Action movies in the 80's are better than the ones today.

[Gatx]

I never understood why people liked straight up action movies, especially from that period. My understanding is that it's just macho looking guys shooting lots of guns and blowing stuff up. It'd also occasionally end with a confusing hand to hand fight that may or may not have ended up with them wrestling on the ground but definitely involved lots of rapid cuts of confusing close up shots. Then again I was born in the 90s and was ever really exposed to those movies during broadcasts on weekend afternoons before I got cable.

I will say though that First Blood is a surprisingly deep movie before the franchise devolved into mindless action.

 

[malestrithe]

No, things are not better in the 80s. You are only remembering the better things from the 1980s. You see, your brain only remembers the best stuff from the era. It has forgotten about 85 percent of the bad stuff.

The reason why you think today is worse is because you have not given your brain enough time to filter out the bad, the mediocre and the forgettable.

Do I prefer the 80s, some parts. But I also like parts of the 90s, the 00s, and and even today.

 

[IamQ]

Meh. I don't know what else to say. I disagree with you immensly, but I don't care enough to say why.

Meh.

 

[In Search of Username]

Well done, you're a massive child.

Action movies are pretty bad in general but the eighties have a particular talent for being awful in pretty much all regards, and their action movies were just... godawful.

 

[Timmaaaah]

Good god why does everyone site CGI as the root of all evil? It's only bad if it LOOKS bad or like obvious CG. Obviously real is always better (miniature pyrotechnics, real buildings exploding, really blowing shit up like in 24 etc.). Aside from this, the old action films from the 80s mostly had terrible writing, shitty acting, and action that wasn't really all that intricate or styley.
Why do people love trashy action so much? I mean I get that it's hilarious, but as serious films? Honestly I think that anyone really treating those piece of shit films as actually good is either retarded or just plain being a hipster.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

Well done, you're a massive child.

Action movies are pretty bad in general but the eighties have a particular talent for being awful in pretty much all regards, and their action movies were just... godawful.

Or you've just forgotten how to have fun. Seriously, this reads like something the villain in a Victorian children's novel would say.

 

[In Search of Username]

Well done, you're a massive child.

Action movies are pretty bad in general but the eighties have a particular talent for being awful in pretty much all regards, and their action movies were just... godawful.

Or you've just forgotten how to have fun. Seriously, this reads like something the villain in a Victorian children's novel would say.

>Dislikes cheesy action movies from the eighties.
>Has no capacity for this human emotion you call 'fun'
>Is clearly evil

Not liking the same childish shit as you does not mean I'm a boring, humourless bastard. It is possible to have fun without being stuck in the eighties forever and rejecting everything since then as shit because it's new and occasionally not fucking moronic.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

Well done, you're a massive child.

Action movies are pretty bad in general but the eighties have a particular talent for being awful in pretty much all regards, and their action movies were just... godawful.

Or you've just forgotten how to have fun. Seriously, this reads like something the villain in a Victorian children's novel would say.

>Dislikes cheesy action movies from the eighties.
>Has no capacity for this human emotion you call 'fun'
>Is clearly evil

Not liking the same childish shit as you does not mean I'm a boring, humourless bastard. It is possible to have fun without being stuck in the eighties forever and rejecting everything since then as shit because it's new and occasionally not fucking moronic.

No, you not liking the same "childish shit" as I do doesn't say that. This post does, though. You need to chill out, man. That kind of anger is unhealthy.

Edit: Besides, I love a lot of modern action movies, especially if they're made by Marvel studios. I just think overall the action movies of the 80's were better than the action movies of today, because back then they weren't routinely censored to get a PG-13 rating. That's why the Marvel movies work -- the subject matter is all over the map, but the traditional idea of it is pretty much PG-13 fare. Other modern action movies? A lot of them could have benefited by less studio interference.

By the way, I find it funny how in the same breath you admonish me for automatically dismissing anything made after the 80's just for being made post-80's (which I didn't) and then dismiss all action movies for being action movies.

 

[nolongerhere]

Man, Commando was good in the same way that Megashark vs Giant Octopus is good. There were plenty of good action movies in the 80's. There are plenty now. Stop being old. You're stinking up the joint with your old man smell.

 

[chozo_hybrid]

Why can't we like both the then and now action movies? They all have their merits and such, and they were awful in a good way in the 80's as well as now, it's why I love them.

 

[NearLifeExperience]

Why can't we like both the then and now action movies? They all have their merits and such, and they were awful in a good way in the 80's as well as now, it's why I love them.

Most people in this thread are wearing the nostalgia goggles, so I think this falls on deaf ears. (or blind eyes) Same goes for music, "the music these days is SHIT, everything was so much better in " Also, the OP's name is 'Guy From the 80s'. Yeah.. now it totally doesn't reek of a severely biased statement.

>Dislikes cheesy action movies from the eighties.
>Has no capacity for this human emotion you call 'fun'
>Is clearly evil

>Using 4chan antics on the escapist
No. Just.. no.

 

[chozo_hybrid]

Why can't we like both the then and now action movies? They all have their merits and such, and they were awful in a good way in the 80's as well as now, it's why I love them.

Most people in this thread are wearing the nostalgia goggles, so I think this falls on deaf ears. (or blind eyes) Same goes for music, "the music these days is SHIT, everything was so much better in "

Exactly, there are great things from every generation of music, art, movies and games. Why one lot "has" to be better then others has never made sense to me.

 

[RandV80]

I never understood why people liked straight up action movies, especially from that period. My understanding is that it's just macho looking guys shooting lots of guns and blowing stuff up. It'd also occasionally end with a confusing hand to hand fight that may or may not have ended up with them wrestling on the ground but definitely involved lots of rapid cuts of confusing close up shots. Then again I was born in the 90s and was ever really exposed to those movies during broadcasts on weekend afternoons before I got cable.

I will say though that First Blood is a surprisingly deep movie before the franchise devolved into mindless action.

Well First Blood was based on a novel (in which the crazy Nam vet was actually killing people), and after making it Stallone took the character and ran with it his own way. Not that I mind though, Rambo is awesome!

Anyways back to the topic, it's more of a subtle thing but I think part of the appeal and/or nostalgia of 80's action movies and the like was that the actors each had their own unique qualities. Much of the action movies of this past decade cast the same type of generic 'leading man' actors.

Let's take the Bourne identity for example. While objectively it's probably a better movie than your typical 80's cheese-fests you could swap out Matt Damon with a dozen or two different lead actors and not notice a difference. Now try picturing Commando without Arnie... you can't really, it would be a different movie.

 

[Squilookle]

I always thought it was just common knowledge that 80s action movies were better than ones today. I barely ever even see this opinion disputed.

That said though, I think the 90s often get undersold a bit. Great as the 80s actioners were, Ive found that some films from the 90s were able to perfectly capture the 80s action elements, but wrap it all up in a slightly smarter, more involved plot. In many ways the first Die Hard seemed to be a template for the way 90s actioners gave you all the thrills but gave you something to think about too.

I'll always love 80s action films, but for me there was just something about 90s actioners that seemed to grab my interest just a tiny bit more. Films like Cliffhanger, Memphis Belle, The Rock, Mask of Zorro, Point Break, Terminator 2, Rocketeer, True Lies, Con Air (if that's your bag), Mission Impossible, Goldeneye, The Matrix, and especially Starship Troopers.

80s were great too, mind, but 90s just had that little bit more.

 

[romxxii]

Action movies today are all about nail polish and CGI. CGI are not that good looking so its really crap.

Action movies in the 80's are better than the reboot/remake SHIT today. After playing Blood Dragon I watched Commando (10/10) and I'm now watching the Running Man and after that I will watch total Recall and after than Predator.

Don't forget Die Hard, Terminator, Aliens, and Robocop. Predator is one of my all time faves, though, and something I watch at least once a year.

As for modern action movies, blame the Matrix for lulling producers and fight choreographers into the mentality that if they can't do it live, they'll just CG it in post. Still, there are a few good modern action movies. The Marvel superhero movies, for starters, are pretty decent as action films, despite being heavy on the CG.

Then there's the Dredd reboot, which is far closer to '80s action aesthetics (and also to 300) than it is to the original Sly vehicle.

The Raid: Redemption.

Agreed. One of the best action flicks of 2011/2012. Allegedly a more enjoyable watch if you can find the shitty Babelfish-translated subtitles.

 

[afroebob]

The first thing I thought of when I heard this was 'Christ, someone has been playing to much Blood Dragon'. Looks like my psychic senses are even more hightened than usual today.

Anyhow, just try to factor in the fact that none of the shitty movies are ever remembered and that almost every person in the world is (or eventually will be) completely blinded by nostalgia.

 

[Casual Shinji]

Yeah well, too bad.

Times change and so do people's interests. The 80's were great and so were the action movies, but we live in a different world now. The reason we don't see these movies anymore is because people simply don't want them. There was an innocence and a naivety to 80's/90's action that we've grown out of. We can still look back at them and enjoy them for what they are, but those times are gone. Deal with it.