The Matrix reset the bar for fight scenes. I love the Matrix trilogy and especially what they did for martial arts films to come. Jet Li and Jackie Chan set standards of their own as far as martial artists go, with Tony Ja taking up the torch and paving a new niche in non-wire based stunts in films. With all those elements we are seeing some of the most intense fight scenes and awesome choreography ever in the martial arts world.
Movies that aren’t even martial arts films are incorporating fight scenes in them. Would the new Batman films be as cool if there wasn’t such a heavy martial arts element in them? Look at the last couple of James Bond films and you’ll see more focus on hand-to-hand goodness. Even Speed Racer had a fairly hefty fight scene thrown in.
That being said, I am tired of these terrible MMA films. Studios have picked up on the fact that MMA and UFC are insanely popular right now and are pumping out these teen based MMA films like clockwork. Never Back Down, Fighting, Red Belt, Never Surrender, and the forthcoming Never Submit, are just a few of the MMA films pushed out in the last two years! That’s a lot of bad movies in two years’ time. The plot is basically the same for all the films; young guy with a hot girl gets in a lot of fights, doubts himself for a little bit then wins in the end. Wow. Awesome.
Being a martial artist myself for over a decade I like MMA, but I hate how it has diluted the fighting genre with a plethora of sub-par films. I also disagree with taking actors who have no martial arts training and teaching them as you shoot. Now, The Matrix actors actually spent more than six months before filming, doing nothing but learning and practicing. I’m sure that as fast as they are pushing out these MMA films they are not taking the time to do so. This gives not only sub-par stories, but sub-par fighting, which people with any martial arts experience or knowledge pick up on immediately.
I implore you, ignore those terrible films and instead support the awesome martial arts movies (the ones that make you come out of the theater kicking) like Ong Bak 2 & the forthcoming 3 and The Kung Fu Kid with Jackie Chan (the newest trailer for is viewable down below), and anything with Jason Statham. There are so many great martial arts films out there and coming up, that there is absolutely no need to watch those MMA films.
