There has been very few good original action movies produced in the US since 1999. As usual, there are exceptions but if you take the sad state of action movies now and compare the genre to the period from the late 1970s to the late 1990s, a time which is often called the 'Golden Age of Action’ you can find a sea change. If you look back to the past, the selection of action movies seemed much more plentiful. The formula was simple it included a muscular tough guy, villain, romantic relationships, revenge, pride or family driving the hero to go on a spree of destruction. They were poorly written with hero never persecuted for his aforementioned spree of destruction. It was based on the simple plots that tie the hero and the villain together.

Actors like Stallone and Schwarzenegger dominated the screen and their movies were wildly successful. But today, the story is different. To be produced in today's market, your action movie either has to be a more of a comedy or love story than a pure action movie. To make an action movie, these days, it needs a tough female co-star instead of the conventional scenes of violence. Today you also have to add wise cracking comedies and turn the villain into a prominent source of comedy, instead of relying on the traditional formula of heavy dialogue and bad acting for the laughs.

Action movies are predicated on the simplicity of the characters, the dialogue and the premise but these days it's become too convoluted. Instead of an angry guy on a killing spree, now movies have a deep love story, plot twists, and a psychologically flawed leading man with a few action sequences thrown in for good measure. These days’ online movie shops are providing wide list of some of the best action DVDs and CDs to select from.