Comparison of martial arts movies of the 1970s with the action blockbusters of 2009/10
Red Cliff, Ip Man Y true legend they’re already iconic of the “martial arts movies” of the early 21st century, though many would argue that they’re more of an action spectacle than true “kung fu” movies. The 1970s, on the other hand, were not based on flashy effects and were defined more by the true value of their martial arts actors: Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, the Five Poisons, Tomisaburo Wakayama, Jimmy Wong, and other live-action actors. fighters trained in authentic kung fu, karate and other arts.
Martial arts become mainstream Purpose evolves into entertainment
Cult classics like Enter the Dragon helped change Hollywood. Its growing popularity forced filmmakers to adopt martial arts into the “action movie” formula. During the 1980s and 1990s, sideshow thrillers were expected to offer “the wrestling moves,” even if it was just a few basic moves backed up by some stunt doubles and wires. Action movies became spectacles that required equal mixes of story, drama, pacing, “kung fu,” special effects, and unlikely plot twists.
In the 21st century, this became less “egalitarian” with movies relying first on special effects, then unexpected plot twists (surprise is important, right?), followed by pacing, martial arts skills , the drama and, last, and possibly least current, the story. . This trend even extended to the trending movies of recent years, including Kung Fu Panda, Forbidden Kingdom, G.I. Joe and even the transformers.
Asian film industry threatens to overtake Hollywood
With the full support and weight of China’s cultural industries, Asian cinema has become mainstream shows in high demand, led by CGI giveaways like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, House of Flying Daggers, and other instant classics. Asian cinema arguably overtook Hollywood in imagination long ago, with Western producers buying the rights to a number of blockbuster Asian films. With the largest demographic population in the world, there is no doubt that Chinese films will dominate the film industry for years to come.
red cliff Y ip man are perhaps the best known of these classic new hits, but rumor mills and fan sites are abuzz with the latest “coming soon” gossip. The big movies of 2010 are True Legend (Su Qi Er), starring Zhao Wen-Zho as the historical Begger Su, the creator of drunken kung fu. Donnie Yen returns in both parts 2 of the ip man saga and in the long-awaited 14 blades. Chow Yun-Fat breaks the mold and surprises everyone in his role as Confucius.
Both Hollywood and Asia rely on CGI and special effects
The growing spectacle and importance of the “action movie” is pleasing to the escapist and annoying to the true martial arts aficionado. While the actors in many of the films, particularly the Asian films, are true martial artists (for example, Donnie Yen, Jet Li, and Chow Yun-Fat), the over-reliance on CGI and elaborate choreography makes the adventure a comic. With notable exceptions, such as Ip Man and Tony Jaa in Ong Bak (and to a lesser degree ong bak 2 Y 3), most action movies rely on the “wow” factor of stunning camera angles and computer-aided “upgrades.”
Ninja Assassin and the Cross-Over
There are, without a doubt, crossover films like Ninja assassin, where actor Rain trained 14 hours a day for months to perfect real martial arts moves (albeit only a handful of repeated moves), combined with Matrix-like special effects. For some, the beauty of realistic CGI takes away the pleasure of seeing well-choreographed real martial arts.
Ong Bak, on the other hand, directed by genuine martial arts expert Tony Jaa, managed with solid martial arts and good choreography. Do not double, thank you. Tony Jaa was hailed as the “next Bruce Lee” for this reason, to much buzz and excitement in the martial arts community and on martial arts movie fan sites.
There is no escape Escapism
Action movies are, by design, escapist entertainment. They have become a kind of comic (excuse me, graphic novel), but that is what most of the public wants. We want to forget reality.
kill bill Y kill bill 2 It was probably closer to the ideal match for both the escapist fanatic and the martial arts fanatic. While it wasn’t “real” by any means, and contained a brilliant and savory combination of satire, comics, parody, and choreography, it nonetheless was nostalgic for the wonderful days of Enter the Dragon and the classic Japanese Samarai movies of the years. 70.
Does the Japanese film stay true to the traditions of martial arts?
Perhaps the film industry most aligned with the oldest traditions of martial arts film-making is Japan. Zatoichi, the blind swordsman, was a low-budget movie, which instantly became a cult classic. Zatoichi brought audiences back to the classic real sword skills of the old Samarai movies from decades before, spawning video games and an entire industry.
Less is more? Where is the true martial arts skill?
Genuine martial arts actors still abound, led by superstars like Donnie Yen and Jet Li, and most Chinese martial arts actors are competent. In Hollywood, filmmakers opt for four-move choreography (two kicks, a block, and a punch), multiple camera angles (particularly close-ups when the martial artist’s skills aren’t genuine), loud music, special effects, and stuntmen. . With the old Hollywood big-screen hopefuls (Chuck Norris, Jean Claude Van Damme and the other up-and-coming real martial artists) there is now a world of difference between Asian movie actors, working in freezing cold, fourteen hour days on often primitive conditions. conditions, crafting genuinely complex martial arts moves for relatively paltry paychecks, and Hollywood movies that now rely on computers and stand-in actors.
Batman now does Kung Fu
bat Man now he does kung fu, and also G.I. Joeand even hell boy. They’re fun, but the martial arts fan misses the great martial arts movie luminaries who built their careers on the “real thing”: Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, David Chiang, Sonny Chiba, Chen Kuan-tai, Tomisaburo Wkayama, Jimmy Wong Yu, Ti Lung and the Liu brothers.