Films and Books Feature: The Decline and Fall of Martial Arts Films and the Rise of the Action Blockbuster Movie (with trailers)
Martial Arts Series: Comparing martial arts films of the 1970s to the action blockbusters of 2009/10
By Derek Armstrong, Films and Books Correspondent
Red Cliff, Ip Man and True Legend are already iconic of the early 21st century “martial arts films”—although many can argue they are more action spectacle than true martial arts films. The 1970s, on the other hand, didn’t rely on eye-candy effects and were defined more by the true grit of its martial arts actors: Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, the Five Venoms, Tomisaburo Wakayama, Jimmy Wong, and other real fighters trained in genuine martial arts.
Martial Arts Becomes Mainstream But Evolves Into Spectacle
Cult classics such as Enter the Dragon helped change Hollywood. Its growing popularity forced filmmakers to adopt martial arts into the formula of the “action flick.” Through the eighties and nineties, spectacle thrillers were expected to deliver martial arts, even if it was only a few basic moves supported by some stuntmen and wires. Action movies became spectacles that required equal blends of story, drama, pace, martial arts, special effects and improbable plot twists.
In the 21st century, this became less “equal” with films relying first on special effects, then improbably plot twists (surprise is important, right?), followed by pace, martial arts skills, drama and—last and possibly least
Post a Comment | in * Features, * Films and Books | Share Article | tagged Bruce Lee, Ip Man, Jackie Chan, Red Cliff, True Legend, films and books, kung fu, martial arts films