Support NeoGAF

[StreetsofBeige]

This can be true, IF these highly trained athletic warrior women were fighting the typical 200 pound schlubs off the street. But in these films they are almost ALWAYS fighting other fighters. I'm unaware of ANY women earning big bucks fighting larger men, or really men at all outside of kids leagues, exhibitions, or publicity stunts where a highly trained woman fights basically a schlub off the street. Find me a trained MALE fighter that does any shows where he fights women off the street.....that tells you all you need to know.

It's not that it can't happen, or that films shouldn't show it, but IF they do, they need to really really work on the physique of the actress (since she is the one selling it, not the stunt woman actually doing the moves), the choreography, and the value of the fight in the context of the story. Women trading haymaker punches to the face or full power sidekicks to the ribs with men, as is typical for male on male fights, is unrealistic. The usual "skinny fat" waif or worse, the pudgy doughy lady Hollywood tries to force on us, compounds these issues. Get me an athletic, toned, possibly even muscular woman and it can work, but alas the women in Hollywood do not put in the work on their bodies in the way the men do. They starve themselves and do tons of cardio (maybe) but don't hit the gym for the resistance training.

Most action scenes are pretty dumb to begin with regardless or who is fighting.

I can understand someone getting immediately KO'ed or killed if they break someone's neck or get a major punch or kick to the head.

But most fights have the good guys beating up bad guys just doing some light hits or knocking them to the ground. And immediately somehow that's a KO. An untrained high school kid getting hit like that would get up. But in movies even big burly guys or trained enemy soldiers getting shoved to the ground act like they got just smacked into a coma after a jab and foot sweep. And seeing moves like foot sweeps is the dumbest thing ever. In movies, anytime someone does one it's got to be a 99% success rate and the guy gets flattened on his ass like it's the easiest and best attack move in the world.

 

[jason10mm]

Most action scenes are pretty dumb to begin with regardless or who is fighting.

I can understand someone getting immediately KO'ed or killed if they break someone's neck or get a major punch or kick to the head.

But most fights have the good guys beating up bad guys just doing some light hits or knocking them to the ground. And immediately somehow that's a KO. An untrained high school kid getting hit like that would get up. But in movies even big burly guys or trained enemy soldiers getting shoved to the ground act like they got just smacked into a coma after a jab and foot sweep.

For sure, movie fight choreography varies quite a bit. From actors basically shadow boxing with each other to stuntmen taking full punches over and over, being thrown through walls, etc it's all a show. But the better fights where the actors are good enough to move at speed and the choreography can be rehearsed enough to both look spontaneous but also be intricate to reflect fighter skill, thats the standard we should be aiming for. Fewer, better fights over sloppy excess.

It's kinda like the proliferation of CG muzzle flashes, blood 'squibs', and stuff. Instead of gun use being a big on-set event with a lot of preparation (hopefully) and thus deliberate use in the script, the actors can now just wave their guns around and the post-effects guys add all the stuff in. Its making gunfights that look TERRIBLE (watching The Rookie, which has a ton of these types of gun fights, its horrendous to see) but because it is easy to do, the amount of it proliferates in the script.

 

[kpopSuperstar]

As someone who has been studying martial arts most of my life I can assure you I know several 100ish lb women that would curb stomp 90% of the men walking the face of the earth

What do you mean by studying martial arts? what martial arts have you studied?

A trained male will take out 99% of all women easily. I trained boxing, kickboxing and wrestling, and I have never come across a women that can realistically fight back. I know there are some, but it's rare, even in gyms. If you are a 200 pound guy with some strenght, even strong women feels like children.

 

[GymWolf]

This can be true, IF these highly trained athletic warrior women were fighting the typical 200 pound schlubs off the street. But in these films they are almost ALWAYS fighting other fighters. I'm unaware of ANY women earning big bucks fighting larger men, or really men at all outside of kids leagues, exhibitions, or publicity stunts where a highly trained woman fights basically a schlub off the street. Find me a trained MALE fighter that does any shows where he fights women off the street.....that tells you all you need to know.

It's not that it can't happen, or that films shouldn't show it, but IF they do, they need to really really work on the physique of the actress (since she is the one selling it, not the stunt woman actually doing the moves), the choreography, and the value of the fight in the context of the story. Women trading haymaker punches to the face or full power sidekicks to the ribs with men, as is typical for male on male fights, is unrealistic. The usual "skinny fat" waif or worse, the pudgy doughy lady Hollywood tries to force on us, compounds these issues. Get me an athletic, toned, possibly even muscular woman and it can work, but alas the women in Hollywood do not put in the work on their bodies in the way the men do. They starve themselves and do tons of cardio (maybe) but don't hit the gym for the resistance training.

A barely trained male fighter is gonna smash any female fighter, women fighting is almost like wnba in 90% of the case, just watch pena vs nunez 1 or the rematch, those are considered the best female fighters in the world and they look like toddlers fighting...

Or just watch clarissa shield being fucked up by a shitty male boxer with padded gloves during a spar.

women sparring\heavy bag is not the same as women actually fighting, with some rare exceptions.

 

[Boss Mog]

So Die Hard with a 90-pound girl-boss... Pass.

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

What do you mean by studying martial arts? what martial arts have you studied?

A trained male will take out 99% of all women easily. I trained boxing, kickboxing and wrestling, and I have never come across a women that can realistically fight back. I know there are some, but it's rare, even in gyms. If you are a 200 pound guy with some strenght, even strong women feels like children.

Started with some form of karate class back in the early 1980s and around 1985 started in a class taught by a good friend of mine in Isshin-ryū which is basically a very close ranged style and have been attending classes for approx 40 years now

Over the years have also dabbled in several other techniques but nothing stuck with me like Isshin-ryū

My son has been doing it for 34+ years now and is an instructor

My wife has been way more active in this style than me of late because of my knees and shoulder though I still practice striking weekly

She is a practicing SAN-DAN (3rd degree) black belt and even approaching 50 years old with her 5'10" 145 lbs frame I would bet she would stomp out most "trained" men unless they are very well trained like yourself

Chances are most men would never get to hit her and even if they get their hands on her she will literally rip pieces off of someone including removing their eyes if needed as this would not make her squeamish in the least as she grew up on a working farm dealing with birthing and banding cows and cutting piglets

 

[March Climber]

So Die Hard with a 90-pound girl-boss... Pass.

To be fair to the movie, she constantly uses tools, guns, and a pipe to do anything substantial. No big bouts of unrealistic strength, which is why 'girlboss' is not the movie's main problem.

It's overt derivative nature is the actual problem.

It offers nothing really amazingly unique (except for the first third where she is stuck outside of the windows), much like when a soulslike just tries to be Dark Souls 2 part 2. This is yet another Die Hard 1 part 3 (with Dwayne Johnson's Skyscraper as part 2).

 

[Elginer]

To be fair to the script we did get major action films like...

which was basically "Die Hard in a hockey rink" so the premise of this film isn't that outlandish, but JCVD sold his film on his talent and charisma, ain't too many clamoring to see Daisey Ridley slowly punch bad guys in a bunch of split second edited scenes.

I remember seeing Sudden Death in the theater when I was a teenager. Good fun movie