The ‘80s and ‘90s were the heyday of the action film. Sure, effects allow for cooler sequences nowadays, but movies as a whole just worked better back then. They didn’t have CG doing half the work so stunts had to be real. They didn’t have the damned shakey-cam so you could actually see what was going on. Most of all though, the people behind the movies were unabashed about what they were making. These were movies that gave the chance for big explosions and lots of gunfire and didn’t need overly complicated explanations. The bad guys were bad, the good guys weren’t much better (they just were the winners in the end), and everyone embraced what was being made - a good, yet mindless action flick.
Some people may think that I’m romanticizing an era of days gone by, but look at how well action movies like Total Recall, The Running Man, Tango & Cash, or Demolition Man hold up. Then look at the common trait for all of those movies. The hero isn’t an Average Joe, thrown into a situation beyond his ken. He’s a character who is trained to handle situations like terrorist attacks, civil war, revolutionary uprisings, etc. These are characters with militaristic or police backgrounds at the very least. Putting action stars like Arnold Schwarzenegger or Sylvester Stallone as anything different would be ridiculous.
This brings us to today’s action stars, which are rarely afforded the same characterizations. The Rundown featured a virtual handing off of the action star baton, as Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson passes by Schwarzenegger on screen, who wishes the up and coming star to, “Have fun in there.” But Johnson’s bounty hunter character isn’t cut from the same stone as Arnie. He aspires to become a chef, and refrains from using guns. I have to wonder… why? Why bring a mixing spoon to a gun fight, when a gun would be so much cooler?
Johnson is poised to become the next superstar of the action genre, if only the actor would embrace roles that give him the opportunity to do so. Instead he plays characters who are anything but properly outfitted to take on alien invasions, bounty hunting, and the like. He wants to be a chef, he’s a former football player, or, in the case of this weekend’s Race to Witch Mountain, he’s a taxi driver. How are these action star type characters on par with Cobra or John McClane?
It’s obvious what’s being done here is an effort to keep Johnson family friendly. Predator and Terminator may be great pictures, but they weren’t exactly films that could be enjoyed by the entire family, particularly isolating the younger members of the family. By having Johnson a bit more family friendly, kids will also push their parents to take them to see Johnson’s non-action films, like The Game Plan or Witch Mountain. But I submit that Johnson can still embrace being an action star and make movies for the whole family. After all, Schwarzenegger made Twins, Junior, and Jingle All the Way. They may not have been critical successes, but they were still enjoyable movies that the whole family could enjoy.
While I understand the desire to preserve some of Johnson’s viewing audience, let’s be honest. It’s not like the man came into movies with a high pedigree for entertainment beyond action. He was a professional wrestler before entering film, where he played a character who was more bad-ass than almost anything he’s played on film (Doom possibly being the exception). Wrestling may be a family viewing event in some households, but most of them are the same homes that would prefer to see The Rock kick ass on the big screen over the cuddly Game Plan version of the actor.
I, for one, want to see Johnson embrace the genre he’s poised to take over and bring about a renaissance for action films. We could use another era where heroes show up and kick ass without having to contend with pissing off some audience demographic. Jason Statham is doing it, but he doesn’t draw the same attention Johnson does. We know from his wrestling days that The Rock can talk smack and deliver physical punishment. Why should his movies be any different? Forget about being “The Family People’s Champion” and focus on being a champion. The genre will thank you for it.
