The question some may be asking is if a pro-wrestler has the ability to become a movie star. That is definitely the question that the WWE are betting on. 12 Rounds will likely put that question to rest.
Now I must start off with the revelation that I don’t watch wrestling. I don’t get the obsession. While I don’t doubt the wrestlers are all in good shape (many helped in that regard by steroids) I don’t find them to be athletes, just pumped up entertainers. Yet their acting in the ring is not what I would call acting in the traditional sense. Which is a problem when making movies around these celebrities.
Given that 12 Rounds is not classic theater, and the John Cena would never perform for the Bard, can it provide the spark that makes a good action film?
I’ll start with Cena. He is a WWE star. I believe his character is a popular good guy wrestler. He is the first of the WWE wrestlers to be branched out into movies (I believe. Again I don’t watch wrestling so I’m not sure on this). And his first film was a flop.
Now matter how low the budget was for The Marine, for all the hype surrounding Cena a gross of $18 million over 3 months is pitiful. While it has done better in DVD, it still is a bad film. That’s just what the numbers say.
So I take this film as the trend starter or breaker. Either action films will be filled with WWE and other wrestlers for the next decade, most of the same quality and style of rappers in movies, or there won’t be more than 1 or 2 more tries. Which is a lot of pressure for Cena and the WWE.
This film decided to take the safest root possible for a new action star. It copies every successful action film before it. With huge helpings of Speed and Die Hard, the film hopes to draw an audience with a character that is popular (to fans of wrestling), in a situation that has already proven to be well-received. Of course there are your problems.
John Cena is very popular I’m sure, in the world of wrestling. To everyone else (and there are a lot more of us than not) he is just a big guy. So that does not help boost his appeal. But it doesn’t hurt him either. It does mean that he either needs to act well, or like most Schwarzenegger films he needs to say as little as possible.
Still the fact that we have seen all of this before does bode badly. In the trailer you will see the fire engine racing down the street, so much like the bus in Speed. And the elevator scene is such a reminder of Die Hard. Plus how many films have copied the format of both those films by now? In essence we have seen this before, so the thrill just doesn’t come thru in the trailers.
Maybe Cena will pull this off. But the film is so predictable that at the bottom of the post I will tell you what I think the ending is. Anyone who sees the film can tell me if I got it right. I won’t see this film till it hits cable (so that means by the end of the year) thus I will rely on Cena fans to explain how wrong I am about his acting, and right about the film I expect.
***SPOILER ALERT ***
I expect that after running around a city causing havoc and being framed as the cause of it all, towards the middle of the film it will be found that he is a ploy of the bad guy. Eventually he will come to the last problem, and somehow end up on a helicopter with the bad guy and his wife. Once there, as it flies off, he will beat the pulp out of the bad guy – who will then activate (if not before) a bomb to kill the wife and himself since he misses his dead girlfriend. Cena will grab his wife and jump into a hotel roof top pool (lucky to just be hovering over that) just before the bomb goes off and the bad guy dies.
2 comments:
Comment as found at 1800blogger.com, where I am a contributing author.
Keith Says:
March 23rd, 2009 at 3:53 pm e
I’ve gotta say that this is the precise reason why I cannot stand film critics. There always has to be something wrong, and mood always has to be negative. Nobody can think on the positive side.
I expect the movie to be great, and me being a Cena fan doesn’t make me biased. I’ve seen his work, and I’ve seen what he can do, and his acting skills are underrated. Just because the plot and the substance of a film is bad, doesn’t mean that you go and blame the actors. The Marine was a decent popcorn movie, but I did feel that the plot lacked alot of substance. However, the acting was great, especially on the part of Cena. He didn’t say much in that film, as you mentioned the Swartz’ comment earlier. He’s sort of like a human terminator who goes on the hunt to get his wife back, and ends up killing everyone who gets in his way.
Basically I say screw the numbers, and judge what you know, because everybody’s perception is different. You said it yourself that you have never seen any of Cena’s work, and you’ve never seen what the man is capable of, so why are you judging then?
Also, as for what you said about wrestlers not being athletes, that’s a load of crap. Do you have the fortitude to go out there 250 nights a year and do what they do? Do you have the physical capability to go out in the ring, and rely on the co-worker in there with you to help you pull off a possible great match?
While the outcome of the match is predetermined, what happens in the ring is spur of the moment stuff. One guy tells the other what do do, and it flip flops back and forth, so it relies on not only physical prowess, but also spur of the moment thinking.
Like I said before, judge what you know.
Keith,
Thank you for your comment.
First off, when I PREVIEW a movie it is based on the trailers and other information available about the movie. My REVIEWS are based on actually seeing the film (in a theater or on DVD).
The goal of trailers on TV or in a movie theater is to entice an audience to show up for the actual film. Thus they are asking the public to make a judgement on the film based on what they are presenting. That’s for new fans and old, of an entertainer. So there is nothing wrong with voicing my opinion on what they have put out to ther public.
Second, nothing is perfect. Every film has flaws. Some have many. That may or may not be a factor for fans and the public in general. The extreme sex scene in Watchmen is a flaw. Some will love it, others will be uncomfortable. When I make a review I highlight those thihgs so that people make an informed decision, even if the decision is contrary to what I think.
Third, I know movies. I’ve worked in the industry (admittedly on a small scale), and like may reviewers am a fan of movies. So when there is something I like I mention it. And when I don’t I do the same.
I also watch TV. As such my opinion on public acts is as valid, and perhaps a bit more than some, as anyone. You don’t have to like my review. You can go to see any movie or television show. But you can learn what I think, if you choose to read what I have said. Again, it’s your choice.
Now you think this film is great. Ok, why? Is the camera work original or different? Is the plot line original or groundbreaking?
Better yet, most movies don’t have to do something original to be good. What makes this movie worth the money? From what I have seen in the trailers I can rent a dozen other action films that were better filmed, acted, directed, and written (several of which this movie directly copies from as I stated) for half the cost of going to the theater. Why am I wrong?
And while you are correct that the plot (which is the substance) is threadbare, I think it perfectly matches the ability of Cena so far. So from what I have seen it is correct to say in the PREVIEW that his acting ability cannot raise the film up as many good actors in bad films do.
By the way, what do you call great acting? The Terminator movie was good, but Schwarzenegger’s acting was not. Clint Eastwood in the spaghetti westerns is an example closer too the middle. But say Lawrence Fishburn in the Matrix is good acting, or Martin Sheen in Apocalypse Now is great. Cena does not match any of these people, except perhaps the Terminator.
As for wrestling. Being athletic is not being an athlete. The difference can be subtle, but it is there. As I stated and you missed. And I am sure that steroids allow for many things including excellent stamina. But I still do not call that the work of an athlete. Still to answer your question, no I do not have those capabilities today. I did when I was in the Marines, and I was not an athlete then either.
And I never said I did not see The Marine, just pro-wrestling. You liked it. I did not. Again there are too many films of the same plot and style that are far better, and that directly reflects on Cena’s acting ability. Or lack thereof.
As for the numbers, the only thing to take from them is that Cena did not achieve what was the goal. Creating an entertaining movie to the masses. Fans of Cena, like you, may see him. But the rest of us want a bit more than a big guy muscling badly through a film we have seen before.
Oh, one last thing. I’m still looking forward to knowing how close my spoiler expectation is to the truth. Can anyone give me a percentage of accuracy, or is everyone waiting for this to hit free cable too?
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