Are these movies made for us?

[Majin Android]

I’m putting this discussion in this forum cause it primarily pertains to new action cinema.

As movie goers we definitely don’t want to get ripped off by a movie that doesn’t entertain us but since we are in this forum and probably belong to a sub-sect of movie fans who like onscreen combat. Are today’s movies made for us and our discernible eyes? Do we demand too much from new movies perhaps asking them to adhere to what we believe is right and proper old school shit?

I’ve been in this group on and off for over a decade now and I feel some opinions are very short sighted, unrealistic from a commercial/financial stand point and it would seem some people even have some sort of inner contempt for the non western audience (including it’s filmmakers) some of these films may be intended for.

Me, I go to the movies to enjoy and am definitely not as critical as I once was. Accepting certain films as they are that may inspire younger folks who weren’t there to see our heroes. Hopefully it’s worthwhile to them.

[Drunken Monk]

I think we have a more critical eye than some when it comes to action but I'm able to enjoy a Hobbs & Shaw just as much as I enjoy a Legend of a Fighter. The glory days are gone and action has moved on. I'd be silly if I didn't move with the times. Getting stuck in the past will really ruin your ability to enjoy genuinely good modern movies.

With that said, it is frustrating when a modern film attempts to tap into the martial arts genre and fails. I think most people would say that about Snake Eyes: GI Joe Origins. I enjoyed the movie quite a bit but I was disappointed that they didn't pull off crisp, clean action.
Let's face it, we've been spoiled by the best of the best. We've also been spoiled by a concept that, for today's audiences, might be outdated: shapes. I'm not sure shapes would work for the modern movie goer. Though it is exciting to see films like Shang-Chi attempt something a little more traditional.

At the end of the day, I'm a cinema lover. I don't restrict myself to slamming on the breaks when something lies outside of classic martial arts cinema. I enjoy action in all its forms. What it comes down to is whether that action is good. I tend not to compare it to what, in my mind, are the true pantheon of action movies in my head. The bathroom fight in Mission: Impossible blew me away as much as the final fight in The Victim. Both for different reasons.

[Majin Android]

Thanks for the input. In my daily life I don’t know too many hardcore martial arts movie fans. Most of my peers are online and at times we have things in common and things we don’t.

Edited August 23, 2021 by Majin Android

[Drunken Monk]

3 hours ago, Majin Android said:

Thanks for the input. In my daily life I don’t know too many hardcore martial arts movie fans. Most of my peers are online and at times we have things in common and things we don’t.

Same here. I don’t know a single martial arts movie fan offline. The community is definitely an online experience for me.

[Cognoscente]

It would be nice if a martial arts movie was made through the focus group process. Maybe the fear of test screenings would be diminished somewhat.

[DarthKato]

I think that movies are made first and foremost for the fans. We give our money and our time to the product they produce. So I do think they have an obligation to try and produce the best, most faithful(In the case of adaptions of existing franchises) movies that they can. Do I think we(Myself included) can overboard sometimes? Sure, but that is only because we actually have love for this stuff and not just see it as a means to make money. And I'm sure most of us want for our children and our children's children to have great films(And books and TV Shows for that matter) like we grew up with, and not some bastardized production, that was made to either make money or to pander to those that don't really care. 

That is my opinion anyways.