We need new heroes…
Die Hard, Rambo, Indiana Jones.
You remember these movies, right? I’m not talking about the latest attempts of Hollywood to cash in on the names. I’m talking about the movies from back when the leading men (Bruce Willis, Sylvester Stallone, and Harrison Ford, respectively) were all young enough to play these rolls.
Harrison Ford was an amazing hero for a kid, with both Han Solo and Indiana Jones to choose from. Bruce Willis had that cocky, sardonic wit that appealed to me, and Stallone had the brooding thing down to a science. I loved these movies as a kid, but to see new installments with the same aging actors just bugs me a little. Perhaps I am being overly harsh, but I think there has to be a point where you admit that the good old days are done and “hang up your spurs”.
I don’t blame the actors, though. I’m willing to bet that they have a lot of themselves invested in their respective characters. I can respect that investments like that are not something you can walk away from easily. Like I said before, it’s Hollywood looking to cash in on established franchises at least one more time before they have to start, oh I don’t know, being creative. The problem is that the age (of both the characters and the actors) is becoming harder for audiences to overlook.
The most recent Rambo installment did not appeal to me in the least, since a 62 year old Stallone is not who I think of when I think action star. If someone gets into mind to make another Rocky, they had better exercise some sound judgment and keep Stallone out of the ring and onto the sideline, as a coach.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is a movie that actually appears interesting. However I will have to work hard to suppress the wince of seeing a 66 year old Harrison Ford trying to be a guy 20 years than he is.
Bruce Willis is one of those fortunate guys that have the ability to look better as he gets older. He’s also the youngest of the three, clocking in at a “spry” 53 years old. However, he’s delved into the intense brooding look, which is a far cry from the John McClain I remember. I can see him better as a tough as nails police chief rather than a rogue street detective.
I think we need new heroes, and new creative ideas from Hollywood. A couple of leading men and women who personify a role so much that they become iconic and timeless. I don’t have any candidates in mind, because that’s not something you can predict. Who knew that Harrison Ford would become a world class actor when he first stepped onto the set of American Graffiti? Who would have believed that David Addison from the TV show Moonlighting would be the ultimate springboard for Bruce Willis into stardom?
I have nothing against any of these actors, or any of these newer movies, for that matter. I just wish Hollywood would actually get off their collective asses and starting earning their pay by creating new things for audiences to enjoy, not rehashed characters from yesteryear.
That however, is a dream, and Hollywood will continue to do what it does best: Make as much money as possible while delivering as little as it can get away with.
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3 Responses to “ We need new heroes… ”
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Nice writing style. I will come back to read more posts from you.
Susan Kishner
[...] Bruce Willis had that cocky, sardonic wit that appealed to me, and Stallone had the brooding thing down to a science. I loved these movies as a kid, but to see new installments with the same aging actors just bugs me a little. … Source: We need new heroes… [...]
i suspect that Lucas wanted to buy some more real estate and the Indiana Jones’ series was the most convenient one to tack on another 100 mil episode