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 Cocles
Commodore
Joined: Mar 06, 2002
Member#: 15
Posts: 2587
Location: Los Angeles, CA
    
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 Posted:
Thu Jan 23, 2003 4:31 pm Post subject: The Enfeeblement of the American Action Film |
 
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Well, being that we have an off topic section of the forum now, I thought I'd give you all you blokes a rant of mine about what's going on with our action films.
As I walk through my local movie theater I pause in front of a poster for the film "DareDevil". My friend next to me asks, "Do you think it'll be any good." To which I comment, "Do you know who's under that mask? Ben Affleck." The groans of agony that follow are the same I hear every time the trailer for this film plays in the theaters. People cheer at first. But when they see Ben Affleck, the cries of dissapointment ring out and there's always that guy in the front row who yells, "What!?"
The product we see before us dear friends can all be traced back to a little film called "Titanic". In 1997 the studios heard the roar of what an obsessed teenage girl audience can do to a box office and since then they have always kept them in mind.
This is the problem.
Nearly every big budget film since Titanic has tried in some way to always also appeal to women if not (even better) teenage girls.
There's at least one flaw to this kind of logic.
Action movies are primarily attended by boys between the ages of 13 and 35. Further, these are the exact kind of people who aren't going to be impressed with a prettyboy (personally I don't see it) guy like Ben Affleck.
Case in point beyond DareDevil?
Collateral Damage - A Schwarzeggar film in which the allusions to family values outnumber the body count.
Count of Monte Cristo - Has anyone read the book? When the woman who betrayed him tries to seduce him in the book he replies, "I have no need for faithless women." In the movie however, he breaks down and sleeps with her and they live happily ever after... oh and they have a son. They made the ultimate story of vengeance lovely... and sweet.
Pearl Harbor - One of the most famous military strikes in history, yet we spend the first hour and a half revolving around a love story. And how do we finish it off? "You're gonna be a father!" "NO! You are!"
The list goes on and on...
Sum of all Fears,
Star Wars 2: Attack of the Clones,
Driven,
Knights Tale...
The saddest thing of all is these films most often do not do as well in the Box Office as the studios thought they would.
Titanic was a drama. Teenage girls don't go to action movies as much as the guys, period.
What's ironic is women tend to have very good taste in action films. The girls I know like movies such as True Lies, Terminator 2 and Indiana Jones. In other words, the same movies the boys like.
Girls who watch action films don't like the sap anymore than the guys. They don't swoon over Luke, they want Han Solo. If either of us, girls OR boys want sap, we'll go see a drama. Heck, "Shakespeare in Love" is one of my favorite films!
Tactics and demographics change with the genre when one's goal is to put butts in seats. They need to stop watering down our action films for an audience who doesn't even want to see them in the first place. |
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cvb
Ensign
Joined: Apr 26, 2002
Member#: 65
Posts: 39
Location: Nyack, NY
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Posted:
Fri Jan 24, 2003 8:21 am Post subject: The Enfeeblement of the American Action Film |
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This is so true! I'm a true action movie lover but my reaction to Daredevil was the same. Ben Affleck?
And you know what they're talking about now? Casting that Joe Millionaire guy as Superman! What next? Leonardo Di Caprio as Batman?!?
Even my friends who don't like action movies don't get the sudden urge to go see one because so and so is playing in it. And it's so insulting when they try to market movies to woman by saying, hey look, a hot guy is in it.
So? Does he get blown to hell, 'cause that's why I'm going to see an action movie.
Of course, there is one action movie that has to have a great looking lead and that's James Bond. Which is why the years between Connery and Brosnen aren't very high on my list. ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
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