The Death of the Action Genre

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

The action genre is perhaps the most popular genre of film. The addition of CGI to modern cinema brought along endless possibilities for fantastic stories, it brought unimaginable levels of creative freedom and provided directors and screenwriters the ability to take characters to far off lands and into other universes to face off against horrifying monsters beyond our wildest dreams. Unfortunately, none of this is what filmmakers have been giving us for the past several years.

Instead, we have received an endless supply of remakes.

Sit back and think of the last action movie you saw which wasn't based on something else. The last action movie which wasn't inspired by a novel, a reinterpretation of an older movie, based off of a toy, or some bizarre sequel which also serves as a prequel to a film which has long since been forgotten. It's practically impossible. Even fantastic recent releases in the action genre aren't innocent of this crime, wonderful films like Mad Max: Fury Road and Deadpool are both known to be based off of other material. Of course, the fact that comics, older films, and novels are being adapted into new and shiny movies with CGI screened in IMAX theaters in 3D isn't necessarily a bad thing. The negativity doesn't spawn from this new form of experiencing film, it spawns from the fact that this has been the only thing done with the action genre for the past several years.

Bearing that in mind, I now would like to draw your attention to other glaring flaws in the action genre; or rather, one flaw in particular: shaky cam. Shaky cam is a phrase used to describe the jerky motion cameras often take on in action sequences, in order to create a sense of disorientation and to make it difficult for the audience to clearly see the action. When it was first being used in action sequences it was tense, it kept audiences on the edge of their seats because they felt as though they were swept up in the confusing and dizzying magic of the fight on screen, with explosions blasting around them and fists flying. Unfortunately, like remakes, this has been overdone.

Shaky cam is no longer used to create intense and frighteningly real fighting sequences when the timing is right. Instead, it is used to distract audiences from just how poorly choreographed the fight scenes really are. With the camera trembling and jerking as badly as it is, directors no longer have to concern themselves with minor details made by actors in fight scenes, or with poor choreography done by actors who simply aren't capable of holding their own when their part requires them to do more than spout out a witty one-liner. The camera becomes a part of the action, and it disorients the audience to a point that choreography in fight scenes is no longer necessary, all you need is shaky cam, some quick cuts, and loud intense stock music.

Shaky cam is also the reason why Mad Max: Fury Road is such a success. Or rather, it's due to the film's lack of shaky cam. Mad Max resists the urge to consistently disorient its audience, and instead bravely trusts the actors and fantastic stunts to impress moviegoers. The film is also that much more intense, because scenes where people fall victim to the wheels of cars or succumb to blood loss after taking one too many bullets to the chest are now clearly visible, allowing tensions to rise as the audience is allowed to fully understand exactly what is at stake for our characters. This is no jerking trembling glimpse of an unknown character falling down because they were shot (or something, it's so hard to tell), this is life or death.

The action genre is dead, but it is not gone. There are still wonderful action movies out there, ones with original stories and fantastic beautifully choreographed fight scenes where you can clearly tell what is taking place. While it is perfectly acceptable to excitedly race to the theater to see the newest Marvel movie, I would also like to encourage you to seek out the independent action films, support those smaller budget action movies who are trying to establish something new and exciting within a genre full of rehashes of the same old story. Let's revive the action genre, and make it into something truly intense and thrilling.

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