Is it just me or were the 90s an especially creative era for action movies?

[Twelve75]

Last night I watched Hard Rain for the first time. It was okay, I didn't love it. Best things about it were Morgan Freeman as a villain, Betty White being bitchy, and remembering better days for Christian Slater when he was still headlining theatrical films.

But it made me think of something about 90s action movies and how, in a lot of ways, the 90s felt like a special decade for action movies and I think it's because the IDEAS because the action films of that decade were pretty awesome, whereas today's action films often feel quite generic.

Think about something like Face/Off:



Or The Rock:



Or The Matrix:



The list goes on and on, from Total Recall to Demolition Man to True Lies.

All of these films have some unique idea that sets them apart from the standard "spy thriller" or "military man" or "guy out for revenge" kind of plots (even though they may include these elements).

Basically, when I think of 90s action movies, I think of brainstorming sessions that probably went something like this:





Even Hard Rain had an interesting idea behind it, but only disappointed in the execution. In that way, it's a really solid example of what the 90s did for us on the action movie front. It was clever and innovative. But today? Eh. Everyone's like, hey, let's just stick to formula and do what has always worked before.

The line-up of great 90s action films is truly excellent and I'm not sure that the 00s or 10s can compete.

What's everyone else think? Is it just me? Or from a conceptual perspective, do a great many of today's action films feel like weaksauce compared to the 90s?

thing is, many of these great 90's action movies, may have been written in the 80's, Face Off was first pitch as early as 1990. so you'd assume it may have started being written in maybe '89, Total Recall, the only thing 90's about that is its release date and i'm sure if you looked wider, a lot of ''classic 90's'' action movies will have been doing the rounds of all the studios for a while before being picked up.

 

[BisexualMMA]

Fucking Iron Eagle. Pretty sure I read that even though Iron Eagle was released first, that it actually went into production second and then was rushed to market.

Iron Eagle is also a terrible movie. I rewatched it a few years ago and couldn't believe how shitty of a movie it is, especially when compared to Top Gun.

It's definitely a Rambo / Missing in Action kind of situation.

 

[Cubo de Sangre]

I guess Iron Eagle 1 through 25 took a somewhat similar approach.

Fucking Iron Eagle. Pretty sure I read that even though Iron Eagle was released first, that it actually went into production second and then was rushed to market.

Iron Eagle is also a terrible movie. I rewatched it a few years ago and couldn't believe how shitty of a movie it is, especially when compared to Top Gun.

Eerily similar to The Abyss (great movie) coming out around Deep Star Six (cash-grab movie).

 

[BisexualMMA]

Top Gun adds the action and shitcans the drama.

While Iron Eagle keeps Lou Gosset Jr.

 

[Guestx]

2049 - human

I'm equally confident in all of these.

Well that's interesting. Personally, I'm not taking a side and consider the issue to be as-of-yet unresolved.

But just to offer you an alternative point of view, here's an article arguing that 2049 confirms he's a replicant:

http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/blade-runner/feature/a840015/blade-runner-deckard-replicant-human/

 

[Cubo de Sangre]

While Iron Eagle keeps Lou Gosset Jr.

Very nice.

Truth be told, I loved me some Iron Eagle in the day. But it's no Top Gun. That movie just does it right.

 

[Cubo de Sangre]

Well that's interesting. Personally, I'm not taking a side and consider the issue to be as-of-yet unresolved.

But just to offer you an alternative point of view, here's an article arguing that 2049 confirms he's a replicant:

http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/blade-runner/feature/a840015/blade-runner-deckard-replicant-human/

I appreciate your article. But I have a history with this series and that exact question wasn't an afterthought while viewing the new entry (me considering it 50/50 and all). Unless it's a definitive statement from Villaneuve it's all just worse than fiction. It's speculating on fiction.

Seriously though, I saw enough to make up my mind and I was paying attention. I could be wrong.

 

[Guestx]

I appreciate your article. But I have a history with this series and that exact question wasn't an afterthought while viewing the new entry (me considering it 50/50 and all). Unless it's a definitive statement from Villaneuve it's all just worse than fiction. It's speculating on fiction.

Seriously though, I saw enough to make up my mind and I was paying attention. I could be wrong.

Indeed.

Personally, I think it's a lot more fun if it remains ambiguous, and I think Villeneuve left it inconclusive just for that reason.

 

[Phlog]

I think the 90's was at best riding the coat tails of the 80's, tried to be a little more cerebral and cross genres occasionally.

The 80's was the golden era for action movies. A whole era of dumb shit where style mattered more than substance with nothing but corny messeges.

 

[Gene Tunney]

I've seen many movies in my time. Too many to count. '75-'85 had the best action B-movies.

 

[mmamxfan]

90s in so cal was a fucking warzone. u could get killed for looking at another dudes girls. they took gangbangin very seriously.

So you're saying Boyz n the Hood and Menace II Society were good 90's action flicks? I agree Colors was a great 80's action flick as well.

 

[raty tat tat]

thing is, many of these great 90's action movies, may have been written in the 80's, Face Off was first pitch as early as 1990. so you'd assume it may have started being written in maybe '89, Total Recall, the only thing 90's about that is its release date and i'm sure if you looked wider, a lot of ''classic 90's'' action movies will have been doing the rounds of all the studios for a while before being picked up.

Too bad that Face-off, True Lies and Speed weren't made in the 80s.

 

[mmamxfan]

Too bad that Face-off, True Lies and Speed weren't made in the 80s.

Speed was definetly a top 5 90s movie without a doubt

 

[raty tat tat]

A couple of others 90s action movies I liked

 

[Jimmy Jazz]

I don't feel like the action genre was really born until the 80s.

What do you think of as a 70s action movie? Dirty Harry or something like that?

Death Wish, dirty Harry, enter the dragon, mad max, the warriors,bucktown etc

 

[Organic Damage]

So what is stopping a resurgence of 80s style action movies today? They should be much cheaper to produce than CGI filled blockbusters.

Is it just that we are too cynical now, and those movies would come off as corny and fake? Hollywood too risk-averse? I can't believe screenwriters have run out of ideas...

Guerilla horror movies are still being made on a shoestring, why not action?

 

[Jimmy Jazz]

So what is stopping a resurgence of 80s style action movies today? They should be much cheaper to produce than CGI filled blockbusters.

Is it just that we are too cynical now, and those movies would come off as corny and fake? Hollywood too risk-averse? I can't believe screenwriters have run out of ideas...

Guerilla horror movies are still being made on a shoestring, why not action?

alot of 80s action were star driven I think. Also, the culture today is alot less macho.

 

[Organic Damage]

alot of 80s action were star driven I think. Also, the culture today is alot less macho.

I agree that beefy dudes have kind of fallen out of vogue, but a blue collar everyday guy like Bruce Willis's Jon McClane should still be doable if the script is there.

I guess he'd be some skinny jean wearing man-bunned hipster these days though.

 

[Jimmy Jazz]

I agree that beefy dudes have kind of fallen out of vogue, but a blue collar everyday guy like Bruce Willis's Jon McClane should still be doable if the script is there.

I guess he'd be some skinny jean wearing man-bunned hipster these days though.

yeah exactly. i guess we can only hope. I mean I think as I look back, it was just a special time and with guys like dolph, van damme, arnold, stalone etc. we were just lucky to have them to watch growing up.

 

[DM1982]

You're exactly right.

The 90's was peak time for action movies, culturally and technologically - the melding of these making the golden era of action movies.

Now, all the best ideas have been done (nothing lasts forever, everything is finite) and Hollywood is no longer interested in true creative minds, just profit makers.

In terms of quality, it's all downhill from here.

It was a good run lads, just be glad you lived through it.