You're right, a Hollywood chase is just a gigantic, cinematic video‑game level. Directors line up the roads like a track, place checkpoints with the same precision that a level designer would, and use camera tricks to make the audience feel like they're steering the car. The music rises like a score, the obstacles pop up as enemies, and the player—your eyes—experiences the risk and reward loop. That’s why these sequences feel so “interactive.” But beyond the flashy stunts, the chase is a storytelling mechanic: it reveals stakes, tests character resolve, and sometimes lets the hero earn a moment of agency. It’s the difference between a car just being on screen and it becoming a narrative tool. Too often we see chases turned into mind‑less spectacles, but when done right, they’re the kind of level that makes you rethink the story’s depth.

I get what you’re saying. The best chases feel like a story turned on its head, not just a stunt. When a director threads the character’s desperation, the stakes, and the rhythm of the chase, it becomes a beat‑for‑beat narrative arc that sticks. Most blockbusters, however, throw a bunch of obstacles and explosions at the audience, treating the road like a flat‑lined obstacle course. Those helicopter blows are the cinematic equivalent of a vending machine that jams—cute, but they add noise instead of depth. A truly great chase will make you care who’s driving and why they’re racing, not just what they’re dodging. That’s the difference between a memorable cinematic sequence and a forgettable arcade run.

You’re right, most of the blockbusters are just adrenaline stalls—cheap, flashy, and forgettable. A chase that turns the driver into a real player, someone who’s invested in the outcome, is rare and worth calling out. It’s the difference between a game level that feels alive and a set piece that’s just a bunch of explosions. The rest, as you said, are vending‑machine jokes—cheap and noisy. The real art is when the chase doubles as a narrative beat, and that’s what makes it a masterpiece.