Can you explain why The Rock (film) is so beloved?

Okay folks, I'm being serious here and truly intrigued to know why people seem to adore The Rock so much. So I have heard the GB crew praise this film for many years now and to be fair they've recommended some great films I had never got around to watching before, for example I recently checked out Event Horizon and was thoroughly entertained. However, I am baffled by The Rock. I watched the film a few months back and would probably describe it in mere words as "absolute hot garbage" and actually at to turn it off towards the end because I just couldn't stand to watch anymore of it.

Now let me make something clear, I'm most certainly not some snotty movie buff who looks down on any genre of movies and I entirely understand that we all have our unique tastes in what movies we love but I've been baffled by The Rock since watching it a few months back. Did I miss something about the film, some hidden deep message or something. I have considered that I might have already been sickened to death by Michael Bay which meant I went into watching this film with a bad taste in my mouth already but I'd like to think I'd give it the chance to impress me, plus it features Nicolas Cage so there's an added bonus. Yet I couldn't even enjoy it ironically.

Die Hard is kind of stupid but fantastic for being a pure action flick and that's why I love it, so I can enjoy these sorts of films. So what am I missing? I genuine want to know because I think I should give it a second chance.

No, you're simply wrong about it and your account will be banned for violating the number one forum rule: Don't badmouth The Rock. I'm kidding.

Seriously though, these types of dumb action movies aren't for everyone. I think that movie is great, as do most people, but hey! If you don't like it that's fine, I guess.

Also, Die Hard is not a pure action flick, it's more of a suspense movie. Most of it is Bruce Willis sneaking around, it's a completely different type of movie.

It's beloved? By who?

I'm not even sure what's not to love about it. Maybe you watched the wrong movie. Did you miss the Lamborghini chasing the Hummer through San Francisco?

When you look at what's in it, you realize there's some good stuff.

It's a restrained Michael Bay film, meaning there's fun and dumb action while being restrained from the latent racism, overreliance on CGI, and puerile humor that have turned his more recent works into the drek of moviemaking.

It's produced by Jerry Bruckheimer in his prime, whose specialty was this kind of fun and dumb action movie (National Treasure, Top Gun, the Pirates of the Caribbean).

Your three leads are Nicholas Cage - Nicholas goddamn Cage, Sean Connery still going strong and playing an unnamed copy of James Bond, and Academy Award nominee Ed Harris - a guy whose name you've never heard of but is in like, everything. Those three could carry almost any movie.

The story, while it's not fantastic, has one of the most memorable quotes of Sean Connery's career and has an unnamed credit for Quentin Tarantino.

It is a dumb movie filled with guys who are genuinely talented, have motivations that are at least enough not to make you question them too much, and it has aged far better than many people think.

Sean Connery rips the shit out of that fucking two-way mirror and Ed Harris messes up that phone!

It's just a good film. Good cast, well delivered dialogue, Nic Cage, that scene in the Shower room.

Man.

It's about as fun as an action movie can be. I still don't really understand how it's a Michael Bay movie. I think this may be a George Lucas sort of thing where he only made good stuff when there were tons of people in between him and the finished product. It's been pretty much my favourite movie of its type since before Giant Bomb existed, so this isn't some ironic inside joke or anything. The Rock is legitimately quality.

Could not tell you ... I don't especially like that movie. I fucking HATE Cage. Connery and Harris are the only good thing about that film.

I agree with Jeff though: Bad Boys II is dope.

Some people find it to be quite fun, myself included. Not that complicated, we just have fun watching it.

@machofantastico: I am a snotty film critic (seriously) and I love the Rock... ironically.

It's just so over the top in a stupid way but then, contrary to most Bay's movies, the actors are pretty good and everything is delivered in this weird, shakespearian, super dramatic tone.

I just love it, in the same way I can enjoy the aerosmith fueled romance of Armageddon. It's dumb, but really entertaining.

It is a great fucking movie, I mean it is no Die Hard. But it is a dumb entertaining action movie.

I've never seen it as being universally beloved or anything, yes the bombcast likes it but the bombcast also aren't a good representation of most people.

Personally I liked the film for what it was but I never had any urge to watch it again and again.

While I'm not baffled by their enjoyment of The Rock, I also am someone who's not a big fan of it either. It's an alright action flick if you don't take it too seriously. For me personally, I think Michael Bay's best films are the two Bad Boys movies.

The Rock is awesome. Fuck everyone who disagrees.

I also watched it for the first time a few months back because the crew seems to be praising that movie at every turn. I think it's alright in some spots. Sean Connery's character is pretty good. It's overall kinda bad though. Also watched Cobra over the weekend and if you want to talk about bad movies... Holy shit that movie is terrible.

From all the praise I was expecting some classics in the same league as Die Hard. That was kind of disappointing.

WOMACK!

WHY AM I NOT SURPRISED, YOU PIECE OF SHIT!

It's great.

I'm not sure if most people that claim to like it do so ironically or not.

The Rock is one of the best action movies of the 90s. One of the best "old man Sean Connery" performances. Nic Cage, Ed Harris. It's great.

As for other 90s action movies, Independence Day is clearly number one, and Rush Hour and The Matrix are pretty high up there, and both won the award for "movies that should've never had sequels". Also I think you can blame The Matrix for the video game Allstory that was more or less embraced by every big sci fi game since (Mass Effect, Halo, Assassin's Creed).

@dudeglove: Yep, I'll Be Home For Christmas starring Jonathan Taylor Thomas is a subtle remake of Die Hard.

It's not beloved, it's a dumb action movie that happens to be the only film Michael Bay has released that's ok.

Bad Boys II and Armageddon are watchable, but The Rock is actually half good

Yes, yes and yes!

You can close the thread now.

Why do some many people on the internet demand that we explain things like this?

YOU CAN'T EXPLAIN IT! I WILL NOT REPEAT THAT ORDER!

You either get it or you don't, end of story.

Womack.

Don't worry, you're not missing anything. It's kind of boring, even by Bay's standards not his best work. There's a couple interesting shots, like the bathhouse scene, but they don't really make up for the rest of it.

Modern Warfare 2 and Pirates of the Caribbean salvaged the only worthwhile things from the Rock, and we're probably better off just sticking with those.

It's a product of it's time and it happened to be pretty awesome back then. I can't speak for everyone but it's one of the first big budget action movies I can remember that made me legitimately afraid of chemical weapons. Just the way they depicted how something that isn't just a giant explosion could be a much more horrifying fate was masterfully done albeit a bit corny in retrospect. And they drive the point home that the best chance of survival involves sticking a giant goddamn needle into your heart. For all I know there was an older movie that handled it better but The Rock is always what sticks in my mind in that regard.

Sure there's a lot about the story and dialogue that you can pick out and call totally dumb but having the cast that it did made it work in my opinion. One of the last points I'll make is that they utilize Alcatraz as a setting quite well I feel. It might not have been 100% true to the actual layout but I could care less about that. It made the whole extraction procedure of the mission feel incredibly cool even when it goes completely sideways.

It's not? Aside from the crew's unnatural love for it, it's pretty much just another middlin' action flick. I liked Con Air's Cage role much better.

@dudeglove said:

It actually came out in 1998! The one in 1988 is some made for TV movie I've never heard of.

I thought The Rock was awful..there's dumb fun action movies like Commando and aggressively bad idiocy like The Rock..and Con Air for that matter. Is there really a widespread love for this movie, or is it just among the GB crew? I love action flicks but Bay-style flag-waving, cock-measuring fests put me right off. (Speaking of action movies, go see Raid 2. It's awesome!)

I thought you were joking, but then I remembered he makes a detour to a Bavarian village, so Germans really do get in his way....mind blown!

Wait wait wait…are you trying to imply that Con Air is a bad movie? I could understand it not being to your taste, but…bad? Someone get @alex on the line; we need an intervention over here!

@archer88 said:

I'm going to pretend that I remembered that detail.

Yes I thought it was terrible. Saw it the weekend it was released, largely due to the cast and the idea sounded so cool. But there was Nic Cage's terrible accent, Malko's hammy performance, crap script and flaming homosexual stereotypes. It was shit..don't begrudge others for liking it, but I thought it sucked on ice.

@dudeglove: thanks for that video... Always been interested in the "technical" (can it be called like that) aspect of film making and cinematography.

It's a dumb fun action flim. It takes itself exactly as serious as you want it to.

The fact that the OP called "die hard kind of stupid" means he has kind of absolutely no real voice in this discussion. So i won't bother arguing past this point.

Just accept people like stuff that others don't. Opinions are this thing, that people have, and each person has them. It's kinda like thoughts. Ya know?

Nicolas Cage as Nicolas Cage is in it.

!!!!!!!

Yeah I didn't like The Rock, felt it was too bombastic and it never let me breath. Seriously, it feels like the score is so loud and never stops. Also I just don't really like the plot, nor it's characters. I know it's categorized as "dumb" action but when people mention Die Hard, I kinda feel The Rock is dumb, but just badly made dumb. It has no charisma, no charm, and just loud scenes, that lead to a "get out of here" ending.

It's as if the film was just made to show set pieces and explosions. The movie looks expensive and the actors(I like the cast) were just given wooden characters with no sense of humor. A action movie with no laughs, but just awkward wanna be badass lines. A Die Hard you are not The Rock.

The only place that I've ever heard give reverence for The Rock is this website. I don't think it is widely loved all that much or considered one of the all time best action movies. From what I'm aware of consensus is it's the best movie Michael Bay has made, which isn't really saying much. It's an above average action flick and that's about it.

Maybe I should give it another chance at least. It must have somethings going for it.

Oh and I've heard praise for the film from numerous people, not just on GB. It's why I was so baffled by it.

I didn't even realize it was highly regarded by the GB crew, much less anyone else. but I dunno, it's a pretty alright movie. There are plenty of better action movies out there, but it's not bad by any means. I feel any high amount of reverance for it is questionable, but anyone who has a strong disdain for it probably has a stick up their ass.

Simply put, I'd much rather hang out with someone who thinks that movie is awesome than whatever kind of stick in the mud would actively hate it.

• Sean Connery was a badass in that movie, even more so than usual.
• Nic Cage was bad as always, but he tried really hard and was pretty charming
• Ed Harris, even though he was a bad guy, was awesome and a sympathetic character. I don't blame him for what he did
• It has Force Recon Marines, and Force Recon Marines are the most badass motherfuckers on the planet. Before the Navy SEALS, before the Green Berets, before the Rangers... There were Recon Marines.
• The action was pretty great. The shower room standoff was one of the best, tense, action scenes ever.

What do you want me to do, kill him again?

The Rock kicks ass.

The Rock? Losers always whine about the Rock. Winners go home and watch Bad Boys.

You lost me when you called Die Hard "stupid.. Pure action".

Die Hard is a suberbly intelligent look at the action movie which completely changed the rules.

Because you said Die Hard was stupid I'm not gonna listen to anything you say about film.