I'm gonna have to agree with Patricia on this one. I think the reason that action films are not offered their own genre by scholars is a general dismissal of such films as worthless escapism. Action films generally have no inherent message, weak characterization, and plots that only serve to set up the next stunt. However, I would not dismiss these films because they fail to touch the inner soul. That's not the intention of the film. The way to critique these fims is to compare the technical prowess that goes into each stunt. The more exciting the stunts, the better the movie. The quality of the screenplay is another way to evaluate an action movie. Again, one should not expect anything poignant out of the screenplay, but it shouldn't take away from the picture either (Die Hard 2, Eraser). Bad jokes and corny dialogue can hurt or ruin an action flick. Does anyone have anything else to add to this? _____________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] ---- Screen-L is sponsored by the Telecommunication & Film Dept., the University of Alabama.