In a summer already bursting at the seams with amazing special effects and star-driven excitement, The Rock redefines nail-biting suspense and heart-pounding action.
The Rock (1996)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:46
Fresh:30
Rotten:16
Average Rating:6.5/10
Consensus: For visceral thrills, it can't be beat. Just don't expect The Rock to engage your brain.
Runtime: 2 hrs 16 mins
Genre: Action/Adventure
Synopsis: In Michael Bay's THE ROCK, gung-ho general Francis Hummel (Ed Harris), armed with deadly chemical rockets and aided by violent cohorts, takes over the island of Alcatraz, holding 81 tourists... In Michael Bay's THE ROCK, gung-ho general Francis Hummel (Ed Harris), armed with deadly chemical rockets and aided by violent cohorts, takes over the island of Alcatraz, holding 81 tourists hostage. Hummel promises to deploy the missiles over San Francisco if Washington doesn't make amends to ignored combat victims to the tune of $100 million. A cadre of Navy SEALs are dispatched to quell the situation, assisted by the mysterious, macho John Mason (Sean Connery), the only man to ever escape from Alcatraz, who must now help the SEALs break back in. Joining them is mild-mannered chemical weapons expert Stanley Goodspeed (Nicolas Cage), who is unaccustomed to such things as guns and military maneuvers. Their high-octane mission is filled with surprises, particularly after Hummel and company quickly annihilate the SEALs--leaving Mason and Goodspeed to save the day all by themselves. [More]
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Sean Connery, Ed Harris, Michael Biehn
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Sean Connery, Ed Harris, Michael Biehn, William Forsythe, David Morse, John C. McGinley, Bokeem Woodbine, Vanessa Marcil, Claire Forlani, Brendan Kelly, David Bowe
Director: Michael Bay
Director: Michael Bay
Producer: Jerry Bruckheimer
Screenwriter: David Weisberg, Douglas S. Cook, Mark Rosner
Producer: Don Simpson
Composer: Nick Glennie-Smith, Harry Gregson-Williams
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Reviews for The Rock
Above Mission Impossible and Twister put together. But being better than two bloated, style-over-substance movies does not equal good.
From a helicopter's point-of-view, The Rock is just typical big American dumb fun. It's only when you look underneath at the film's underlying assumptions that you want to recoil.
For all-out amusement-park entertainment, The Rock is one heck of a ride.
Slick and forceful, largely unconcerned with character, eager for any opportunity to pump up the volume both literally and metaphorically, The Rock is the kind of efficient entertainment that is hard to take pleasure in.
There are parts of this action movie that are terrifically well done.
By the time Cage says, late in the film, 'OK, that's just about the most awful thing I've ever seen,' the audience should be ready to agree.
One hell of a story -- and hands down the best action flick of the year to date.
The movie deteriorates into a long commercial for the home-game version of itself.
Producers Jerry Bruckheimer and the late Don Simpson have a highly-successful resume that includes Top Gun and Crimson Tide. The Rock will add more luster to that reputation.
Pure why-not bravado, pumped-up and staggeringly dishonest but exciting just the same.
The Rock is the Guy Movie to end all Guy Movies, a ridiculously overblown summer testosterone blowout right down to the Wagnerian strains of the soundtrack and its stunningly high body count. It's also a hell of a lot of fun.
A summer action film that entertains for an afternoon and then fades away.
The Rock's ads urge you to 'get ready to rock.' After seeing this energetic action-packed ride that truly does 'rock,' I can't think of better advice.
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| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 66% 66% | Public Enemies |
| 83% 83% | Harry Potter and the H… |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| 75% 75% | Julie & Julia |
| 32% 32% | Terminator Salvation |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
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