What Happened To Action Heroes?

Alright, I've talked about this before, but it's been awhile, So what happened to action heroes? I'm talking in movies and video games. The characters of the likes of Indiana Jones, Rick O'Connell, Nathan Drake, or even Lara Croft. I still miss these kinds of characters and I'm going to break it down why they are so good, and why we should be getting more of them.

Action Heroes in the Movies

Let's face it, the acton hero was born in the movies. It really kinda began with Indiana Jones, to be honest. So you could say it really started in 1981 with a little film called Raiders of the Lost Ark. It was directed by non other than Steven Spielberg. The film also starred Harrison Ford. This film is the patient zero that began this semi-alive trend of films.
With the success of Raiders of the Lost Ark, it was only natural for a sequel to be made, which would further the identity of the action hero. This film would be The Temple of Doom (Which terrified me as a child), and then with The Last Crusade. Another film was made in the 2000's but I will not mention it here, also as of writing this, there is supposed to be another Indiana jones film in the works.
Then in 1999 another little film called, The Mummy came out. The film starred Brendon Frasier, and it was probably the most successful his film career has been. Yet there was a similar spirit with, The Mummy that harkened back to the Indiana Jones films. There was the same sense of adventure, and action that the Indiana Jones films brought to the forefront.
Rick O'Connell (Brendon Frasier) was another fantastic action hero, and even in the sequels, such as The Mummy Returns and Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, which were good but not as good as The Mummy. There was still a playish attitude to the character and brought some of the charm of Indiana Jones with him as well.
Though there was one video game crossover from video game to film that worked in my opinion, Tomb Raider, and I'm talking about the 2018 film, not the films that came out in the early 2000's, which weren't that good.

Action Heroes in Video Games

In 1996, a new game called Tomb Raider came out. This would be the first appearance of Lara Croft, and this would pioneer the action hero for video games. Tomb Raider remains a successful video game franchise to this day, with new games coming out such as, Shadow of the Tomb Raider. This character remains an important figure for these type of heroes still.

Naughty Dog came out with their own action hero in 2007 with Uncharted, and their character, Nathan Drake. I don't think it's a secret that Nathan Drake is a little (lot) similar to Indiana Jones. Yet you still get all the good action and treasure hunting and fights. There were four Uncharted games in the main series.

Besides Lara Croft and Nathan Drake there weren't many other prominent Action Hero type of characters. I'm sure there are a few others out there which are similar, but none with the staying power of Lara Croft or Nathan Drake.

Characteristics of Action Heroes

There are some common characteristics among the traits and storylines that all of these heroes are involved in. 

Let's start off with the characters traits. So they usually are quick witted, physically and mentally strong, a bit of a troublemaker. There's no doubting the physical strength of Indiana Jones or Nathan Drake, and same goes for Rick O'Connell or Lara Croft. Each of those charters face incredible feats of strength on their journeys. All of them are very intelligent too. Sure they may not be an expert in everything, but don't let it fool you by there sometimes clumsy actions, they are always ready to come up with a quick solution on the spot. Each of them also has a little bit of a troublemaker streak, whether that's intentional or not. Nathan Drake is a thief, and that's bound to get him into some trouble, and Indiana Jones just sorta falls into trouble all by himself. Same goes for Rick O'Connell and Lara Croft.
Now regarding their storylines, it always involves some sort of artifact or tomb. For example in, The Last Crusade, Indiana Jones's storyline revolves around finding the Holy Grail. Or basically in any Tomb Raider game, Lara Croft is attempting to find something or someone inside a tomb. The same can be said for The Mummy movies, and it's pretty similar for the Uncharted series as well.
There is a common theme amongst these four items of entertainment. Throw together all of the above characteristics and you have yourself a great Action Hero Film or Video Game.

Action Heroes Conclusion 

I don't think I'm the only one out there that misses these forms of entertainment. Given they are still making Tomb Raider games, and we do know there will be another Indiana Jones movie coming out. I just wish they would make more of this type of content.
I'm not sure if there are many books out there that cover this type of Action Hero, but I hope there are a few out there at the very least. After all, I am a writer myself, and there have been a few ideas floating around my brain. I think I just might right a story centered around one of these types of action heroes one day.
I've stated this before and I'll state it again, these heroes are amazing, and I love them in their own way. It's a real shame that we don't get more heroes like them, but maybe one of these days we will another.