Now that Israeli actress Shira Haas has landed a role in Marvel's upcoming Captain America movie, she joins Gal Gadot as the Holy Land's latest contribution to on-screen heroines in superhero action films, and that for me puts a fine point on the evolution of cinema.
Social media has become our main form of entertainment. Consumable fun in bite-sized packages is just what the doctor prescribed for our ever-shrinking attention spans. We want our entertainment Instagrammable and TikTokable. Short, sweet and to the point.
Character building? Character arcs? Subtle plot development? Sorry, but my favorite TikToker has a 2-minute clip about how to mix eyeliner and glitter.
Anthony Mackie, who has probably played in so many movies like Marvel's Falcon that he probably couldn't even name them anymore, said in 2017 that "they now make movies for specific audiences as opposed to just making good movies."
The point he was making touches on the proliferation of superhero movies as a surefire way to satisfy the easily-bored Gen Z kids with flash instead of substance. In order to accommodate our collective squirrel brains, filmmakers have adapted to include as much entertaining content in the shortest amount of time possible, preferably from the very first scene of the film.
The entertainment must be condensed, otherwise, people will tune out. They will lose interest. Filmmakers must keep them captivated now. Make them gasp now. Have their pupils lock on to the screen now. So how do you do that?
The answer that appeals to the lowest common denominator is simple - flashy, colorful action that happens loudly and quickly. That's how you keep Gen Z'ers from walking out on you and going back to zombie scrolling on their phones until their thumbs begin to bleed.
Hence, the resurgence of visually-stunning superhero films. It's everything you need to make a compelling visual tool that will capture your target audience in a way that will make them come back for more.
That's why you see Iron man, Spiderman, Wonder Woman, Superman, Captain America and others kicking ass, either against so-called villains (who contribute nothing but trite monologues about their evil plans to take over the world, whatever that means) or against each other.
Why are they even fighting, you ask? What are they fighting for, you ask? Who cares? Bring on the ass-kicking and stop asking questions, please. We don't concern ourselves with logic here. Just fun. Visual stimuli that will fit on your phone screen for no more than 10 seconds.
Movies like that don't really feature actors anymore, but performers. Those that can deliver cheeky one-liners after their stunt double pulls off a cool spinning kick to knock out another interchangeable baddie. They cast people with charisma, not acting skills. Today's action flicks require about as much acting prowess as porn.
The Shawshank Redemption is widely regarded as one of the greatest movies of all time, and other than Tim Robbins getting beaten half-to-death by the "sisters" in a prison storage room, the movie contains no action at all. It didn't need any.
Because it contained something ten times more valuable - a gradual development of the plot and characters. The movie took its time, adding layer after layer of intrigue, empathy, humor, motive and drama. It was a 5-star restaurant filet mignon in movie form.
If you desire a more recent example, you don't even need a full movie. How about just the opening scene of Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds? It's basically a conversation between a farmer and a Nazi officer drinking milk and smoking a pipe in World War II-occupied France. There's nothing even remotely heart-pumping about a guy having a conversation and drinking milk.
And yet, it is one of the most fascinating scenes in cinema history. The transformation of Christoph Waltz's character from an easy-going, cordial and seemingly innocuous truth-seeker to a threatening, spine-chilling and painfully resolute Nazi officer determined to find the Jews hiding in the house, was the definition of great acting, superb writing, masterful pacing and breathtaking suspenseful story-telling.
Not a single ass kicked. Not a single one-liner uttered. Just good cinema.
Those types of masterpieces wouldn't get made nowadays. They don't conform to today's bite-sized, lighting-quick entertainment standards. People don't want good acting. They want the visual equivalent of cocaine. That's what superhero movies deliver.
None of that means Gal Gadot and Shira Haas won't be known as high-grossing movie stars who make enough money to feed a small island nation. That will definitely still be the case.
Will they be known as great performers? Absolutely. Great actors? Well...