The only right answer is Demolition Man
Indiana Jones trilogy, Big Trouble in Little China, Die Hard
I don't know if I count the Indiana Jones or Star Wars movies as action films for the purposes of this question. There was a lot more depth to their stories than, say, Die Hard or Terminator 2. T2, for example, was a movie about blowing stuff up that happened to have a little bit of plot behind it. Empire, on the other hand, was a movie with a lot of plot behind it that involved some blowing up of stuff.
I'll throw a dark horse out there: GoldenEye. Yes, it had a plot that was a little more complex than "kill bad guys in a building to save hostages", but that plot was pretty much just the setup for lots of stunts, explosions, gun battles, sex, etc. It was the perfect Bond movie for the time, and one of my favorites in the series. If only they hadn't spent the next three films trying to recapture its mindless fun with paper-thin plots, poorly-done action sequences and terrible acting.
Quote:I don't know if I count the Indiana Jones or Star Wars movies as action films for the purposes of this question. There was a lot more depth to their stories than, say, Die Hard or Terminator 2. T2, for example, was a movie about blowing stuff up that happened to have a little bit of plot behind it. Empire, on the other hand, was a movie with a lot of plot behind it that involved some blowing up of stuff.
I'll throw a dark horse out there: GoldenEye. Yes, it had a plot that was a little more complex than "kill bad guys in a building to save hostages", but that plot was pretty much just the setup for lots of stunts, explosions, gun battles, sex, etc. It was the perfect Bond movie for the time, and one of my favorites in the series. If only they hadn't spent the next three films trying to recapture its mindless fun with paper-thin plots, poorly-done action sequences and terrible acting.
Blech. Brosnan was the worst bond, IMO. Goldeneye was good despite him.
Quote:Blech. Brosnan was the worst bond, IMO. Goldeneye was good despite him.
Yeah, that's kind of what I was getting at. Brosnan was terrible in the role, but he did have a couple of brilliant moments (the interrogation of the hitman in Tomorrow Never Dies comes to mind). I can't help but wonder if it was because he was genuinely a terrible fit for the role, or if he was just given scripts that would have made Jean Claude Van Damme cringe.
Quote:Yeah, that's kind of what I was getting at. Brosnan was terrible in the role, but he did have a couple of brilliant moments (the interrogation of the hitman in Tomorrow Never Dies comes to mind). I can't help but wonder if it was because he was genuinely a terrible fit for the role, or if he was just given scripts that would have made Jean Claude Van Damme cringe.
It's possible. I, admittedly don't like Brosnan in anything and think he's very subpar as an actor.
Quote:Yeah, that's kind of what I was getting at. Brosnan was terrible in the role, but he did have a couple of brilliant moments (the interrogation of the hitman in Tomorrow Never Dies comes to mind). I can't help but wonder if it was because he was genuinely a terrible fit for the role, or if he was just given scripts that would have made Jean Claude Van Damme cringe.
It was definitely the scripts and the director. They went way overboard on trying to use all the computer generated crap and whoever camp up with those plot lines should be shot! They were bad, just bad.
I think Dalton was a worse Bond than Brosnan.
Quote:I think Dalton was a worse Bond than Brosnan.
Got to strongly disagree on that one. Dalton played Bond closer to Ian Fleming's original vision than anyone else. Brosnan and Roger Moore were, by far, the worst Bonds.
Quote:Got to strongly disagree on that one. Dalton played Bond closer to Ian Fleming's original vision than anyone else. Brosnan and Roger Moore were, by far, the worst Bonds.
If you go by the books, yes. But if you just go by the movies alone, Dalton wasn't Bond. And I loved Moore as Bond!!
Quote:If you go by the books, yes. But if you just go by the movies alone, Dalton wasn't Bond. And I loved Moore as Bond!!
You guys are both wrong. George Lazenby by a landslide.
Quote:Got to strongly disagree on that one. Dalton played Bond closer to Ian Fleming's original vision than anyone else. Brosnan and Roger Moore were, by far, the worst Bonds.
This. Dalton is actually a very talented actor. He did bring 007 a lot closer to Ian Fleming's original vision as were the first few movies with Sean Connery. The two with Dalton weren't great commercial successes due in large part to the relatively weak scripts and the more literal interpretation that Dalton gave of the character. Playing it that way after audiences had gotten used to the wisecracking Roger Moore probably turned a lot of people off.
Quote:You guys are both wrong. George Lazenby by a landslide.
I'll see your Lazenby and raise you a Woody Allen.
Yes, Woody Allen did play James Bond in a James Bond movie.
Quote:I'll see your Lazenby and raise you a Woody Allen.
Yes, Woody Allen did play James Bond in a James Bond movie.
Moore for me. Dang Craig is good though.
The right answer is Commando.
Arnold at his bad guy smashing, one liner dropping best.
Plus Alyssa Milano in an early role and Rae Dawn Chong totally miscast as the "is it platonic or is it love" interest.
80s slop at its finest!
80s: Tango & Cash, Predator, Die Hard, Black Rain (maybe not that much action)
90s: Speed, From Dusk 'til Dawn
Just thought of one, Independence Day. Cheesy scenes (I'm looking at you, dog jumping into supply closet in tunnel before flames hit you), campy lines and totally awesome from top to bottom.
Quote:Just thought of one, Independence Day. Cheesy scenes (I'm looking at you, dog jumping into supply closet in tunnel before flames hit you), campy lines and totally awesome from top to bottom.
Not to go all white chick on you, but I can't even. When I was in the service, I swear this movie was on repeat and was available 24-7. Unless you tied me down, pinned open my eyelids, and held my face to the screen, I'm not watching that movie again.
Quote:Just thought of one, Independence Day. Cheesy scenes (I'm looking at you, dog jumping into supply closet in tunnel before flames hit you), campy lines and totally awesome from top to bottom.
That was a fun one. Will Smith as a wise-cracking fighter pilot was entertaining for sure. It didn't really have any lasting impact on the genre, though. Movies about aliens blowing stuff up existed long before it.
Quote:The right answer is Commando.
Arnold at his bad guy smashing, one liner dropping best.
Plus Alyssa Milano in an early role and Rae Dawn Chong totally miscast as the "is it platonic or is it love" interest.
80s slop at its finest!
You are late, I already gave the right answer. :yes:
Quote:Action movies were great in the 80s/90s, much better than what are offered these days, with few exceptions, at least imho.
I think it's mostly because the 80s/90s action stars were so much better then those considered action stars today, once again, with few exceptions.
Go see mad max