10 Action Movies That Would Be Totally Different If The Characters Had Cell Phones – Screen Rant

It goes without saying thataction movies are the bread and butter of Hollywood -- or would be, if bread was made out of explosions and buttered with special effects. This genre has producedsome of the mostimportant filmstoinfluence the cultural consciousness. From superhero epics to gritty crime capers, there is no denying action genre's effects on audiences across the globe.

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Of course, these movies have their own tropes, flaws, and traditions. One thing that has really changed the genre has been the introduction of cell phones. These ten films in particular would be unrecognizable if cell phones were added:

The originalDie Hard is considered by many to be the greatest action movie ever made, while others describe it as singlehandedly transforming the action genre. Yippe ki yay motherf***er!

Much of the film's drama comes from protagonist John McClanecommunicating by radio witha cop outside theNakatomiPlaza building and with the leader of the terrorists whoseized control of the building. All those great conversations would be totally different if the characters were communicating via cell phones. That, and if McClane could just call for help from the start, there'd be no movie - provided someone as old-school as him could figure out how to work one in the first place.

The firstJurassic Park is an all-time classic. However, let's go back to the film's opening scene, long before Dr. Grant and the others ever arrived on the island. The movie opens with crew of workmen transfering one of the velociraptors from a carrying cage into its main pen.

The raptor proves smarter and more resilient than expected and kills one of the workmen, while the bosses -- more concerned with profits than the life of a mere worker -- do nothing to intervene. If literally any of the other workers had access to a cellular phone, this information would be quickly leaked to the public, especially reports of the fact that murderousdinosaurs had been resurrected for a children's park.

Aside from giving modern Marvel movies their start,Blade was the classic vampire action movie of the late '90s and was beloved by fans through the 2000s. For years, it was the only good comic book film most people could think of. There are so many vampires operating in public in this movie, it is impossible to imagine them keeping secret if anyone had a cellphone.

Just imagine the call: "Hello? Is this the local news outlet. Yes, there's this guy with long teeth who just kidnapped a child and is fondling her neck likeshe's food, and he's facing off against another fang-toothed guy in black body army and a trench coat." That would literally end the millennia-old secrecy of vampire society!

In many ways, Underworld was the spiritual successor to both Blade and The Matrix, though many suspect it was actually inspired by the much older rolep-laying game Vampire: The Masqueradedue to its intricate vampire lore.

This action film about the final days of a war between vampires and lycanthropes (i.e. werewolves) has an amazing opening fight scene in a crowded subway station. Cool asthe fight is, it's hard to imagine thatnot one of the dozens of peoplepresent had a cellphone or that none of them called to quickly tell a friend about the crazy weapons or inhuman strength being displayed by the leather-clad weirdos duking it out in the subway.

There's no cult classic likeTheCrow,which tellsthe story of a musician brought back to life to exact vengeance upon the criminals who killed him and his lover. It is a masterpiece of brooding passionbelovedby '90s Goths!

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As the supernatural killer Eric Draven tracks the criminals down one at a time, he is able to corner each of them, forcing them to confront their gruesome end. However, had any of the crooks hadcell phones, they could just warn each other, and none of them would be so isolated when Draven came calling.

Following Blade,thefirst X-Men film helped reinvigorate the superhero genre, making way for Toby Maguire's Spider-Man and the eventual arrival of the MCU. The sequel was an even grittier, more intense film that questioned some of the morality of human rights violations in the post-9/11 world -- something incredibly bold for a film released in 2003!

However, the movie also would have benefited from having cell phones. When the mansion was attacked and the two groups of mutants split up, all that would be necessary to reconnect would be to place a call. Similarly, all the mutants Stryker abducted would hypothetically be able to reach out for help with cell phones.

The first film in Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy does a lot right, despite having plenty of flaws. It clearly draws inspiration from Frank Miller's Batman: Year One, a book written in the '80s and apparently inspired by Miller's time living in New York in the '70s.

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There are a number of scenes that would be completely different with the introduction of cell phones, though. When Batman attacks Carmine Falcone's drug shipment, his men should call for backup and report being attacked. But they don't. They just go down. And frankly, the idea of a Bat Signal in today's day and age is incredibly impractical compared to Batman just giving Jim Gordon a special Bat Phone.

When the T-800 cyborg went back in time to kill Sarah Connor, he used a phone book to track down each person in Los Angeles with her name. Why not just go back in time with a cell phone? Maybe a cell phone with a GPS tracking system that would allow the Terminator to locate the specific Sarah Connor in question and her home address?

It seems strange that time travel could work just fine, but cell phones were a step too far. Then again, if the Terminator had this technology, it's doubtful that Sarah Connor would have survived.

One aspect of the Spider-Man video game which was really cool was how Spidey would talk to people via a phone hooked up to his mask while swinging along. This simple addition would have totally changed the 2002 film and its sequels.

Any time Peter was running late, he could call ahead.When someone was in danger, he could call. When people needed him, they could reach out to him. Imagine him battling muggers orGreenGoblin while chatting with Aunt May. Because with great power must also come a great wireless plan.

Superman was first created in the '30s and in many ways is a product of his time. Both his clearly American patriotismand his socialist leanings were in vogue at the time. His profession as a journalist for a newspaper was one of the most respected careers of the era. And of course, the payphone booths where he changed into his costume were prevalent in the early 20th Century. Now, people have cellphones, so there's no need for phone booths.

To be clear, while early cellular technology existed as far back as the early '7os, it was not as widespread as it is today, so this is not suggesting that characters in the first Superman film would have had access to such tech. However, Superman not being able to change in a phone booth dramatically changes the nature of the film. Also, Lois could have called for help when being buried alive in an avalanche if she had a phone on her, negating the need for the Kryptonian to turn back time.

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Theo Kogod is a freelance writer. While working as an English teacher in Japan, he helped found the magazine 3 Feet Left as its Resident Writer. Since then, he's written for various online publications, including CBR, Screen Rant, and The Comics Vault. His published fiction includes the prose superhero story "Typical Heroes" released by Diabolical Plots and the sci-fi story "Antediluvian" in the anthology A Flash of Silver-Green. He currently lives in North Carolina with his spouse, two adorable cats, and an ever-growing book-hoard.

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10 Action Movies That Would Be Totally Different If The Characters Had Cell Phones - Screen Rant

Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero