Has Hollywood Lost its Shine?

I’ve always been a big film fan. I like nothing more than submerging myself in the plot of a complex ‘who dunnit?’, or cheering myself up with a side-splitting comedy flick. But I’ve never been the kind of person who waits on the next Hollywood blockbuster with baited-breath.

This is because action packed, multi-million pound movies tend to bore me. You know the kind I mean: the ones where 99% of the budget is spent on over-the-top special effects, leaving only 1% to spend on hiring a group of people with some grasp of the concept of acting. It’s as if these films are specifically targeting people with ADHD – the creators having adopted a ‘Quick, it’s been five minutes… blow something up or they’ll get bored’ approach to film-making.

Granted, those kinds of films did once appeal to me. As a kid I thought films like Terminator, Demolition Man, and Die Hard were possibly the best things ever. Guns, fighting, explosions, motorbikes, swear words I’d never heard before, knives, fire… what more could a 12 year want? As the years went by, though, I started to get the feeling there might be more to a truly great film than gratuitous violence and foul language.

This realisation turned me off such films completely. In fact, up until a recent cinema experience, I hadn’t watched an explosion-heavy action movie in years. This changed a few weeks ago, when a friend and I went to see The Expendables – an action pad thriller about a group of gun-toting mercenaries overthrowing a South American dictator.

What can I say? Put it this way, the film was in stark contrast to my new-found appreciation of character development and Tarantino-style jump-cut shots. Indeed, this ghastly monstrosity was a flawless demonstration of why I stopped watching Hollywood blockbusters in the first place.

Thankfully, the films I enjoy watching now differ tremendously from the purée of meaningless scenes and beyond-ridiculous characters served up by Sylvester Stallone and company in The Expendables.

One of my friends works in the film industry, and recommended to me a whole range of world cinema films. Many are either subtitled or in black and white, which proved a bit of a culture shock, but once I’d overcome my initial hesitance I began to really appreciate them.

The beauty of these films is they rely on the quality of the storyline and characters – unlike a Hollywood movie that can succeed providing the inclusion a star name and a few car chases. Because of this, in world cinema there is a noticeable attention to detail – there are no throwaway lines or aimless subplots. The whole script is tight and neat, and feels as if closer attention has been paid to ensuring the movie is as enthralling as possible.

I’m new to world cinema films, so I couldn’t yet say I have a favourite genre. However, I enjoy anything that gives the viewer an insight in to the workings of a characters mind, and allows you to speculate on the reasons behind their actions. Films such as La Haine and Man Bites Dog – a film made by three Belgian film students on a £20,000 budget – are excellent examples of explorations of the psychology behind one’s actions. This kind of character depth is often sorely lacking in your average Californian chart-topper.

If you’re looking for a low-budget, non-English speaking film that easily matches up to its big-bucks, mega-movie equivalent, look no further than Come and See. This epic, Belarusian masterpiece about the Nazi occupation of Soviet Belarus is, in my opinion, the most brutal, powerful, and mesmerising war film ever created. It will stay with you for weeks afterwards – you’ll think about it ten times a day when you’re awake, and you’ll dream about it when you go to sleep. The fact it only has a 15 certificate is testament to the strength of its captivating plot and relatable characters – and proof you don’t need gore and guts to make a good war movie.

Its best-known Hollywood equivalent is probably Saving Private Ryan. I’m not denying it’s an excellent film, but I think Come and See achieves everything Saving Private Ryan does and more – without the need for gruesome scenes of violence, an all-star cast, or a multi-million dollar budget.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying movies are only good if they’re made on a shoe-string. Nor am I saying all Hollywood films are bad; I thoroughly enjoyed Inception – explosions and all. I’m merely pointing out that there is an enormous variety of films available – not just the ones at your local cinema. And if you’re willing to dig deep, you just might unearth something you didn’t even know you liked.

What do you think? Do films like Iron Man, Hancock, Fast and the Furious, Transporter, and The Incredible Hulk do it for you? Or do you think they’re just all the same as each other? Leave a comment and let us know!

by Chris Warburton

Tags: action films, blog, come and see, demolition man, die hard, expendables, film, films, hackney, hollywood, london, opinion, review, saving private ryan, terminator, yh world, young people, youth