True. However, after they changed their ways and tried to compete more directly with Hollywood productions, they had their success for awhile, but it's not sustainable. They're going nowhere. They had become mere followers.
They used to be pioneers on martial art movies, stunts and created many unique sub-genres like heroic bloodshed, gun-fu, wire-fu, fantastical gambling and sports movies, cooking movies, all of which had no American counterparts. Asian people watched Hollywood AND Hong Kong movies. Instead of competing, they complements each other.
Their mistake was wanting to be more like Hollywood. Car chases, explosions, extensive CGI, sci-fi, etc. Nobody can't win againts the mighty USA in this kind of race. Now instead of watching both American and Hong Kong movies, audience COMPARES both productions. Hollywood would obviously wins every time.
Europe, too, I think still able to carve their own niche. Why not make Europan martial arts movies? I heard Russian and Balkan people likes martial arts, and other countries love East European-themed martial art movies, e.g., Boyka / Undisputed, etc. They have one of the best real martial art, Sambo. Afterall, many UFC champions came from these countries.
If Indonesia, via The Raid movies, was able to popularize a relatively unknown Silat into international audience right through Star Wars and John Wick 3, why not Sambo? It is even more brutal looking. Slavic people also has the right face type and body to portray though guys. I would like to consume dozens of B-movies about these adrenaline pumped muscle balls punching each other in style.
They are cheap to produce and has a long long long shelves life. They would be run run run again and again in cables and TVs. People still rent and watch 90s martial art movies. That's quite a lot of royalties to collect.
That's just one of my idea. It might work, or not. But right now, Europe just not even trying. They only produce mediocre boring movies covering non-interesting themes with no appeal to international audience whatsoever. They just want to pat themselves in the back and say this is "high art" or some shit. All while using every tax breaks and government subsidies.
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Stratego (30576)
5 years ago
Asian movies have definitely become too Hollywood. A shame, really.
I think we Europeans will always think Asians (or even Americans!) do martial arts movies better than we possibly could. I think it would seem silly to most of us. Maybe the Balkan countries would make them if they had the money.
I think the most popular domestic movies over here are comedies and kids movies right now and not so much arty farty films.
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actionkamen (23176)
5 years ago
Other thing I want to add about Europe is that you got a really diverse and older heritage. Europe also has lots of different countries to choose as settings.
I think adventure movies like, say, spy mission or a hitman across Istanbul to The Haag would be cool. Jackie Chan did exactly that in The Accidental Spy, First Strike and Who Am I. But why must it was made by a Chinese. Why not by the Europeans themselves?
All those natural sceneries and man made buildings. Beautiful!
Just stay away from typical settings like Paris, Venice, Berlin, etc. I mean American movies already made enough movies set in those places all the time. For how many times again I have to see a spanning aerial shots of The Eiffel tower. I mean, it's good and all, but man, you guys have much much more than that.
Also, racial and etnicity diversity. Every year the good ol' USA made countless movies about racism, black people and white people, jews, etc. And they sell well. But Europe has even more people from all over the places.
In fact, I enjoyed the movie Doodslag (2012) very much. It's nice to learn a thing or two about how people of different backgrouds interact. Could be a little bit tighter and paced a bit better, but it's good enough. It was gripping and intense.
It's a movie one could not get from Hollywood. Americans don't know the ins-and-outs of Europe. They can make bang bang shooty shooty movies set in Europe all they want, buy they can never make a social commentary film on Europe.
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Stratego (30576)
5 years ago
Who Am I? was actually filmed in my hometown! I remember it being a pretty big deal back then.😆
We should and could do better. But to have a big movie industry that can compete with Hollywood, we need to work together and that's pretty much impossible!
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