The years are merciless, and even former superstars cannot escape the baptism of time. Recently, the recent photos of 60-year-old Jet Li were exposed, which made fans feel a lot of emotion. Compared with Jackie Chan and Donnie Yen of the same age, Jet Li looks much older, with wrinkles and obvious age spots, which makes people call "unrecognizable".
As we all know, Jet Li is one of the representative figures of Chinese-language action movies. From the 80s to the 90s of the last century, he, together with Jackie Chan, Chow Yun-fat and others, laid the golden age of Hong Kong action movies. But now with the passage of time, these big names have inevitably entered the period of "sunset red", which makes fans wonder: who can take over the action movie banner in their hands and become a superstar in the new era?
Jet Li's road to "aging".
As an action actor, Jet Li used to be magnificent, agile, and widely loved by the audience. But time flies, and the former "Kung Fu Emperor" is now inevitably showing signs of aging.
Recently, a group of recent photos of Jet Li leaked out, which shocked fans. In the photo, although his eyes are still bright, his face is full of wrinkles and age spots, making it hard to believe that this is the heroic Jet Li back then. What's even more surprising is that although he is ten years younger than Jackie Chan, he looks older than Jackie Chan, and the whole person has a sense of twilight.
The reason for this is, on the one hand, because Jet Li was seriously injured during the filming of action scenes in his early years, and his physical condition deteriorated. On the other hand, he once revealed that he had hyperthyroidism and had been needing to take medication, which also brought a certain burden to his body. In addition, in recent years, he has devoted himself to Buddhist practice and rarely appears in the public eye, which makes his old age even more obvious.
Comparison with Jackie Chan and Donnie Yen
Today, Jet Li's old state is in stark contrast to Jackie Chan and Donnie Yen, who are also action actors.
Although Jackie Chan is also 70 years old, with his "Wing Chun" skills, he can still show his strength in action scenes. Recently, he revealed on social platforms that he was filming a new film, and in order to play an old man with Alzheimer's disease, he specially wore a white hair and white beard. Although this makes him look older, from the perspective of his mental state, he is still the energetic Jackie Chan.
And Donnie Yen is a better example. He is the same age as Jet Li, but judging from the photos, he is much younger. Although there are some subtle wrinkles, the overall condition is still very good, and I don't look like I'm in my 60s at all. It's no wonder that Jackie Chan is particularly optimistic about Donnie Yen, believing that he is expected to become a new generation of action movie stars.
It can be said that among the three bigwigs, Jackie Chan and Donnie Yen are more stable in comparison, while Jet Li's "aging" is more obvious. This is undoubtedly emotional, and it also makes people wonder, who can bear the banner of action movies in the future?
Wu Jing: Have the strength but can you carry the banner?
For the successor candidates, there are many recommendations from industry insiders. Among them, Wu Jing is undoubtedly one of the most optimistic candidates.
Subsequently, Wu Jing completely established his position in the Chinese action movie industry with two "Wolf Warrior" series of movies and became a well-deserved big name. In the eyes of the audience, he is already a leading figure in current action movies.
But even so, Wu Jing could not escape the constraints of time. Now, he is 50 years old, although he can still gain countless fans when filming the war action blockbuster "Eight Hundred", he has to admit that he is no longer "impressable". This also makes people worry about whether he can really carry the banner of action movies and become a superstar in the new era.
Zhang Jin: Outstanding strength but lack of box office appeal
In addition to Wu Jing, another action actor who has high hopes is Zhang Jin.
As an action actor of the same era, Zhang Jin had a wonderful fight with Wu Jing in "Slaying the Wolf 2", so he was praised by fans as a "thug in a suit". His action scenes are equally good, and they are top-notch.
But the problem is that Zhang Jin's star journey in the past few years was not smooth, and it was only in recent years that he gradually became known to the audience. At this time, he has entered the stage of "twilight years", and naturally he can no longer "show his strength" like when he was young.
Recently, the online movie "Strange Knife" starring Zhang Jin was released, but the box office results were not ideal. This also makes people have to sigh that although Zhang Jin's strength is undoubted, he may no longer be able to support the banner of action movies.
Nicholas Tse: A new force that is expected to take over
In addition to Wu Jing and Zhang Jin, there is another new force in the industry that is considered to be a promising successor, and that is Nicholas Tse.
Although Nicholas Tse has no real kung fu foundation, he is compensatorily very good at fighting, and he especially likes to shoot action movies. In 2021, his participation in "Angry Serious Case" was praised by the audience, and many netizens called it "a classic police and bandit Hong Kong film".
Both Jackie Chan and Donnie Yen have said that they are particularly optimistic about Nicholas Tse's future development prospects. They believe that this new generation of actors is expected to become the successor, and in addition to Nicholas Tse, there are some other young actors in the industry who have attracted attention and are expected to take over as a new generation of action movie superstars.
However, with Semyon's current level and popularity alone, it remains to be seen whether he can really carry the banner of action movies. After all, even if his acting skills are excellent, if he can't drive the box office, it will be difficult to really become an industry giant.
In general, among these young actors, Nicholas Tse may be the most promising candidate to succeed. Not only does he have great action skills, but he also has demonstrated his passion for the field by trying his hand at action direction and directing behind the scenes. Coupled with the strong support of Emperor Company, Nicholas Tse may really be able to take on the banner of future action movies.
But even so, he still needs time to hone and gain experience. After all, to truly become a powerful action superstar, it's not enough to have a passionate heart.
Action Movie "Sunset West Mountain"
As action movie stars such as Jackie Chan and Jet Li gradually withdraw from sight, the once glorious field of action movies is gradually moving towards the "sunset of the West Mountain". The main reasons are as follows:
First of all, as the film industry has grown, action scenes have become more and more complex, requiring a lot of stunts and investment support. This is undoubtedly a big challenge for actors, and many people are simply not up to the task. Coupled with the uncontrollable factors of the actors' own physical condition, this kind of physically intensive filming method has become more and more difficult.
Secondly, the aesthetic taste of the audience is also changing. Today's young audiences prefer the shock brought by visual effects and CG technology, and do not pay much attention to the actors' own action skills. This means that even with great action actors, it is difficult to attract enough attention and resonance.
Moreover, the pattern of the Chinese-language film market is also constantly changing. With the rise of the mainland market, the audience's demand for action scenes has begun to shift to works with more emotional and social issues. This has made action movies gradually lose their former starring role.
Finally, the production team's preference for action scenes is also changing. Young screenwriters and directors are more inclined to make films that reflect the current state of society, rather than spending a lot of energy and money to create high-quality action scenes.
In such an environment, even if there are powerful action actors, it is difficult to really carry this once glorious field. Only a new generation like Nicholas Tse who has both acting skills and enthusiasm may be able to become the new king of action movies.
But in any case, the once glorious field of action movies seems to be gradually moving towards the "sunset". This may be the inevitable result of the development of the times, and it also indicates that the Chinese film industry is evolving in a broader direction. While we will miss the glory days of those action superstars, we believe that there will be new and brilliant works in the future, bringing new vitality and charm to the industry.