comScore
  1. Mediaite
  2. Gossip Cop
  3. Geekosystem
  4. Styleite
  5. SportsGrid
  6. The Mary Sue
  7. The Jane Dough
  8. The Braiser

Oh Hollywood

Sylvester Stallone Blames the End of Action Movies on Superheroes, Which We Thought Were in Action Movies

by Jamie Frevele | 2:57 pm, May 30th, 2012


Sylvester Stallone is upset, you guys. Upset that action movies just aren’t what they used to be. You know, back when men were men, and so were action movies. Now it’s just a bunch of magic guys in tights who don’t participate in any real action because their magic make it too easy. And that’s not action. I mean, look at those freaking arms! Sylvester Stallone never let anyone do any CGI to him, I’ll tell you that.

But seriously, he said that action films are “fading away.” Has he not been to the movies at all in recent years? Man, he’s been working hard on Expendables 2, sequestered all the way up in that Tibetan mountain lodge, far away from civilization as we know it!

In an interview with Entertainment Tonight to discuss The Tomb, Stallone talked about how action movies just ain’t what they used to be:

“This genre unfortunately is becoming… let’s just say it’s fading away. You have the superheroes today which are possessed with all extraordinary powers; they can blink and a fireball comes out of there. It’s great. And then you have a bunch of us which is just your basic male-pattern badness. … Kind of like hands-on action.”

Oh, I see. Movies like Rambo and Die Hard were more, um, practical. But movies like the ones starring his fellow Expendable Jason Statham don’t qualify, nor do the ones starring the Man Who Will Never Stop Actioning Bruce Willis, who is coming out with Looper soon and was also in both Expendables movies. And while Nicolas Cage was not in any Expendables movies (“How am I not in this movie???”), he continues to launguish in the sleepy indie scene, doing nothing artsy fartsy stuff like the National Treasure franchise, Seeking Justice, Drive Angry, Stolen, Trespass, and Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, but that’s a “magic” movie.

But yeah, action movies: totally “fading away.”

I’m not going to snark on Sylvester Stallone for perhaps just not being the spring chicken he used to be and, therefore, not having the same appeal that he had in the ’80s. Because Stallone is, to me, always going to be Stallone. (Because seriously, look at his freaking arms! Those are real!) I’m also not going to say this is all about “man movies,” because I think Stallone is just waxing nostalgic for the macho heyday of the ’80s. (Who wouldn’t if it made them tons and tons of money?) I just find it kind of cute that he feels like we haven’t found our generation’s Rambo or Rocky, our “rags-to-riches” underdog story — and Captain America doesn’t count, because Steve Rogers has fantastical superpowers. (Honestly, that’s kind of why I’m not into Superman; he can just… do everything. Sigh.) Right now, superheroes are cool, the same way Rambo was cool. And sometimes Connor MacLeod is cool. And then the Terminator is cool. It’s the business of show, my friend. It’s a crazy ride. We might still find our Rambo.

But for now, we’re into the Avengers. Don’t worry — people will still totally see Expendables 2. (Because everyone in the world is already part of the cast, and they want to see if they look good in it.)

(via Blastr)

TAGS: | | | | | | | |


  • http://twitter.com/AlexdaGOAT Al

    I think he’s speaking more about the old R-Rated action movies where there was crazy killing and they dropped the f-bomb every 20 seconds. The movies where there was more hand-to-hand combat and fighting without crazy powers. Those are a dying breed.

  • Anonymous

    I blame Judge Dredd.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1232957605 Leah Nardo

    Seriously?  Classic action movies are every bit as unrealistic as superhero movies ever thought about being.  One dude with one machine gun and no extra ammo clips takes out an entire base (the bullets!  They just keep coming!  Magic?  NAW).  Yeah, real gritty and true to life there, dude. 

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/5ZXIEGCAFZ4F7LBI6QTTN3YJCY Ashe

     What are you talking about? Commando was the most grounded movie I’ve ever seen!

  • http://www.facebook.com/Travis.K.Fischer Travis Kyle Fischer

    Edit: whoops, that was supposed to be a new comment

  • Katie Marinelli

    Actually, from what I understand from the comics, Captain America should be just the type of character he likes. While more recent comics kind of stretch it a bit, CAPTAIN AMERICA DOES NOT HAVE SUPER POWERS. He’s supposed to be the peak of human physical perfection, something near impossible for most people but achievable if someone dedicated their life to training. He can’t heal super fast but his metabolism makes him heal faster than most, he’s not supposed to have super strength, just be able to do what 99% of the population can’t. Really, besides the fact that he got this from a super serum, he seems a lot like those characters. He’s an army man who is like a one man army who has lost a lot of people. Give him a bit of a grittier attitude and he’d fit in with the 80s ‘action heroes’.

  • Adam R. Charpentier

    Yeah, I think most of the “seriously?” comments missed his point entirely. It doesn’t sound like he’s griping to me, just admitting that most of the blockbuster action flick stars are getting a little long in the tooth and there haven’t been any real replacements, aside from Jason Statham, to come along and pick up the flag.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Amanda-LaPergola/81300432 Amanda LaPergola

    The grapes, they are so sour.

  • Sandra Barclay

    I think he has something of a point. Now in the day and age of special affects I feel that some fight scenes lack a certain oomph. There is a lack of connection and sacrifice that you can really feel. It’s kinda like how I was really confused about Asterix, although I love that comic. In it, everyone says how BRAVE these heroes are, when the only reason they are heroes is because of a special magic spell that makes them practically invulnerable. Yeah. It’s easier to be a superhero when you have super powers.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_AOFTU2AM7WRZZFDC6SPN4XF6KQ Null

    Good point. Batman’s a normal human, just at peak mental and physical ability.

  • Life Lessons

    Oh good grief. Sly, really?

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_BJ65LLJI6OOKT7NR4SLMWO2XZA Dazee

    No, I agree. I’ve been saying this for awhile. Not in a complaining way, but saying we aren’t really getting our cheesy but fun, over use of explosions and guns, one liners galore, action movies anymore. Superhero movies are filling in the slot. The only thing that bugs me about this is our Superhero stories are losing a bit of of their integrity? is that the right word to use? To fill in this void of the big boom action flick.

    It’s also difficult to get this anymore. A guy running around shooting a gun.. Not only has it been done, but wouldn’t you rather see someone who can fly and pick up cars and man, when they punch someone, that person goes through WALLS.. with an s.. plural.. as in, more then one wall. Minor sarcasm aside, my point is, I get where he’s coming from. He’s not saying that superhero movies are bad and need to be stopped, it’s just difficult for your regular joe (or GI Joe, or Action Joe) to compete with Superheroes.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_HMXVDJOPQQC7D7HRBEZ6LRDIEM Vicky

    I disagree with you and think you missed the point completely.  He’s right.

X