Alex's Review:
The Rock is one of those movies that I’ve already seen multiple times, completely forgotten every time but yet still maintained a warm liking for. It’s a really easy movie to watch again and again and I always pick up something new each time I watch it.
The Rock features a lot of actors that you’ll recognize, there is of course Nicolas Cage (who is pretty amusing in this movie), Sean Connery (who is amazing in this movie (as always)), and Ed Harris (who makes a great misguided war hero turned villain). At every turn there is someone else that you know from somewhere else, there’s John Spencer from The West Wing, Tony Todd from Candy Man, David Morse from a whole lot of things (Twelve Monkeys, and TV show House to start with), Michael Biehn from The Terminator and Aliens. As a strange side note Cage’s love interest in the film, Vanessa Marcil, has a son with Brian Austin Green, who is now married to Megan Fox – the love interest in Michael Bay’s first two Transformers movies.
This was Michael Bay’s second feature film, after Bad Boys, and you can definitely see his stamp on it. There’s the non-stop action, things exploding all over the place and the random love interest that is more sex than purpose. Things that are great about this movie are the car chase scene in San Francisco, and generally the shots of San Francisco, the fact that it involved Alcatraz, and the amazing lines given to Sean Connery. Actually, the best thing about The Rock is Sean Connery’s lines. The music, which was really only one song but a little different each time worked well and helped keep the scenes moving, definitely hero action movie important things are happening 90’s movie music.
It is definitely best to stop thinking when watching, it makes it more enjoyable. Why is there a mine shaft underneath Alcatraz? Don’t think about it – just enjoy it for what it is – another place to kick bad-guy butt. If those little green ball things break so easily why would Cage’s character put one in his pocket and then start fighting someone? Please, just don’t think about it – it’s obviously there for a cool death scene later.
The Rock is from 1996, and while it’s not all that dated, action movies have definitely gotten better over the years since this was made. At the end of the day The Rock is an action movie. If you like action movies, you will probably really enjoy this one.
The Rock – 8/10
Watch Again? Yes
Rent Again? Yes
Buy? Yes
Glad I Saw It? Yes
