British Action and Adventure: A National Take on a Global Genre

Action and adventure are prominent forms in contemporary commercial
cinema, modes of filmmaking with a high degree of cultural visibility.
Action as a genre is associated with both technical innovation in the
service of visual spectacle, and with American or more precisely
Hollywood cinema. An inventive use of 3D (with simultaneous
2D/standard release), mobilisation of a rich American cultural form (the
comic book) and ensemble action is exemplified by the expense and
commercial value of the twenty-first century superhero film. Though far
from the only form of contemporary Hollywood action/adventure cinema
(there are numerous variants), the superhero film underlines the scale of
financial investment and spectator involvement in Hollywood action’s
explosive scenes.