Back to the Past

24 May 2009

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Dan Higgins is an author who has written for the BBC, the New Statesman, the Independent and many other publications.

The feet of a tight-vested John McClane gush with blood as he treads painfully over jagged shards of glass on his way to save his wife from the evil hands of Hans Gruber. A small-time boxer named Rocky Balboa gets a once in a lifetime chance to fight the world heavyweight champion in a bout in which he strives to go the distance for his self-respect. An archaeologist and adventurer called Dr. Jones desperately outruns boulders and valiantly outfights Nazis on his quest to reclaim mystical artefacts. Each of these are truly memorable moments of cinematic history that can never be replicated…or can they?

All three brands are returning to the silver screen in the not-too-distant future and, in my eyes, this could go two ways. This could be an idea of absolute genius by the studio bosses, resurrecting the iconic torch of each brand and keeping it alight whilst compounding it’s success or it could be a disastrous decision that will knock down the legendary pedestal on which the films once stood.

In Live Free or Die Hard, New York cop John McClane takes on an internet-based terrorist organisation that is systematically shutting down the United States. I’m going to be honest, I am quite a passionate fan of the Die Hard trilogy and ‘ecstatic’ cannot begin to describe how I felt when I heard the news of Die Hard 4. I just pray that it is going to be more exciting than the storyline suggests…but then again, I’ll be content with one more Yippee Kiyay M’Fer.

Rocky Balboa, the sixth in the series, tells the story of the infamous boxer coming out of retirement to go to the ring once again. In dire need for money, Rocky faces some amateur fighters until he is offered the chance to take part in one more professional fight, this time against the world heavyweight champion. The plot seems to be a rehash of the original but instead of telling the story of an up-and-coming boxer that strives to overcome the obstacles to win, he is old and, well, pretty much gone. If you think that this is just Stallone desperately wanting to relive his glory years then you are most probably right as Rambo IV: In the Serpent’s Eye is also on it’s way!

Following problems with the script and scheduling, Indiana Jones 4 has now been slated for a 2008 release. Harrison Ford, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas are all involved but, now twenty-five years after the original movie, will they be able to recapture the magic that made the movies such a success first time round?

The resurrection of all three brands shines light on what I think is a major problem in Hollywood right now. There is either a distinct lack of original screenplays out there or a distinct lack of risk-taking by major studios to put their money behind an unknown project and I am leaning strongly towards the latter. We see multiple reincarnations of big money films each year. Some, in the case of Batman Begins and Casino Royale, are set as prequels in an effort to renew interest in the brand names. It does not stop here though. Hollywood is quickly becoming a sequel-dominated market with Spiderman 3, Shrek 3, 28 Weeks Later, Van Wilder 2 and Hostel 2 also being released in the New Year. If this continues to be the case, how will new films ever get the chance to become an iconic brand themselves?

Potentially, Indiana Jones, Die Hard and Rocky can be big successes at the box office but will this triumph be achieved through the quality of the film or by simple nostalgia?  The movies may generate huge sums of money but, essentially, you’ll be watching a man in a vest, a washed-up action star attempting to relive his past and a sixty-six year old man running round with a whip. I only hope that this will be the last crusade.

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