Review of The Marine 5: Battleground (2017) by Kevin P — 22 Sep 2018

Strengths: When you aren't a big budget film, you need to make the most out of a little. This movie does well with that. They keep a vast majority of the story contained within the confines of a parking garage. That allows them to put their money elsewhere. For example, the effects are strong. Being a WWE Studios picture, I wasn't expect it to be so gory. When Murphy (Trinity Fatu/Naomi) gets stabbed, you can tell effort was put into making it look good. The same goes for when Zoe Williams (Anna Van Hooft) is shot and when Ana (Maryse Ouellet Mizanin) died. Jake Carter (Mike Mizanin/The Miz) is a decent enough lead character and Mike brings a lot of charisma to the role. He makes it work more than it should.

Weaknesses: Sometimes, it's cool to see wrestlers in movies. Other times, it becomes too much. I think WWE went too far with including their talent in this. Joseph Hennig/Curtis Axel (Deacon), Taylor Rotunda/Bo Dallas (Alonzo), and Heath Miller/Heath Slater (Cash) are all kind of just there. They're more distracting than anything and it takes you out of the movie. You feel like you're watching the wrestlers and not the characters. For being an ex-marine, Carter is a character who doesn't seem very good at shooting. He has Stromtrooper accuracy at times, which makes no sense. There's not much to the plot or premise and none of the characters jump out in ways that will grab or interest you.

Overall: The movie makes the most of its budget, features a charismatic lead, and solid effects. There's not much else to it, though. Illogical and boring characters, mixed in with mediocre action makes for a decent at best movie.