Since the early 1980s supernatural monster films have utilized more and more action elements to captivate an adrenaline-hungry audience who might not be so entertained by the boogie man jumping out off the screen. This then increased in the 1990s with the popularity and success of films such as ARMY OF DARKNESS and BLADE. However, since the start of the 2000s there has been a huge surge in supernatural action films that have taken classic movie monsters and combined them with over-the-top, extremely stylized fight sequences usually consisting of leather-clad women. I should probably state now that by ‘supernatural’ I’m referring to any films involving vampires, zombies or werewolves, because no matter how much pseudo-scientific nonsense is thrown at us we all know that those classic monster-baddies will forever belong in the supernatural category. Like them or not, this new sub-genre of films – from UNDERWORLD to RESIDENT EVIL – is here to stay, and so this special feature will list the best of the bunch in celebration of Lionsgate’s I, FRANKENSTEIN, starring Aaron Eckhart.
HELLBOY 1+2 (2004, 2008)
Guillermo Del Toro’s HELLBOY was a breath of fresh air to moviegoers after the bad taste left from THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN still lingered. For the first time audiences were presented with a likable and sympathetic monster who decides to fight against his destiny to destroy humanity and instead protect the planet. Perlman’s portrayal of the tortured, lovesick monster was praised by critics, and his chemistry with Selma Blair’s Liz Sherman carries the narrative wonderfully. Visually the film is stunning in terms of action sequences and special effects, due to Del Toro’s keen eye for beautiful visuals and gorgeously realistic make-up/costumes. It was the first HELLBOY that allowed the acclaimed director to cut his teeth before displaying his perfected skills in the fantastic PAN’S LABYRINTH. After that he returned to world of colourful monsters and spontaneous combustion for HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY, which gave Del Toro even more creative freedom to expand the supernatural world he had crafted on screen. The highly acclaimed sequel brought in even more beautiful and shockingly realistic monsters, as well a mechanical ghost voiced by Seth Macfarlane! Both films are incredibly engaging with a refreshing take on the classic cinematic monster formula accompanied by action, humour and even more monsters.
I AM LEGEND (2007)
I AM LEGEND was released shortly before Christmas 2007 and blew away both audiences and the box office. Although it’s unclear whether the creatures stalking Will Smith’s lonely Robert Neville are vampires or zombies, it doesn’t matter because his fantastic performance eclipses the (admittedly impressive) visual effects of the film. As the last man on earth after a virus has swept the planet, Smith walks a suitably bleak and zombie (zombire?) infested New York with his faithful dog Sam as his only companion. Smith’s phenomenal performance adds to the tense and unnerving atmosphere that plagues the entire film as the audience slowly loses their mind along with Neville, waiting for the terrifying antagonists to make their appearance. I AM LEGEND was unique in its character-driven narrative as opposed to focusing on the supernatural monsters hiding in the shadows. The film also displays some stunning and ominous cinematography throughout, with an abandoned Times Square and demolished Brooklyn Bridge as clear highlights. I AM LEGEND is one of the most engaging and unnerving supernatural action films of the past ten years. The film is also successful in combining elements of both horror and action blockbuster genres brilliantly.
ZOMBIELAND (2009)
Although ZOMBIELAND is predominantly a comedy film, it’s hard to ignore the the action-heavy elements of this deliciously (no pun intended) gory blood-fest with a heart of gold at its centre. No one will argue that Woody Harrelson’s trigger-happy loose canon Tallahassee leads the charge in terms of action in ZOMBIELAND. The film’s spectacular finale set in the fictional theme park Pacific Playland is one of the most thrilling action sequences involving zombies that I have seen in a long time when the film was released in 2009. Although Tallahassee’s epic Zombie clothesline from a moving amusement ride (among other brilliant ride-orientated zombie kills) is pure adrenaline-filled genius; however, the real reason for the film’s tension is because the characters are real. This is perhaps the first zombie film that portrayed realistic and relateable characters to the audience, therefore making the action sequences all the more intense because you actually care about them and fear for their safety. On another more amusing note, ZOMBIELAND is also perhaps the first supernatural action film that actually makes a zombie apocalypse look fun and enjoyable.
DAYBREAKERS (2010)
DAYBREAKERS arguably possesses the most original narrative of any vampire film that preceded it. In the film the world is entirely inhabited by vampires, with the human race on the brink of extinction and only a few members remaining. The vampire population have continued to embody a humanized lifestyle and as a result have jobs, drive cars and watch television. However, when vampires fail to ingest regular doses of blood their bodies begin to devolve and transform into a monstrous bat-like creature. With the last remaining humans being farmed for their blood, the source begins to run out leading to a desperate attempt to create a synthetic or locate more fugitive members of humanity. With a plot like DAYBREAKERS the viewer is already well aware of the inevitable action to come from a race against time and a race for survival. Ethan Hawke represents one of the vampire world’s leading scientists who longs for a human life after being reluctantly converted by his arrogant brother. Willem Dafoe steals the film with his bad-ass human resistance fighter Lionel ‘Elvis’ Cormac as the source of DAYBREAKERS’ action and witty dialogue. DAYBREAKERS displays a brilliantly original script with a sympathetic lead in the form of Hawkes’ Edward and heart-pounding action with a glorious amount of blood and gore to boot.
THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE (2010)
I can already hear the sighs of frustration and discontent at the sight of a TWILIGHT film on this list, however in terms of exhilarating vampire-filled action THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE deserves to be revisited. The film embodies supernatural action films in every sense of the word (other than the sparkling vampires) and actually displays some impressive visuals. After two films worth of narrative building, this third entry in the heavily criticized franchise culminates in a large scale battle with an army of vampires and a group of werewolves. Although the battle doesn’t happen until the climax of the film, the training sequences that take place throughout are also thoroughly entertaining in terms of humour and action. The brilliant Xavier Samuel is also an incredibly watchable actor as Riley Pierce, the unknowing and naive pawn of Victoria who provides some devilishly menacing scenes of villainy. On another note, there are some interesting and unusually dark flashback scenes giving us some details on the back story of often overlooked characters Jasper and Rosalie.
RESIDENT EVIL: AFTERLIFE (2010)
Yes, you knew this was coming…whether you love them or hate, the RESIDENT EVIL films have been incredibly prevalent since 2002 and are clearly here to stay. Not only did the franchise defy the rules of video game adaptations failing miserably at the box office, but it also gave us possibly cinema’s best female action heroine since Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley. Milla Jovovich has carried the RESIDENT EVIL franchise as Alice for five films now and they have all displayed some of the best zombie-killing action to ever grace the big screen. The reason I have chosen RESIDENT EVIL: AFTERLIFE for this list is because it marked both a visual and narrative change for the series. In many ways this fourth installment in the franchise signaled the start of a new trilogy after the third film had dipped considerably in quality. Paul W. S. Anderson, original director and husband of Jovovich, returned to direct AFTERLIFE and brought with him a new 3D form of spectacle that practically oozed adrenaline and testosterone. Action highlights for the zombie-filled adventure include hundreds of Alice clones storming an underground fortress, a rooftop face-off against an army of zombies and a MATRIX-inspired slow motion battle with Wesker. And no matter how much people grunt and groan about the film and/or franchise, no-one can deny the guilty pleasure of watching the slow motion battle of Alice and Claire taking on a towering axe-welding mutant zombie….oh, and did I mention it’s in the rain too.
FRIGHT NIGHT (2011)
On the face of it the 2011 remake of FRIGHT NIGHT seemed cliched and necessary, and yet it was surprisingly well received by critics for great acting, story and characters. Teen horror films are a bunch of old chestnuts well and truly milked dry by Hollywood; however, the reversed girl-next-door story of the ultra cool and mysterious vampire-next-door Jerry (played by Colin Farrell) works excellently. Anton Yelchin’s Charley Brewster, a lustful teenager on the cusp of high school popularity, gives the audience a realistic and relateable portrayal of the classic American high school teen. The film’s intense action sequences come at the end of the film when Charlie enlists the help of Las Vegas magician Peter Vincent (David Tennant) in the hopes of rescuing his girlfriend Amy. Tennant’s character is an inherent Russell Brand-esque bad-ass with his own score to settle with Farrell’s character after the murder of his parents. The rescue mission at the climax of the narrative is both tense and captivating, with Charley and Peter both taking on an onslaught of Jerry’s other victims-turned-vampires. FRIGHT NIGHT is easily one of the best supernatural action films of the past ten years, and it also makes you wonder why Tennant isn’t in more Hollywood films after his scene-stealing turn as vampire hunter Vincent.
WORLD WAR Z (2013)
And so we come to the end of our list and what better way to finish off than with Marc Forster’s WORLD WAR Z. Now, I will admit that at first I was not the biggest fan of the film due to its lack of blood, lack of traditional zombie characteristics and its over-commercialization, however I have come to warm to it for a number of reasons that even I can’t overlook. As the biggest budget zombie film in history, WORLD WAR Z showcases some truly breathtaking action sequences involving a Philadelphia outbreak, a zombie wall pile-up and a mid-flight airliner with a few unexpected passengers. WORLD WAR Z capitalized on the success of productions like THE WALKING DEAD and went on to become the highest grossing zombie film of all time. This truly proved that zombies are all the rage right now and that audiences really do want to see the world overcome by a similar outbreak resulting in bloodshed and brain-splattering (on screen of course). Perhaps the film’s phenomenal budget (north of $150 Million) is the reason for its appeal as a supernatural action film; after all, WORLD WAR Z is arguably the first film to show a zombie apocalypse realistically on a worldwide scale in true Hollywood blockbuster fashion. Of course, having Brad Pitt as the star didn’t hurt the film’s box office receipts either, with his brilliant interpretation of a man that will stop at nothing to protect his family.
I, FRANKENSTEIN is in cinemas now and stars Aaron Eckhart, Bill Nighy, Yvonne Strahovski, Jai Courtney and Kevin Grevioux.
