The action genre has evolved significantly over the decades from the 1920s to present day. Early action films from the 1920s-1930s featured swashbuckling movies and sword fighting. In the 1940s-1950s, war movies, westerns, and spy films became popular. The 1960s saw the rise of James Bond movies. In the 1970s, grittier detective and crime dramas as well as martial arts films emerged. The 1980s was the peak of the action blockbuster era defined by one-man army heroes. More recent action films feature increased comedy elements, female leads, and use of CGI technology and exaggerated stunts.

1. The evolution of
ACTION GENRE
Martelle Kumar

2. Over the years these high energy films have made some changes.

3. EARLY ACTION
1920’s- 1930’s
1920's to the 1930's the predominant films were classic swashbuckling movies where heroes would
battle villains with the swords. Heros like Douglas Fairbanks as a "Swashbuckler“
Swashbuckler films are an action-adventure subgenre often characterised by swordfighting and
adventurous heroic characters.
Mainly set in Western Europe in the period between the late Renaissance and the age of reason with
appropriately lavish costumes.
1940’s-1950’s
In the 40's and 50's War Movies, Cowboy Movies, and Spy Adventure Films took the stage as
the top action films of the time.

4. Early action
WHY
The leap from sword fighting to spy movies/western styled
films in early action may be because of the change in
culture. Spy and western were more realistic than sword
fighting. The costumes became more normal and
associated to the theme, it therefore became more
realistic to the audience

5. EARLY ACTION
1960’s
During the 60's it was Ian Fleming's larger than life creation, James Bond.. It
was inspired by movies like North by Northwest (A 1959 American thriller) and
The Guns of Navarone(a 1961 British-American Action/Adventure war film)
The James Bond dominated the 60's.
Part of their appeal were the larger than life characters (both heroes and
villains). A great feature of the Bond movies was that 007 was basically a "one
man army."
He would dispatch his opponents with either fist fights, weapons or futuristic
gadgetry.
The Bond films were also adorned with many car chases and Martial Arts
combat.

6. EARLY ACTION
1970’s
The 70’s introduced a gritty dectective and urban crime dramas shaped the a
new ‘action style’
Movies like Dirty Harry (1971) entailed featured the convention of intense car
chase inspired by the popular stunt work in previous the Bond films. Movies
dismissed western themes and showed that the modern world offered just as
much glamour, excitement, and potential for violence as the old west.
These films brpught an end of the prolific "cowboys and Indians" era of film
westerns.
long with this change came the major introduction to Martial Arts Action. Movies
like You Only Live Twice, enter the Dragon with Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris

7. DEVELOPING ACTION
1970’S
A gate way to a new culture wass exposed as audiences
were facinated by martial art films in 1970’s
The cross-pollenization of genres (such as spy-films and
war movies, or westerns and detective dramas) would
become the norm in the 1980s. It should also be noted
however, that the 1970s saw the introduction of martial-arts
film to western audiences.

8. DEVELOPING ACTION
COW BOY TO COPS
Again the genre made changes to cater to the far from
niche audience. The gritty cop feel became popular
because it was within belief. The bond era created a new
field to see authority and underground villains. The
audience mainly at this time was men 25+ as it attracted
them a hard hitting edgy feeling.

9. SHAPING ACTION
1980’s
The 1980s would see the action film take over Hollywood to become a dominant form of summer
blockbuster; literally "the action era" popularized by strong male. Movies like lethal weapons (1989)
proved that low-budget plots could attract millions. The one man army attracted loads. Rising
comedian like Eddie Murphy smashed box office records with the action-comedy in 48hrs. More
action movies added comedy roles in the film. As more ethnicity's got introduced to action movies
more audiences became bigger fans in general, more African Americans were more accepted in
block busters due to the culture change.
Mors stunt were introduced, more explosions and bigger budgets became the norm.

10. Shaping ACTION
More family friendly?
The comedy elements in action has increased to attract
more audience. Action with comedy makes an action movie
more accessible for more females and a younger audience
as its takes less stress from the fast paced action
throughout the film.
More ethnic groups were introduced to action movies to
attract more the one man army theme also attracted more
and more as well known Hollywood stars began appearing
in films.

11. ACTION
1990’s
The 90’s became and era of sequels to the successful action movies from the 80’s.
Hybrid action was also created; western films were joined by spy movies and urban
action parody movies.
The revolution in CGI (computer generated imagery) changed the “real-world" settings
become new futuristic environments.
The success of the many Dirty Harry and James Bond sequels had proven that a single
successful action film could lead to a continuing action franchise. Thus the 1980s and
1990s saw a rise in both budgets and the number of sequels a film could generally have.
Where in earlier decades, sequels were frowned upon by most filmmakers and filmgoers
alike, the 1980s saw a serious effort on the part of studios and their stars to not only
attempt to capture the magic one more time, but to continually top what had come before.
This basic drive led to an increasing desire on the part of many filmmakers to create new
technologies that would allow them to beat the competition by taking audiences to new
heights of roller-coaster-like fantasy. The success of Batman (1989) led to a string of
financially successful sequels, and within a single decade, had proven the viability of a
new sub-genre of action film; the comic-book movie.

12. ACTION
2000’s-present Females
In the 2000’s we saw woman starring in more action movies, these movies became major
blockbusters as they appealed to a greater audience. Earlier films in the 90’s had a few
hits with female leads in the 2000s females watched because the protagonist were
woman added a common sense of equality to films that are typically male dominated.
Movies like Charlie angels (2000) starring Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu
and the hit in Lara Croft :The Tomb Raider starring Angelina Jolie (2001)
Now its not ushockingto see a female lead but most still have a starring dominant male
lead.

13. ACTIONand stunts
2000’s-present Villains, gadgets
Old action movies saw American gangsters or Russian villains because they were seen
as the threat. In 2000’s after the 9/11 tragic terrorist attacks middle eastern characters
joined the list to villains as were a new threat.
Gadgets are becoming more futuristic, the gadgets have become symbolic. Stunts have
become more exaggerated and with bigger budgets and new technology they have
become bigger. With new technology the impossible became possible. Some action
movies still use classic weapons and classic stunts to add different touch. More action
movies include

14. ACTION
Today
TODAYS ACTION HAS BEEN
MOULDED BY THE OLD
DEVELOPMENTS.
EVERYTHING IN NEW
ACTION HAS BEEN
INFLUENCED BY OLD FILMS