Throughout the 1970s, Bruce Lee had a significant impact on Hollywood, becoming a leader in martial arts films, but his illustrious career probably wouldn’t work today. Due to changes in action films, fight scenes and technology, a career like Bruce Lee’s would definitely face challenges today or even not happen at all.
Although Bruce Lee had a variety of minor roles in the US, including The Green Hornet, the martial artist really made a name for himself by starring in five feature-length Hong Kong martial arts films. In order, he appeared in The Big Boss, Fist of Fury, Way of the Dragon, Enter the Dragon and Game of Death. Unfortunately, while Bruce Lee inspired other martial artists, what he achieved would almost certainly not happen today.
8. The Western Martial Arts Boom Has Died Down
Primarily, Bruce Lee’s career took off due to the special interest in martial arts in the United States at that time. Although martial arts films originated in China back in 1928, the genre didn’t take hold in the West until the 1970s, and when it did, it did incredibly well. Bruce Lee’s first Hollywood roles in the early 1970s are proof of this. However, around the 1990s, the martial arts boom eventually died down. Currently, the market for martial arts films is small, and those that are released will be considered niche rather than having the potential for commercial success.
7. The Rise Of CGI And Visual Effects In Fight Scenes
Another difference between the 1970s and today is that the fight scenes are completely different. In the 1970s, Bruce Lee’s martial arts styles created a new type of fight sequence that was fresh and exciting. The fight was real and looked exactly like this. These days, fight scenes are created almost entirely with CGI and visual effects. To impress audiences, modern films use a lot of special effects so that actors look impressive without having to train. Even those who train for their combat roles are largely supported by CGI. Thus, the skills of a martial artist may not be relevant today, since fight scenes in films rely on special effects by default.RELATED:
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6. Modern Actors Rarely Tie Themselves To A Single Genre
Additionally, there have also been huge changes in Hollywood that are currently making Bruce Lee’s career difficult. For example, actors very rarely tie themselves to one genre anymore. While Bruce Lee was inextricably linked to martial arts and action films, today’s actors are trying to diversify their resumes to stay relevant and work. An actor might appear in an Oscar-nominated drama one year and a Marvel film the next. Thus, an actor who is solely interested in martial arts will likely not be successful because they will be considered one-note or lacking in versatility.
5. Movie Stars Doing Their Own Stunts Causes Studios More Problems
As opposed to the 1970s, there are much stricter rules nowadays about actors completing their own stunts on movie sets. Mainly, studios want to avoid injuries at all costs, and allowing actors to complete their own stunts means opening up the risk of injury. In an interview with IndieWire, martial artist and actor Jackie Chan explained that he hurt himself constantly making martial arts movies, often breaking bones for his stunts. This most likely wouldn’t fly in the current day and a martial artist would probably have a hard time trying to break boundaries in their movie with the studio consistently worrying about them.
4. The Rise Of MMA Has Decreased The Magic Of Martial Arts
When Bruce Lee was most popular, martial arts movies were the peak of on-screen fighting. However, in 2006 the UFC entered the mainstream and made mixed martial arts fighting a common sight. Rather than utilizing the dramatics and flair of martial arts movies, these MMA fights were highly realistic. In the end, this made martial arts movies suffer, as audiences became inclined to see more realistic fights rather than stylized ones, turning the magic of martial arts movies into something that seemed more silly and unreal.
3. Bruce Lee’s Breakthrough Role Would Be Cast Differently Today
Another major change from the 1970s to the present is the way casting works. Although Bruce Lee was cast as the Green Hornet at a martial arts convention, Hollywood casting is much stricter these days. It’s not often that the actor is spotted in a public place. On the contrary, any role will go through a lengthy and regimented audition process. Even very successful actors usually have to audition for their roles. This means that the young martial artist will have to work much harder to break into Hollywood than Bruce Lee.
2. International Dubs In Theaters Are Not As Popular These Days
One of the main aspects of Bruce Lee’s fame was that his first feature films came from Hong Kong and were dubbed for the U.S., leading to his rise to fame in the west. Although international films currently have a voice within the U.S., especially through streaming services like Netflix, it seems unlikely that an international film star could transition so easily into Hollywood. This is because international dubs are not as popular in theaters, and with streaming, the world of content is too saturated. It would be a long-shot for a martial artist to try and make their name in the U.S. through a foreign film.