X
- 1996
- R
- Buena Vista Pictures
- 2 h 16 m
- 1996
- R
- Buena Vista Pictures
- 2 h 16 m
Summary All of San Francisco is taken hostage when a vengeful general (Ed Harris) seizes control of Alcatraz Island, threatening to launch missiles loaded with deadly poison gas. With time running out, only a young FBI chemical weapons expert (Nicolas Cage) and a notorious federal prisoner (Sean Connery) have the skills to penetrate the island f...
Directed By: Michael Bay
Written By: David Weisberg, Douglas Cook, Mark Rosner
- 1996
- R
- Buena Vista Pictures
- 2 h 16 m
- 1996
- R
- Buena Vista Pictures
- 2 h 16 m
The Rock
58
8.4
Where to Watch
Summary All of San Francisco is taken hostage when a vengeful general (Ed Harris) seizes control of Alcatraz Island, threatening to launch missiles loaded with deadly poison gas. With time running out, only a young FBI chemical weapons expert (Nicolas Cage) and a notorious federal prisoner (Sean Connery) have the skills to penetrate the island f...
Directed By: Michael Bay
Written By: David Weisberg, Douglas Cook, Mark Rosner
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 24 Critic Reviews
58
58% Positive
14 Reviews
14 Reviews
33% Mixed
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
8% Negative
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 24 Critic Reviews
58
58% Positive
14 Reviews
14 Reviews
33% Mixed
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
8% Negative
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
It's a popcorn-movie deluxe.
Bay has two great assets in Connery and Cage. The special effects give The Rock a James Bondian feel so Connery's wry, world-weary devil-may-careishness looks right at home here.
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 445 User Ratings
8.4
85% Positive
379 Ratings
379 Ratings
8% Mixed
36 Ratings
36 Ratings
7% Negative
30 Ratings
30 Ratings
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 445 User Ratings
8.4
85% Positive
379 Ratings
379 Ratings
8% Mixed
36 Ratings
36 Ratings
7% Negative
30 Ratings
30 Ratings
One of my favourite when I was young :) .......................
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Absurdly, 1996 film critics also thought 'Independence Day' was only *okay*, which like this film, is masterfully paced, full of charisma, fun characters, suspense, humour, excitement and even touching moments ("Jade, I'm not an evil man. If you believe that, it's a start!") and has an amazing soundtrack.
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This is a pure popcorn picture that benefits heavily from its trio of highly skilled, charismatic leading thesps, an unusual setting that provides plenty of visual stimulation, and a confrontational standoff that actually stems from a legitimately provocative premise.
[Cage] cracks wise throughout the third act and is almost entertaining enough to make this absurdly energetic movie recommendable.
If it's not the most awful thing I've ever seen, it's close enough to make me wince.
Can a mild-mannered toxicologist and an eccentric Alcatraz veteran stop him before it's too late? Learning the answer means sitting through more than two hours of violence, vulgarity, and all-around excess, served up with high-tech trimmings by director Michael Bay.
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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.
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Great action movie that wears out its welcome a little. Sean Connery is awesome, Harris starts wooden but warms up, and while I'm not a fan of Nicholas Cage, he is good here. Michael Bay's directing is slick and keeps things moving, and the music score, while maybe not quite as good as the soundtrack for the first Bad Boys, has some great tunes and impact. The story is maybe not the greatest, but all the actors commit (especially William Forsythe) and as long as you don't stop to think about it, it's fine.
All of the above starts to blur together after the fifth (or sixth, or seventh) big action set-piece, though. A great movie to watch for kicks, or to scratch the action movie itch.
Bonus points for The Rock not being filled with CGI garbage (CGI was only just getting started at the time it was made).
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THE ROCK is a strange one to review. It was made in 1996 and is a thriller action film with Nicolas Cage, Sean Connery, Ed Harris and Michael Biehn... Unfortunately this movie was sadly caught in the crossfire and collided with films such as Con Air, Broken Arrow and Face/Off and this didn't help The Rock as a movie. Sean Connery is fairly decent and respectable actor but Nicolas Cage is crap in most movies if not all and can't act even if his life depended on it. This film is violent and entertaining with action but it also feels depressing and horrible. Ed Harris and Michael Biehn are also great actors but this film was horrible and that's all I remember about it about it.
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Awards
Academy Awards, USA
• 1 Nomination
MTV Movie + TV Awards
• 1 Win & 3 Nominations
Blockbuster Entertainment Awards
• 2 Wins & 2 Nominations
