There are many different types of movies that fight for supremacy in the film industry, yet there’s always been a tacit understanding of the importance of action films. Admittedly, there’s a tendency to dismiss action movies as empty popcorn flicks that are more concerned about spectacle than story.
However, as more and more action movies make waves at the box office there’s been increased efforts to elevate these films into products that connect in both a commercial and critical sense. Action movies can still prioritize bewildering setpieces over everything else, but there’s now a greater appreciation for the craft where some of these movies are destined to become classics.
10 Mad Max: Fury Road Is An Absolute Revelation That Reinvents The Action Genre
George Miller is an influential filmmaker who’s revered for his Mad Max series, but the director has a surprisingly diverse filmography through movies like Babe and Happy Feet. There are twenty years between the third Mad Max and 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road, but immediately it’s clear that Miller has only grown as a director in these two decades.
Fury Road flips the script on Miller’s dystopian action franchise with Charlize Theron’s Furiosa being just as important as Tom Hardy’s Max. The action sequences in Fury Road are honestly unbelievable, especially since nearly everything in the film is practically done.
9 Mission: Impossible — Fallout Continues To Prove Why Tom Cruise Is An Action Star
It’s truly remarkable how Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible action movies have grown into one of the most challenging and dangerous modern film franchises. The collaboration between Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie has reinvigorated the franchise with fresh life. Each new entry features a death-defying stunt that hits even harder knowing that Cruise actually performs it.
Critics have raved over all of the recent entries in the series, but Mission: Impossible - Fallout is full of incredible moments. The helicopter setpiece boggles the mind, but the visceral bathroom fight with Henry Cavill is easily a top moment from the franchise.
8 John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum Is A Non-Stop Attack That Never Gets Tired
The John Wick movies have helped usher in a new style of action movies where highly choreographed, brutal fight scenes are the norm. There’s a heavy focus on intricate “gun fu” that turns Keanu Reeves’ weapons into seamless extensions of the actor’s body.
All three John Wick movies have garnered acclaim from critics, but the latest entry, Parabellum, is easily the most sensationalistic. The whole movie has Wick on the run. Every aggressive fight scene connects, but the addition of Halle Berry, some very good dogs, and John Wick on a horse makes it hard to deny this movie’s excellence.
7 Furious 7 Taps Into The Perfect Chaotic Balance That Makes This Franchise Work
In a world where superhero movies and endless franchises and connected universes rule the film industry, it’s extremely surprising that Fast and the Furious has grown into an original intellectual property that’s now a multi-billion dollar franchise. It’s ridiculous how these movies have gradually become hyperbolized and evolved from street racing to a team of individuals that are essentially superheroes that routinely save the world.
Fast Five marks the turning point in the series where these movies properly understand what they are, but the critics don’t fully get on board with the movies until James Wan’s Furious 7.
6 Inception Mixes Action Spectacle With Trippy Abstraction
Christopher Nolan has emerged as one of this generation’s most exciting directors and his movies have become appointment viewing with Nolan’s name often holding just as much weight as the subject matter. Recent efforts from Nolan, like Dunkirk and to a lesser extent, Tenet, are sophisticated action spectacles that connect with critics.
However, Nolan truly hits his sweet spot with Inception, which doesn’t just tell an intelligent and thought provoking story, but also consistently bombards the audience with surreal visuals that produce insane action and fight sequences.
5 War For The Planet Of The Apes Ends The Modern Trilogy On The Right Note
The Planet of the Apes is an iconic science fiction movie series from the 1960s and ‘70s. There were initially reservations over a modern remake, but the new Planet of the Apes trilogy actually surpasses the original movies in many ways.
Genuine conflict brews across these movies that comes to an incredible head in the concluding picture, War for the Planet of the Apes. The sprawling war sequences are fantastic, both from an action choreography and special effects standpoint. Critics were very on board with this new take and the trilogy’s final film is considered to be the strongest.
4 Baby Driver Is A Love Letter To Action, Music, And Car Chases
Edgar Wright is a filmmaker who has such a passion for genre, stylistic conventions, and the fundamental components that make movies what they are. Wright has spread his wings and tackled many different genres, but Baby Driver is pure action spectacle at its absolute best. The movie orchestrates a number of stunning car chases and one particularly inspired pursuit on foot.
However, Baby Driver excels with how Wright effortlessly combines visuals with music to create an explosive action film that more often than not feels like a music video. Many critics consider it to be Wright’s most accomplished work.
3 Looper Is An Action/Sci-Fi Hybrid That’s As Smart As It Is Fun
Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Knives Out have catapulted Rian Johnson into the big leagues as a director, but his previous movies are considerably more intimate stories, albeit ones that still grapple with huge ideas. Looper is a breakthrough picture for Johnson that doesn’t just prove his skills with the science fiction genre, but also as an action filmmaker.
Johnson properly delivers a complex premise that doesn’t collapse in on itself and showcases phenomenal performances from both Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis. Looper can get pulpy at times, but it still won over critics with its ambition.
2 Skyfall Brings Out The Heightened Nature Of Daniel Craig’s James Bond
There are few cinematic franchises that have the legacy and reputation as the James Bond movies, which also function as odd time capsules of their respective time periods. The 007 series gets seriously shaken— not stirred— up with the casting of Daniel Craig in Casino Royale. Craig’s Bond represents a more visceral and contemplative side to the action hero.
Skyfall is perhaps the height of Craig’s tenure in the role. Its suspenseful story that puts MI6 in danger is the perfect conduit for action and it has Bond at his most desperate and unpredictable.
1 Black Panther Makes It Out Of The Marvel Machine With An Evergreen Action Movie
There’s a worthwhile debate that rages on over whether the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s stranglehold on the film industry is ultimately positive or not. It’s fair to say that many promising directors get swallowed up by Marvel, only to turn out formulaic action movies. There are still occasions where a director’s voice and vision can break through and Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther is a perfect example.
Black Panther succumbs to the typical pitfalls of origin stories and superhero narratives, but it still delivers kinetic action sequences that feel productive to not just the future of the MCU, but also action movies.