His career peaked with T2: Judgement Day. He hasn't had a movie achieve anywhere near the level of success as that 1991 blockbuster. So what is the explanation for the paradigm shift? Costume superheroes and ageism. If it isn't Marvel or DC, action fans today aren't interested. Or they think the Austrian Oak is too old now. Sad state of affairs, regardless.
shareCostumed super hero movies are a joke... Have you really seen that in the real world?
shareI think Arnold's done some enjoyable films in recent years, he just hasn't found a truly great one. ESCAPE PLAN was good, THE EXPENDABLES trilogy was good, TERMINATOR GENISYS was just okay, but honestly my least favorite of the series. This film was okay. THE LAST STAND was okay. I'm still open to another CONAN, TWINS, and I kind of hope he cameos in the next PREDATOR.
Maybe Arnold should join the MCU as a retired veteran superhero, kind of like Michael Douglas as Hank Pym. Any hero in particular come to mind?
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He's a 69-year-old action star who hasn't aged particularly well. And he took a long break from acting so we didn't see him gradually aging on-screen. In fact, the last film he did before his break from 2003 to 2010 was T3, a film where he's being directly contrasted with how he looked in his 20s as a champion bodybuilder.
It has nothing to do with this decade or superhero films. Even in the 80s and 90s, there weren't many successful action movies starring actors nearing 70.
I mean, c'mon, do you really think each decade only has room for a single sub-genre? The top-grossing films of the 2000s were:
- Avatar
- LotR
- PoC: Dead Man's Chest
- The Dark Knight
- Harry Potter
- PoC: At World's End
- HP and the Order of the Phoenix
- HP and the Half-Blood Prince
- LotR: the Two Towers
- Shrek 2
Of the top 25, only 4 were superhero movies. In 2015, only 2 of the top 25 were superhero films.
Finally got around to seeing this. It isn't half bad. It's definitely not the usual-they're all good guys getting wiped out-scenario. I like the "superhero" movies, but I like a wide range of genres as well.
shareFirst the 80's was the heyday of these muscle types. So take everything else out of the equation the white uber male lost credibility in the early 90's and was replaced.
There's been a resurgence with pro-wrestlers having some success, but they are usually peripheral characters, or employed ironically.
The Rock, and M C Duncan spring to mind as exceptions/examples, and more recently Dave Bautista. Plus the run of Expendables films fueled by nostalgia, and the cycle hitting the 80's-90's.
Arnold's best films were ones where he could be himself in the role, and natural, or where the director managed his almost utter lack of acting ability, and focused on tight action set pieces punctuated by shots built around the delivery of clipped lines. His best films are very much like a comic book in their dialogue and framing. When less effort was put in, the results were mediocre at best leaving him wandering through shots, or dialogue.
The trouble today is he doesn't have the energy he had back then, or the resultant enthusiasm. He's an old man.
I liked the idea of his playing the German soldier that lead the group of boys our of Germany or wherever. With a good director it might be a good yarn. But I don't think that one ever went anywhere. Frankly, it might have depended too much on Arnold delivering performances that were not within his scope.
If it isn't Marvel or DC, action fans today aren't interested.