In the past decade the action genre of film has dwindled. It's rare that we see a modestly budgeted action film make its way into theaters and even when it does it hardly ever does well. What we mostly see is films with titanic budgets, usually comic book based films, and the throwbacks to the good old days of action are only found on direct to video films with varying degrees of quality. But with the critical and financial success of John Wick, a modestly budgeted and original action film with countless potential for a large franchise, could the genre make a good comeback and if so how could it stay firmly in the box office once again?
Good point, about almost all action movies these days being either based on comic books or revamps of old movies. As a fan of the genre, this can be frustrating, and after a while the movies tend to be very repetitive. – fountainja10 years ago
Another thing to look at within the rebirth of this genre is the actors participating in it. Since Liam Neeson essentially rebranded his career as "action star," what other actors are following suit? Is it more about the money or the excitement of running around and beating the crap out of bad guys? Films like John Wick are the cornerstone for the future of solid, pulpy, and very exciting action filmmaking. But are filmmakers like that only doing it in order to get a bigger opportunity...like directing a superhero movie? – Giovanni Insignares10 years ago