In the first couple of years after the attacks what was noticeably absent was down-to-Earth action, with fantasy worlds removed from our own dominating the box office. The nineties had been dominated by massive, world-threatening action, but now it all felt a little too close to home; there was no escapism in Independence Day's destruction of the world's monuments. Instead, the likes of The Lord Of The Rings, Harry Potter and Pirates Of The Caribbean became the big franchises, offering something different to what was on the news. The big releases in 2002/2003 are pretty much across the board this sort of family-friendly fare. Controversy would still arise every now and then, but for a while the industry went in a very inoffensive direction. The one film with an overtly contemporary setting that did appear with great success was Spider-Man, but that was so deliriously fantastical (and, as we pointed out, boasted a united New York) that it was far removed from the tragedy. So immediately following 9/11 Hollywood tried to give us something totally different. Although that wouldn't last for long...
