Star Driven Action

People may go to a movie for a certain performer, but are movies defined BY their stars anymore? One could argue that there are ”Will Smith movies”, ”Tom Hanks movies”, ”Tom Cruise movies, and ”Jim Carrey movies”, but most of those movies feature other strong leads and draw in audiences with the subject matter as much as the actors. And what of the action stars? I think it's safe to say that the era of the Schwarzenegger and Stallone movies came to an end in the last decade. Has anyone stepped up to fill their shoes? The Rock is the first one that jumps to mind, especially given a key scene early in The Runaround. Vin Diesel certainly seems to have interest in attaining that stature. Whether he will or deserves to may be another matter.

In my ongoing quest to catch up on movies, I treated myself to a double-feature of Dirty Harry and Magnum Force tonight. Watching movies that can undeniably be defined as ”Clint Eastwood movies” got me thinking. I grew up watching Schwarzenegger and Stallone movies as well as Mel Gibson in the Lethal Weapon series. I don't think movies are as star-driven anymore, not like they once were. Are there any more John Waynes? Charles Bronsons? Steve McQueens? Jimmy Stewarts?

I wonder whether it comes down to the way films are marketed nowadays, or if some of the performers I mentioned are looked at through the eyes of nostalgia. Actors in famous films from before I was born have certainly earned legendary status. Will the ones I grew up with be seen as legends by those younger than me? Is Hanks today's Jimmy Stewart? Are Johnny Depp and Matt Damon guaranteed careers cemented in film history? These are questions that may not be answered for thirty years, and whose answers may be subjective.

In life, we’re all the stars of your own movie. Do you go for the movie or for the star? As time goes on, which will you remember....?