those factors, todays post will naturally be pretty short, since I have a limited amount of time before I need to get back to other writing. So, quick overview of the a couple movies that either came out over the summer, or recently on DVD, and what I view as the predominant problem in American action movies today.
So the idea occurred to me when I was watching the movie The Bourne Legacy earlier this summer, and was completely confirmed when I watched Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol; "WHY DOES EVERY ACTION MOVIE HAVE TO HAVE A RIDICULOUSLY LONG AND COMPLETELY USELESS CAR CHASE SCENE?!?!" I realize that car chases are one of the iconic parts of American action movies, however, do they have to take a full ten minutes of driving around, switching vehicles, going over various terrains, shooting, dust storms, tracker devices, and random car thefts to further the plot of the story? Perhaps the better question might be "WHAT PLOT?!?!" Action movies have degenerated into a long series of car chases, fight sequences, and dramatic tension without creating any character development or cohesive story arc. Special effects are great and car chases can be nice, the problem is when the entire industry is too busy playing with CG toys and dramatic effects to remember that a film is supposed to be, first and foremost, a story. When I get up out of my seat after a movie, I want to spend the next week thinking about what happened in the story and how much I enjoyed the characters and plot, not to walk away thinking, "Well, that was fun, and a colossal waste of the last two hours."
I am not attempting to bash on action movies in general. I love the genre; I think that a good action movie can be as thought provoking and well written as any dramatic film or small budget movie, if the producers are willing to take the time and effort to make it a worthwhile product not just a visual effects fest with no substance. This is my fundamental problem with most blockbusters; they are lacking in substance. While films should be entertaining and fun, they can still be profound or insightful. We go to films to escape reality certainly, however we also go to be told that a story can end well, that life is not necessarily meaningless, and that a person can overcome their personal and external problems eventually. To do this, the characters have to be complete enough that the audience can both like them and identify with them, which is impossible if the characters are not properly developed and if the story is not compelling.
Well, that is my rant for the day. Be looking out for a post in about a month on The Hobbit: The Unexpected Journey. I can hardly wait!
Well, back to essays and reality.
