The summer feminist blockbuster “Barbie” is still dominating cinemas almost all over the world and is firmly at the top of the charts in the US, but in Bulgaria this corporate doll has been symbolically slapped by Jason Statham and his water action extravaganza “Mega Beast 2: The Abyss”. Statham has been one of the big favorites of the Bulgarian public for years and legitimately displaced “Barbie” from the first place in terms of revenue in our cinemas, at least in its premiere weekend.
Mega Beast 2: The Fall’s worldwide performance has also been more than decent and demonstrates Statham’s continued star power. It’s a test of any star’s ego and worth to be cast in a monster movie. Usually, in such titles, the actors remain in the background and attention is directed to the creation of the special effects. Jason Statham tried his hand at the genre with “Meg” and now its sequel “Meg 2” – sea epics about the return of a giant prehistoric Megalodon shark to the Pacific Ocean.
And in the autumn, we are waiting for another genre twist with the nostalgic spectacle “The Invincibles 4”, filmed in our country. In the center of events is once again Jason Statham – the academician of punches, the general of explosions, the prime minister of premier actions with a huge influence on the world audience.
The English alpha male has made his way to the windy top of the entertainment industry with kicks, punches, extreme driving and tons of charisma. Now this elite player not only symbolically took over the helm of “The Invincibles” from its creator Sylvester Stallone. Statham is producing and will be a major player in the upcoming fourth installment.
Jason Statham and Guy Ritchie shot to the top together in 1998 with the global success of the low-budget story of London cockney cabals and small-time gangsters vying to screw Two Smoking Butts. Two years later, Statham is already a world star with Ritchie’s second top film, Geppy. The actor is in the role of a promoter of illegal boxing matches in the English capital with the nickname “Turkey”. Statham plays with confidence and relies on snappy dialogue peppered with English slang.
But after the virtuosic verbal feats in “Two smoking butts” and “Geppy” Jason Statham sharply reoriented himself to physical performances in action, fantasy and harsh thrillers. He has built a muscular body with many years of serious sports. He has been through football, martial arts, professional diving and as a proven athlete he fits very comfortably in the niche of Hollywood action cinema, freed from the old tyrannosaurs of the genre such as Stallone and Schwarzenegger.
Statham became the face of several high-octane series such as “The Transporter” and “The Mechanic”. Then he tried his hand in more ensemble franchise superproductions such as “The Fast and the Furious” and the already mentioned series “The Invincibles”, where he is in the lead together with Sylvester Stallone. For “The Invincibles 2” and “The Invincibles 3,” Statham was in Bulgaria, where he participated in several dizzyingly choreographed action scenes involving a host of other stars and their stuntmen. To this day, he is one of the biggest campaigners for more recognition for the stunt profession and calls for a special category at the Academy Awards to honor the work of the men and women who risk their lives for the most impossible and dangerous scenes in the cinema.
On the horizon for Jason Statham, there are not many pretentious dramas for festival honors and enthusiastic critical analysis in the New Yorker, for example. Statham is one of the big stars who don’t make themselves special. He kicks hard, doesn’t complain, and doesn’t go overboard with snotty Hollywood activism. One more reason for him to be liked by normal viewers despite already playing the same role in every movie.
I pass the baton to him
I’m ready to put the future of The Invincibles in Jason’s safe hands. I got incredibly lucky with Jason for this series. Just a phenomenal cast and person. He gives his all on set. He can drive fast and dangerously, jump from tall buildings, fight like a commando. Master all the key elements of action. It’s always a pleasure to act with him or direct him in a film.
Sylvester Stallone, actors producer
He certainly doesn’t look 55
Before we worked again, we had filmed “Revolver” more than 16 years ago. And now at some point we looked around and realized that we had both hit fifty. He’s 56 years old, but you’ll never give them to him. No one would say Jason is 56, he doesn’t look old at all. It’s the same. Separately, I feel like we made “Two Smoking Butts” 15 days ago. And it’s been forever. Our relationship is the same as it was then. We still play a lot of chess.
Guy Ritchie, director and screenwriter
“Revolver” was complete madness
I’ve never liked Guy Ritchie and Jason Statham movies together. These machos with their harsh lines and attempts to be super impressive in every way. But when taken too seriously it becomes unbearable. Revolver, for example, was a complete lunacy, an unsalvageable film. It was painful to watch Statham in this thing. And he was struggling, you could tell. Absurd scenario. There was nothing for him to do.
Mark Crumode, film critic
Snobs and critics are not his fans
Film critics aren’t particularly keen on Statham’s work, but action fans and women adore him. Before becoming an actor, he was an athlete and model, and today he is a world-class showbiz player. He was 50 years old when he fathered a child with 30-year-old actress and top model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. More than 22 years after Two Smoking Butts, Statham remains a hairless, billboard-sized top hitman plus a vast and loyal following, who guarantee high grosses for many of his films and love him for who he is – seasoned kicker.
2023-08-11 04:30:44
#Jason #Statham #Slap #Barbie #Labor
