Movies:Technology As the New Superhero

What can you really say about Steven Seagal's Exit Wounds that everybody doesn't already know? It's genial, and horrendously-acted (cept for DMX); the story line is absurd; the writing is mindless. It's also fun. There's no point in wasting much time discussing this predictable action film, except that it does suggest something far more interesting: the exit of the Hollywood Superhero. Technology is the Superhero now. (Read more.)

Until recently, the cinematic Superhero has been a major cultural force: Swarzenneger, Stallone, Seagal, Gibson, Van Damme. Although they vary in style -- Swarzenneger likes millenial, biblical and apocalyptic backdrops for his movies, while Seagal is always playing the Lone Ranger surrounded by a sea of corruption -- they have common characteristics. They are anti-authoritarian loners (women love them, but they can't seem to keep any around for long); they carry a lot of hardware, usually 9mm Glocks they can ram clips into and then spew smoking, clinking shells all over.

Things tend to catch fire and explode all around them. The Hollywood Superheroes have little of the nuance or complexity of the comic-book variety. They aren't torn about their roles or identities, they don't have complex histories. Their power comes from muscles and hardware.

They're tough on vehicles, racking up scores of cars, trucks, buses, trains and planes in whatever hapless city they happen to be shooting their way through. They are unabashedly out-of-touch. And they're dinosaurs, fading relics of another time.

Maybe, like Stallone's Rambo, they were post-Vietnam guys who stood in for America's sense of shame and failure, or antidotes to the age of sensitivity and political-correctness.

This genre seems outmoded. Whatever reason the Action/Superhero had for existing seems murky now. Teens are flocking to dumb teen flicks rather than dumb action movies, maybe because they get to watch cheerleaders getting dressed. The Net generation favors a new kind of superhero. Neo (Matrix), Vincent Freeman (Gattaca), and for that matter, the Skywalker gang, none of whom are muscle-heads. They're more likely to use low-tech forms of combat, like martial arts and quick wits. Unlike the massive, thick-necked behemoths above, they're slight and vulnerable, neurotic and brooding.

Perhaps most interesting about these new Superheroes is that they really aren't Superheroes. To younger filmgoers, technology is the hero, not some pumped dumbell with a machine gun. Those guys seem clunky, outdated, overtaken. It's never quite clear what they're fighting for -- ancient warrior notions of bravery perhaps.

Contemporary movie heroes win with superior technology or, at least, superior techno-thinking. They have a spiritual side. The good guys of today's movies don't win by being quick on the draw, but fast on the keyboard.

Technology is surfacing as a character in itself, one which has captured the imagination of younger moviegoers. It was the unheralded star in movies like Titanic and Saving Private Ryan. And Tomb Raider's Lara Croft, a literal creation of technology, is about to get her own movie, starring Angelina Jolie. (The buzz is good). Two of the best moments in The Matrix are when Neo smiles as martial arts tricks are downloaded into his brain, and when he's able to move faster than a speeding bullet (or virtually conjure up some impressive old-Superhero style gunpower). But it's technology that drives him, saves him, and lets him defeat the bad guys. Technology was also the star of Gattaca one of the other prescient techno-theme movies in recent years. Ethan Hawke's prescient character fights the gene fascists by using their own technology against them. As the gene map makes its way to bio-tech companies, this is a good video to keep.

Technology was the hero in Antitrust. In part, it's what made The Blair Witch Project. That wasn't much of a movie, scary or otherwise, but it was crafted and shot (and hyped) with the skitzy, edgy style familiar to anybody who spends much time on the Web.

This summer, Spielberg is expected to take technology to another cinematic level with his much-touted AI, the story of a young boy who isn't a young boy. Nobody's seen the movie, but there's no doubt that technology is literally the hero, as well as the theme.

But in Exit Wounds, Seagal still sticks to the familiar Hollywood Superhero role. He's a loner who's given it all to the job, and gotten no thanks for it. His personal life has gone to hell; he's brave and incorruptible despite living and working in a sea of wusses, back-stabbers and thieves. Seagal has chosen Detroit as the backdrop for this yarn, which has him playing Orin Boyd, the stand-up renegade cop nobody can control, who gets exiled to the city's most corrupt precinct after single-handedly rescuing the Vice President of the U.S. from assassins. Unfortunately for him, he did it without going through channels. There were enough flying bullets and blown-up cars and choppers in the first five minutes to account for a small-scale war. Boyd discovers something is rotten in the Detroit PD and sets out -- with the help of co-star DMX -- to set it right.

He's the perfect anti-technology hero in a technological age, but like this movie, and like others in the genre, isn't blowing up box offices.

There's no good reason to go see Exit Wounds unless you're bored or a true movie junkie (or into car chases, which it does with flair), other than to mark the passing of a breed of cinematic dinosaurs, about to march into Hollywood history and be replaced by a new generation with completely different heroic sensibilities.

Comments

This is a departure from the Hollywood norm.

[AFCArchvile]

Before, technology was the villain. Remember films such as "2001: A Space Odyssey" and "Tron"?

Re:This is a departure from the Hollywood norm.

[Ig0r]

The villan of 2001 wasn't technology (HAL), but the human hubris that we could somehow build a perfect machine.

Tron... really had nothing to do with technology other than the backdrop. It could have been in pretty much any setting and the plot would have been the same. It was more of a 'man against society' idea like THX-1138.

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oi!

[mav[LAG]]

He's a loner who's given it all to the job, and gotten no thanks for it. His personal life has gone to hell; he's brave and incorruptible despite living and working in a sea of wusses, back-stabbers and thieves. Seagal ... playing Orin Boyd, the stand-up renegade cop nobody can control, who gets exiled to the city's most corrupt precinct after single-handedly rescuing the Vice President of the U.S. from assassins. ...Boyd discovers something is rotten in the Detroit PD and sets out -- with the help of co-star DMX -- to set it right.

What happened to the SPOILER WARNING tagline? Now I know the whole plot! Have some mercy please Jon...

This Is Not Permanent

[BRock97]

I find it interesting that, even though critics have ripped Mr. Seagal a new hole over this movie, it still was number one at the box office. This is definately not a sign that the action movie is back in force, but more that the movie going populace is not worn out by this sort of thing, yet.

It seemed that during the 80's, all we could got was the action movie. How many Sly Stallone, Dalph Lungren, Chuck Norris, so on, so forth movies were made during that time period. Sure, the stories varied in plot, but overall the movies were the same thing over and over again. This continued for quite some time.

Flash forward to the late 90's and early 00's. People felt that the action movie required a message. Look at Sixth Day or End of Days which were both message ridden or biblical in scope. (As a side, I know both were Arnold flicks, but those popped in my head the quickest.) Both bombed. His last big hit was Eraser which was mindless and made $100 million in the US alone.

Where am I going with this? I am not quite sure. I have been up for the last 48 hours with little sleep. I think I am trying to say that the American movie going audience is finicky. It takes a lot to hold attention. If it is story driven, it had better be damn, DAMN good. For example, a great action movie that was primarily story driven was The Usual Suspects, but, if you also want to rake in the money, dumb it down enough and put so much action in that the audience doesn't have time to think. I saw Exit Wound. It was fun. Typical roller coaster analogy. I wouldn't see it again or even rent it, but it was fun.

The action star dead? Nah, just keep it dumb ;-).

Bryan R.

Is there anything....

[MwtrV]

Katz believes technology doesn't reign over?

This was yet another rant from Katz under the guise of movie review. Don't you dare tell me to turn him off.

Christ, I suppose *THAT* is his justification for this movie reviews? This one's whole jist was the exit of the typical superhero with that of the hacker via the general public's preference. Baloney. Katz, care to tell us any major groundbreaking movies vested in technology that weren't shit? The movies he mentions are very weak for this argument.... Antitrust was poorely rated, Blair Witch was a low budget film (infact, mentioning technology helped the blair witch project is absolutely deeiving! WWW, TV commercials, press is press.... SGI's weren't doing any rendering for this flick, and I wouldn't consider the video camera enough to justify calling this movie technology related. Even if it was, technology probably couldn't save it...) and the Matrix wasn't particulary impressive. Hackers, The Net.... Hollywood isn't very big on technology related movies, mabye because they're self-aware they fail to do them well.

Anyway, my conclusion/point: To automatically dismiss the blow-'em-up-killing-frenzy action movie as a dying element in American culture whilist hero's working with technology rather then weapons are the new breed of movies is hogwash; we haven't seen any proof of this thus far!

OK, I give up

[PD]

If Katz wants his geek revolution, I think he should have it. It is a far far worse article than has ever been written before.

It's not the genra that is over...

[Spackler]

It's not the genra that is over. The superhero flick is formula that can still work. Unfortunately, the drivvel they are putting out in that genra sucks. The only way to tell one Steven Segal movie from another is by what jacket he is wearing. Everyting else is the same!

It is like somebody took a perl bot, and added the vars $JACKET_TYPE, $DEAD_FREINDS_NAME, $TOWN, $WORTHY_CAUSE_TO_SAVE, $BOSS_BAD_GUY_NAME. Poof, it can put out 50 scripts per minute!

-Spackler

-If you mod me, do I not sink?

Allow me a little joke...

[Vintermann]

...About Blair Witch, Much Hyped Low Tech Phenomenon

(Which Vintermann Was Not Terribly Impressed By)


Ok, so they made a horror movie without special effects or spooky soundtrack.
Now please make a scary movie without special effects, spooky soundtrack or people hyperventilating into a microphone.

There is such a thing as co-existence, Jon

[Seinfeld]

The three genres that Jon mentions:

Teenspoitation movies (bring it on, save the last dance, other lame cheerleader/high school T&A movies)

Violent action, "dinosaur hero" movies (shaft, gladiator)

Fantasy/Sci-fi/Techie movies (matrix, crouching tiger)

OK Jon, there has never been just one type of movie. And there aren't just three, contrary to your article. What about dramas? There's about a dozen different genres, and as many types of heroes, in dramatic films alone.

By your reasoning, you might as well say that with the release of "The Brothers" that movies with caucasian leads is "antiquated". The simple truth is that they've got different markets. They can coexist and flourish quite will independently. Maybe within the confines of the people you associate with, the "outated brawny superhero" is passe, but there are plumbers and salesmen and housewives and retirees out there, not just 24 year-old dot commers. And they must have missed the newsflash you saw about the old "solving problems through violence" hero, because Segal and everyone else in that movie are laughing all the way to the bank.

Oh, and the technology hero? He's not that new anyway. The first techie hero was Noah. Think about it.

Jon, this is tiresome. You take one small trend in one demographic in the U.S. over a short period of time (i.e., the popularity of a nerdy hero -- which, by the way is not all that new -- Wargames, anyone?) and extrapolate it to suddenly cover global society in perpetuity.
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Re:There is such a thing as co-existence, Jon

[nehril]

OK Jon, there has never been just one type of movie. And there aren't just three, contrary to your article. What about dramas? There's about a dozen different genres, and as many types of heroes, in dramatic films alone.

I'm not sure which Katz post you are referring to, since nowhere did he say only 3 genres exist. He does talk about the various types of modern action films and how they seem to have evolved. It's an interesting commentary if you use your own critical thinking to try and extract value from it.

Oh, and the technology hero? He's not that new anyway. The first techie hero was Noah. Think about it.

The post was about FILMS, not about "biblical action techno geeks." Citing Noah as a contradiction to Katz's modern Hollywood action genre is just broken. Leave out the literature and historical references and you'll be better prepared to deal with this post.

I can see what Katz is getting at, though I don't agree with all of his commentary. Newer action movie templates are being developed, but that doesn't mean that the old ones will go away. There will always be a place for the "old school" asskicking hero. Jon, this is tiresome.

KatzBashing (tm) is so 20th century. If you are going to follow the KatzBashing herd, at least try to be on target.

Can't intellectualize all the time

[Roblimo]

I'm about as immersed in philosophizing, technology, and tech journalism as it's possible to be, but now and then I like a nice, predictable, no-brainer action movie.

Last night my wife and I watched the video of Jackie Chan's "Drunken Master," in which the highest tech shown was a steam-powered locomotive, and we liked it fine.

This afternoon or evening or later this week we'll probably go see "Exit Wounds," and chances are that we'll like it, too. There won't be a single plot surprise, and we already know the Seagal character (there's only one) inside and out, but so what?

Seagal movies are not meant to be taken seriously.

They're mindless escapism.

- Robin 'deserves a mental break today' Miller

Action films still in, just a bad crop

[CAIMLAS]

That's complete and utter bull. Sure, Lara Croft is an 'action hero from a video game,' and in that respect she is a departure of the purely made up action heroes of yesterday like Rambo and Terminator. But come onnnn... The reason this movie is so hyped is not because it's an action movie on technology, but because it's a bodacious babe in spandex, running (and bouncing) around, crawling in the dirt, grunting, etc, all parallel to action and adventure similar to that of an Indiana Jones flick. (I can't wait for the 4th Indy film, btw.)

The reason, as already stated, that action films are not as popular right now is because there really isn't much variance in an action film's plot from one film to the next, and Hollywood is running (or has run) out of ideas. And just because there's a crop of bad 'big tough guy' action films of late, doesn't mean that they're on their way out. People actually like that cheezy one-line, in-your-face, completely improbable action - it's why these movies do so well. I mean, Terminator 1 or 2 - completely improbable, even for scsi. Indiana Jones or James Bond as well. I mean, one guy, no matter how buff, suave, skilled, or intelligent, couldn't take out that many Nazis/spies. But it's an 'action' movie, it's supposed to be like that.

Let's take Duke Nukem as an example. The guy's a freaking pimp. He 'kicks ass and chews bubble gum, and he's all out of gum' in the style of Ash. That's some funny crap. He's able to manage a woman and at the same time shoot down a whole squadron of aliens. That would be an excellent action film. Even if you took out the women, guys (and some gals) would go to it in groves. Jon might say, 'the aliens are the technology, really!' but come now. Aliens and technology have been around forever in movies. Deal.

This is just yet Another Example of Jon Sucking Up To Slashot Teens. He's kept the same theme since he arrived with the Hellmouth - free the oppressed geeks of our day, up with technology, down with stupidity and jocks! Just go back and read his stuff, the recursive theme is there. Not necessarily too terribly strong with each article, but it is indeed there.

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CAIMLAS

Re:Haven't we already Seen technology as the hero?

[Grab]

Yep. Good film. VERY good film. Should certainly be required viewing for /.ers.

Classic line: "A robot becomes human when you can't tell the difference any more". I first heard that about 15 years back, and it still sends chills down me.

There's been any number of dodgy films about robots wanting to become human - usually they go mad and kill ppl. DARYL is the only film I can remember which assumed the robot would be able to fit in, and the implications of it (the boy/cyborg in question was part of a super-soldier research program, and that part of the plot was fairly standard stuff, but the way it was all handled was just great).

Grab.

Re:Steven Segal Runs Like A Girl.

[Mr. Slippery]

At least Jan Claude Van Damme looks the part. SS is a sissy! Segal with the ponytail, the soft face. He'd be someone's bitch in 5 seconds in prison!

I'm certainly not going to defend his "acting", and he comes across as something of a jerk in the interviews I've seen and read, but Segal has genuine martial arts credentials - he's a sichi-dan (7th degree black belt) in aikido. (It's alleged that there may be some politics involved in such a high ranking (nothing to do with the movie stuff, some family business), but that's not uncommon in the martial arts.)

Van Damme, while he's very graceful and atheletic, had a few months of karate training (Shotokan, IIRC) and that's about it.

I have met some extremely competent martial artists over the years. They generally have not been "tough looking" people; in fact, some of them you might have mistaken for soft little wimps...until you see them in action.

They all like the action in his films. Who's the chick who popped out of the cake when he was supposedly a Navy Seal turned cook? Now that's worth eight bucks right there.

Hmm, I think you've got a point there. B-)

Tom Swiss | the infamous tms | http://www.infamous.net/