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[Yamauchi]

I would agree with Live Die Repeat: Edge of Tomorrow. It was an amazing flick.

 

[Mrmartel]

Fury Road might actually be my most anticipated movie for 2015.

Me too. I haven't been as excited for a reboot of a series since Indiana Jones.... which I still weep for every night. I got much better vibes from Fury Road so far.

A few more to mention. Taken, Serenity, Looper and of course Minority Report (which is the best film Spielberg has done since his glory days)

 

[Bobby Roberts]

Only Minority Report could be considered big budget out of the four movies you just listed.

Serenity is the most expensive of the other three, at 39 mil. Looper & Taken both cost 30.

but yeah, Fury Road just looks like it fuckin' HURTS. In all the best possible ways. That first trailer had my eyes bugging out.

 

[Ahasverus]

Inception no doubt.

 

[Mrmartel]

Only Minority Report could be considered big budget out of the four movies you just listed.

Serenity is the most expensive of the other three, at 39 mil. Looper & Taken both cost 30.

but yeah, Fury Road just looks like it fuckin' HURTS. In all the best possible ways. That first trailer had my eyes bugging out.

Huh, I didn't know they were that low. It's telling to myself anyways, when a lot of the movies that feel like the Blockbusters of old are on done on shoestring budgets. Maybe more risks are taken? Less cgi and more focus on the practical? Not beholden as much to the idea that they have to bring in the masses to hit the black? Which through that means they aren't producing a movie that appeals to every single demographic?

 

[Bobby Roberts]

Huh, I didn't know they were that low. It's telling to myself anyways, when a lot of the movies that feel like the Blockbusters of old are on done on shoestring budgets. Maybe more risks are taken? Less cgi and more focus on the practical? Not beholden as much to the idea that they have to bring in the masses to hit the black? Which through that means they aren't producing a movie that appeals to every single demographic?

Yeah, those are the questions this thread has me asking too, as I go through and see that a ton of really good action movies don't actually fit the premise. If anything, it looks like the best way to make an action movie that sticks in your mind is to not bury it under a 150 mil budget and blow it out as big as you possibly can.

Hell - Die Hard wasn't that big-budget, either. 30 mil in 1988 money isn't the same as 30 mil in 2005, not at all - but it still wasn't a huge financial undertaking for Fox. Same with Raiders of the Lost Ark, the other film next to Die Hard that people consider the most perfect action film ever made - that thing came in under budget, and the budget was 20 mil.

Like, action movies that I would consider GREAT action films? I don't know if there's too many of them that really cost a whole hell of a lot of money, really. It's almost always the lower/mid-budget ones that stick in my head.

edit: for example, here's Vulture's list of the 25 best action movies since Die Hard came out in 1988.

25: Supercop
24: Point Break
23: Crank
22: Avatar
21: Casino Royale
20: La Femme Nikita
19: Unstoppable (the train movie? Whuh? Maybe I need to rewatch this?)
18: Battle Royale
17: Spider-Man 2
16: Mission Impossible
15: Speed
14: The Fugitive
13: The Bourne Ultimatum
12: The Rock
11: Run Lola Run
10: Jurassic Park
9: Once Upon a Time in China
8: The Matrix
7: Hero
6: The Last of the Mohicans
5: T2: Judgment Day
4: Kill Bill vol. 1
3: Minority Report
2: Hard Boiled
1: The Dark Knight.

Now, quality of the list aside (it's not bad. there's some weird picks and omissions in there, but it's hard to argue there aren't a lot of damned good selections) you can look at that list and see maybe 8 of the 25 films actually qualify as "big budget hollywood" films. And even a couple of those 8 are iffy so far as being "big budget."

 

[Jezbollah]

I thought Dredd was mostly a UK production?

Like Casino Royale then?

 

[Mohonky]

25: Supercop - not seen
24: Point Break - absolute classic, maybe Keanus best ever, certainly one of my fav ever movies.
23: Crank - not see
22: Avatar - looks and sounds great, story is ok. Probably wouldnt entertain me without a decent sound system and screen
21: Casino Royale - yeh it was alright
20: La Femme Nikita - not seen
19: Unstoppable (the train movie? Whuh? Maybe I need to rewatch this?) - not seen, looks terrible though
18: Battle Royale - great movie for something different
17: Spider-Man 2 - yeh I liked it
16: Mission Impossible - didnt care for it
15: Speed - good movie but not something I would care to watch again.
14: The Fugitive - as above
13: The Bourne Ultimatum - nah
12: The Rock - good but I couldnt watch it these days
11: Run Lola Run - havent seen for ages, good movie from memory
10: Jurassic Park - its a classic
9: Once Upon a Time in China - not seen
8: The Matrix - amazing when it came out, less so now.
7: Hero - not scene
6: The Last of the Mohicans - classic
5: T2: Judgment Day - this should probably be number 1. Its like an action movie juggernaut. Just completely bad ass, so bad ass it ruined every movie after it because they could never hope to compete.
4: Kill Bill vol. 1 - dont get the hype for it
3: Minority Report - good movie, but this high on the list?
2: Hard Boiled - not seen it
1: The Dark Knight. - i simply didnt get into any of the new Batmans. Heath Ledgers role as the joker will go down in the all time fame of movie villians, it was such a spectacular performance, everything else about the movie is nowhere near as good though. Heath almost single handedly made that movie.

"

Added my opinion on movies from the quote.

I find that list really weird to be honest, some of those films I wouldnt really class as action and off the top of my head I can think of way better movies to include. Where is Predator? Robocop? True Lies? Rambo? Escape from New York? Mad Max? District 9?

 

[StoopKid]

Winter soldier.