Review of The Rock (1996) by Spangle — 15 Dec 2016

The Rock is one of Michael Bay's best works, though it does pale in comparison to his best film, Armageddon. Released two years prior to this peak, The Rock features a lot of positive elements. From spectacular action sequences, solid acting, and being gloriously over-the-top, the film has a bad ending that too fully embraces lunacy to feel appropriate. Featuring a cast led by Nicolas Cage, Sean Connery, and Ed Harris, The Rock is hardly restrained and is in danger of careening off the edge throughout, but it remains a wildly entertaining and bombastic experience that highlights some of the best elements that Bay has to offer the world of cinema.

With masterfully shot action scenes, Bay graces the film with a style all his own and, though he indulges a bit too much in explosions, the film is still a great action movie. Throughout, Bay laces the film terrific tension as Dr. Stanley Goodspeed (Nicolas Cage) and John Mason (Sean Connery) race through Alcatraz to try and save San Francisco from assured death at the hands of General Hummel (Ed Harris). In the scenes in Alcatraz, The Rock really soars with great tension, fun set pieces, and incredibly well shot action scenes. Here, Cage and Connery feed off of one another with great chemistry as the duo ham it up in this insane action movie. As the villain, Harris is oddly sympathetic. Hardly a killer in the vein of many movie villains, Harris merely wants recognition for his fallen comrades, not to kill thousands of people. A true leader, Harris' Hummel is a man who instills fear, but is well-developed enough to make him an admirable foe. Compared to modern action movies, creating a villain that is incredibly worthwhile and not just after world dominance sets The Rock apart and makes it a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

Yet, aside from this, The Rock loses weight compared to a film such as Armageddon. Both show that Bay knows action, as all of his work honestly does. Armageddon, however, showed that he knew how to create pathos. Throughout, you root for the good guys for a variety of reasons and there are incredible stakes. The Rock does not boast this quality. It tries to create it with Dr. Goodspeed and his pregnant girlfriend or Mason and his adult daughter, but both fail. Neither woman is given enough screentime, Goodspeed's girlfriend is a moron and never in harm's way, and Mason's daughter comes and goes as quickly as a Michael Bay explosion. As such, The Rock has thrills and tension, but lacks an effective emotional edge to really given the film depth and punch. As a result, it is a largely hollow experience with very few lasting moments from the film.

More egregiously, the ending is nearly comical. Yes, the rest of the film is over-the-top and insane, but with the bombing of Alcatraz and the scene in the Church at the end, The Rock goes a little too crazy with the hilarity. In particular, the final line of the film and underlying element throughout regarding what Mason knew about top secret information hardly adds to the film and instead makes it an exercise in stupidity.

Fortunately though, The Rock remains action-packed with killer action sequences such as the one in the showers or the moment before with John Mason rolling through the flame throwers. Over-the-top and exaggerate, Bay shoots these moments with incredible style that leaves you wanting more and fully engaged in the sheer entertainment of the film. Throughout, Bay gets incredibly creative with a good backstory about the weapon. He also does add some depth story-wise with an appeal to recognize fallen soldiers and to step back from the ledge in regards to biochemical warfare. A worthy message, this film serves as a wake-up call as to what is possible if we lose our ethical mindsets.

Overall, The Rock is an entertaining film that stands amongst Michael Bay's best work. With campy performances, a great villain, and an interesting story with great action and tension, The Rock simply falls apart by lacking pathos and a suitable ending.