MovieChat Forums > G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009) Discussion > Why does everyone think action movies ar...

Why does everyone think action movies are supposed to be dumb?

posted 13 years ago by Iron_Eagle74
11 replies | jump to latest

After reading one person after another defend not only THIS movie, but also so many other recent so-called "action" movies, why is it that our culture now perceives a "good" action movie as being nothing but mindless action and CGI? I don't recall that being the case when I was younger and going to see movies like "Lethal Weapon" and "Die Hard." Those movies are action movies, but they aren't mindless either. Those movies actually had stories with at least some emotional depth, and the actors actually acted.

Now it seems, in 2011, all you have to do is put acting dummies in front of a green screen, plug in the CGI, and people love it. I'm TIRED of people defending this stuff. Action movies may never win the Best Picture Oscar, but they don't have to be mindless either. I get nothing from just watching crap blow out for 2 hours. I could play a video game if I want that. But sadly, some video games have better stories and acting than many movies these days.

[–] bh_tafe3 9 years ago

The way I judge films is to ask one simple question: did i enjoy watching it? Often this is influenced by expectations going in. It really is that simple. I enjoyed watching the Deer Hunter and i enjoyed watching this for very different reasons. In the case of this there was a certain sense of nostalgia as i read the comics. Apart from a few storylines and the Special Missions series, the comics were reasonably ludicrous. For instance Cobra madmen trick GI Joe into nuking a fault line and that causes the formation of an island that is then declared a sovereign territory and a consulate built in Washington, in spite of Cobra being a known terrorist organisation. Serpentor was created by a mad scientists who'd stolen the remains of Ghengis Khan (among others) to create a perfect warrior.

This is supposed to be wscapism. I liked seeing Destro, The Baroness, Scarlet and Snake Eyes. I liked the OTT comic book story they were telling. This was the story i read as a kid (with some changes) on the big screen. I find the mild snobbery of saying that a person's ability to enjoy tbis is somehow a reflection on their intelligence or a window into their film tastes rather tiresome.

[–] 9 years ago

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