Dwayne Johnson

  • Red Notice (2021)

    Red Notice (2021)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (Netflix Streaming, December 2021) Clearly, Netflix now has the money to buy not only a constellation of low-end independent movies, but the kind of audience-friendly high-budget releases that used to be the bastion of Hollywood studios. Sporting multiple shooting locations around the world, a very audience-friendly quippy script, copious special effects and (more importantly) three authentic stars with clear screen personas, Red Notice couldn’t be better titled — a notice to Hollywood that the big red N is out to eat their lunch. Acquired after a bidding war, Red Notice is also a further reminder that the universe of serious buyers for expensive film projects now includes not only the major studios, but a bevy of tech giants primarily looking for a stream of content rather than any affinity for cinema, let alone artistic ambitions. As a project, Red Notice is a good sell — the kind of standalone action/adventure skirting the edges of comedy, driven by characters that lean into the screen persona of likable stars. Dwayne Johnson plays a taciturn muscleman, Ryan Reynolds quips his way through the film and Gal Gadot looks gorgeous — you can’t really ask for much more in terms of audience appeal. Put these three into a broadly accessible plot about con artists, thieves, precious relics and action sequences and Red Notice looks a lot like the platonic ideal of a tentpole summer release, before shared universes and superhero films took over everything. Despite the formula, it’s easy to like — competently written and directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber, a three-time Johnson collaborator whose projects keep getting better and better, Red Notice hits just the right spot for Netflix, for audiences and for its stars as well. Compared to previous Thurber/Johnson collaboration Skyscraper, it’s considerably funnier, smoother, and more compelling. Some great cinematography helps accelerate the pacing, and the special effects help in creating expansive action sequences. The plot certainly doesn’t hold up to scrutiny with its cumulative betrayals, but this is about as close as we’ve gotten to a National Treasure 3, so there’s that to consider. Let’s not bet against sequels — aren’t they the logical next move from Netflix?

  • Gridiron Gang (2006)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (On TV, October 2021) As far as typical American movies go, it’s hard to manage the three strikes that is Gridiron Gang, which combines the last echoes of slavery, the current shame of the prison-industrial complex and the bread-and-circus fascination for football. The plot, adapted from a true story, is not hard to grasp, as a compassionate carceral worker (Dwayne Johnson, looking significantly younger) creates a football program for incarcerated (nearly all-black) youth. His hope is that, by training for sport, his young charges will create a stronger identity with their sports team than with the street gangs. Of course, it works (at least from the text at the end of the film) but was that ever in doubt? The meaning of the film isn’t in the ending but in the very familiar material that leads to it, as our protagonist’s empathy leads the troublesome youth to act better and become better. Conventional to the point where it’s not really necessary to see the film to grasp what it’s about, Gridiron Gang is not badly made, but its appeal falls sharply the moment it tries to reach audiences that aren’t as indoctrinated in the American system of crime and punishment, or the finer points of football. Fortunately, that’s where the familiarity kicks in: no matter whether you can differentiate a quarterback from a goalpost, Gridiron Gang’s dramatic arc is solid enough that the football sequences merely become interludes between more substantial material. Johnson, at least, used this film to demonstrate his likability as an actor, which would help in stepping up to his current superstardom. Otherwise, there isn’t much more to say: the execution is competent enough that “disaffected youth play football for self-improvement” is all you need to know to deduce if you’re going to enjoy this or not.

  • Jumanji: The Next Level (2019)

    Jumanji: The Next Level (2019)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (Amazon Streaming, December 2020) The least you can say about Jumanji: The Next Level is that it’s consistent with its predecessor. Further digging into the “Jumanji as videogame” spin from its earlier predecessors, this sequel keeps more or less the same level of humour, body-switching gags (leading to acting impersonations) and level-based schematic narrative. But when you’re got distinctive performers like Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Awkwafina, Danny Glover and Danny DeVito, well, why tinker with a winning formula? The result somehow avoids excessive repetition, and keeps up the blend of humour and special-effects adventure. Director Jake Kasdan keeps things moving at a brisk clip (unusually enough, the 123-minute effects-heavy film was completed in something like ten months) and the actors deliver what they were hired for. Jumanji: The Next Level may not be easy to distinguish from its predecessor, but it’s more or less the same level of quality, and that was one of the best outcomes anyone could hope for.

  • Fighting with My Family (2019)

    Fighting with My Family (2019)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (On Cable TV, November 2019) Looking back at the past few decades, it’s interesting to see how wrestling has gone from vaguely disreputable status to something approaching family-friendly entertainment, and Fighting with My Family only underscores this evolution. Loosely adapted from a true story first presented as a 2012 documentary of the same name, it features a young woman (played by Florence Pugh) who, from unenthusiastic participation in low-budget wrestling leagues, goes to being drafted to compete in the World Wrestling Entertainment’s woman division and becomes a celebrity of the sport. Considering that the WWE played an integral part in the film (which features an extended cameo-as-himself from co-producer Dwayne Johnson, arguably the most successful wrestler-to-actor so far), Fighting with my Family doesn’t try to expose anything about the WWE except its rigorous physical requirements. The film is presented as inspiring family-friendly entertainment, with the most surprising name in its crew being Stephen Merchant as writer-director. (He also shows up briefly in a small role.)  A few familiar names appear in the cast, perhaps most notably Vince Vaughn as an imposing coach. Narratively, Fighting with my Family is familiar material, with wrestling taking the place of many other kinds of endeavour in being the backdrop to the heroine’s progression. The violence of the sport is downplayed as it moves closer to the WWE, with “career failure” being shown as brass-tack injuries in low-rent matches. A flurry of family (and family-friendly) values are constantly promoted, perhaps for fear than anyone would think Fighting with my Family is a grungy film. As someone whose understanding and interest in wrestling is tepid at best, I had perhaps more fun reading about the film and its deviations from reality than I had simply watching it. But it’s accessible even to non-fans of the sport.

  • Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019)

    Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (In Theatres, August 2019) The origin story of Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw sounds like a case study for an ambitious Hollywood studio executive: what if the two biggest stars of your biggest moneymaking franchise start squabbling badly enough that it makes headlines? The obvious answer is to spin off another series to specifically showcase one of the squabbling stars and hope that the box-office keeps churning in. So it is that there’s nary a Vin Diesel to be found in Hobbs & Shaw, as the film feels free to jettison much of the increasingly burdensome “Family” of the main series in favour of focusing on the antagonistic relationship between Agent Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) and reformed terrorist Shaw (Jason Statham). This spinoff clearly takes bold leap into science fiction as the antagonist is a cyber-enhanced “Black Superman” as played by the always-incredible Idris Elba. But that’s not the least credible aspect of a film that has its protagonists escape a falling smokestack, pull a flying helicopter by their arm muscles or run down the side of a skyscraper. No, believability and physics aren’t the strong suit of Hobbs & Shaw—in keeping with the original series, this is more about quick quips, demented action sequences, celebrity cameos (including a very funny Ryan Reynolds and an amused Helen Mirren) alongside an exaggerated sense of fun. It generally works—while elements of the third act feel like a step back from the calculated insanity of the previous action sequences, the film as a whole can depend on great lead action icons and a rather cute Vanessa Kirby building on the good reviews she received in Mission Impossible: Fallout. It’s not as good or as involving as much of the mainline series, but Hobbs & Shaw does the trick in between other instalments.

  • Tooth Fairy (2010)

    Tooth Fairy (2010)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (On TV, May 2019) Nearly every modern action star has one in their filmography—a kid’s movie, meant to humanize their four-quadrant image, give them something to watch with their own kids, and provide them with an alternate side-line if ever they get too old for the action stuff. Their quality is … variable. Tooth Fairy is Dwayne Johnson’s kid’s movie, and it’s not one of the better examples of the form. It’s about nothing less than a disillusioned hockey enforcer (so renowned for dental harm that he’s nicknamed the Tooth Fairy) discovering that there is such a thing as tooth fairies … and that he’s been summoned in their ranks. Never mind the trite believe-in-your-dreams stuff—that’s on par for the form. What’s more annoying is the film’s choppy rhythm, occasionally dubious morality, multiplying subplots, syrupy execution and weird chronology. The hockey details are also often ludicrously wrong, but that’s to be expected from a Hollywood movie. Few things manage to distinguish Tooth Fairy from the morass of similar films, but there are a few: some of the worldbuilding details of the fantasy tooth fairies are fun, and the repartee between Johnson and Stephen Merchant has its moments. One thing that doesn’t count as much is Johnson’s charm, and that’s due to the same reason why I suspect he wouldn’t make the same movie today—his character here is portrayed as far more abrasive than his current screen persona: even as part of the film’s “here’s how he acted before knowing better” act, making the hero an arrogant dream-sapping hockey enforcer celebrated for the physical damage he inflicts on others is a curious choice, not to mention the sequence in the middle of the movie where he cheats his way to personal satisfaction. I don’t quite think that today’s mister-positivity Johnson would go back to that kind of character. And maybe that’s for the best. In the meantime, there’s Tooth Fairy to remind you of early-Rock movies.

  • Skyscraper (2018)

    Skyscraper (2018)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (On Cable TV, March 2019) If you want a look at the state of the blockbuster film at the end of the 2010s, it would be hard to do better than Skyscraper. Featuring Dwayne Johnson as a security expert working to protect a massive high-rise building in Hong Kong, it works on familiar elements on and off the screen. When a character in the film proudly claims, “Chinese Money, American Know-how!,” they could just as well be talking about today’s Hollywood, with Asian money financing Hollywood films doing their best to appease Chinese censors just to have a chance at playing to a billion Chinese moviegoers. It wouldn’t simply do for our hero to battle terrorists in a building: Skyscraper adds wild science fictional threats and sticks the hero’s family in the building to heighten the stakes. It’s also cribbing from the most popular screenwriting books of the moment in other ways: The first fifteen minutes (once past the prologue) are a non-stop carnival of plot devices exposition: pay attention, because there will be a test later on. Johnson and writer-director Rawson Marshall Thurber have a nice working relationship after working together on Central intelligence, and the film is clearly designed to play to his strengths. It’s also fun to see Neve Campbell back in the blockbuster field after nearly a decade of lower-profile pursuits and a parental break. Filled to the brim with top-notch special effects, Skyscraper feels obligated to throw in futuristic plot devices and IT nonsense, including a hall-of-mirrors sequence that takes Orson Welles’s original concept one step further for better or for worse. While the plot elements are familiar, Skyscraper’s execution is competent enough in its genre to be an average blockbuster action film. However, it’s pretty much all soulless … which practically guarantees that it will disappear without a trace once the marketing money runs out.

  • Rampage (2018)

    Rampage (2018)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (On Cable TV, December 2018) Hey wow—I recall playing Rampage-the-videogame on personal computers in the late 1980s, wowed by a 16-colour palette (EGA forever!) and having rather a lot of fun with it. (I just had a spin through the online abandonware browser emulator and it’s pretty much what I remembered.) Rampage the movie, of course, is something else: A thin excuse to have monsters destroying good chunks of a city, finally proving that seventeen years after 9/11, we’re once again ready to rumble through devastated downtown areas. Dwayne Johnson (who else?) leads the film, playing the kind of superheroes that is de rigueur for that kind of movie. The scientific blablabla is nonsense, but it quickly gets us to the super-monsters destroying cities, albeit with a slightly harder edge than I expected from a big PG-13 movies: there’s some faintly upsetting almost-R violence in the film that I did not necessarily enjoy. Still, Rampage is meant to be dumb fun and it knows it: one of the best non-CGI parts of the film is Jeffrey Dean Morgan as a mysterious scenery-chewing Southern man-in-black kind of special operative stealing every scene he’s in. Johnson is up to his usual leading-man standard (but is he getting overexposed?) while Naomie Harris is always enjoyable to look at—this film not being an exception. Of course, the point of Rampage is seeing Downtown Chicago landmarks being destroyed as thoroughly as possible—surely I can’t be the only one thinking about a Rampage/Transformers 3 mash-up? The film is both better and worse than expected: better in that it delivers the goods and keeps moving, with some great special-effects sequences along the way. Worse, because of the too-high level of violence, and overall impression that we’ve seen urban destruction so often lately (even in director Brad Peyton’s oeuvre, as per the somewhat more ludicrously enjoyable San Andreas) that Rampage is going to sink back into anonymity within months.

  • Baywatch (2017)

    Baywatch (2017)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (Netflix Streaming, August 2018) There are times when, watching a movie, you get a glimpse at the confusion that must have gripped its production. So it is that Baywatch doesn’t quite know what to do with itself. It certainly understands that it’s an adaptation of a widely derided TV show with ironic elements. In fact, it has a character (played with increasing likability by Zac Efron) that seems dedicated to reminding us of all of the logical potholes that such a pedigree implies. Alas, the movie seems determined to become a hard-R comedy with copious grossness and overdone violence. How did we get here from there? The superior example of 22 Jump Street looms large over Baywatch, by showing how it’s possible to lampoon source material without bashing it or ending up with something completely unlike the source. What appears on screen feels like an incredible waste of talent. Dwayne Johnson does his best work at the PG-13 level: burdening him with swearwords and gross-out gags runs counter to his persona. Actresses such as Priyanka Chopra, Ilfenesh Hadera and Alexandra Daddario outdo Pamela Anderson in sheer sexiness but aren’t given anything to work with—even though Daddario does get a few self-deprecating jokes. Hannibal Buress is also wasted, although David Hasselhoff does get chuckles in yet another one of his self-aware extended cameos. The main problem is that the film just isn’t funny, and pushing the R-rated envelope actually makes it less comic and more pitiable. As far as I’m concerned, perhaps worst is that Baywatch‘s R-rating is used for gross jokes, swearwords and male nudity rather than maxing out the original series’ male gaze on curvy lifeguards. Seriously, what’s up with that?

  • Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017)

    Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (On Cable TV, July 2018) I frankly wasn’t expecting much from a return to the Jumanji universe: The original is uneven enough (something not helped at all by its copious but primitive CGI effects) that a sequel seemed unnecessary—it felt even less necessary when it became obvious that it was going to focus on videogames, a topic as overexposed as could be. But I’ll be the first to admit that I was unexpectedly charmed by the result: Anchored by the likable Dwayne Johnson, supported by the careful use of often-grating comic actors as Kevin Hart and Jack Black, and further enhanced by a great performance from lesser-known Karen Gillian, the cast is up to the film’s surprisingly witty script. Not only revisiting the Jumanji concept through familiar videogame mechanics, Welcome to the Jungle wrings comedy out of shifting character relationships, body identity questions, and videogame tropes addressed with some wit. While the structure is schematic by design and some plot developments can be seen well in advance, much of the film’s interest is in the moment-by-moment beats. It does deliver a bit more than expected, which is already not too bad considering the tendency of modern reboots, sequels and rip-offs towards mediocrity. 

  • Moana (2016)

    Moana (2016)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (In French, In Theatres, December 2016) I’m sure that Dinsey Animation Studios aren’t infallible, but their hot post-Bolt streak isn’t ending with Moana, a terrific new entry in their Princess series. Taking on Polynesian mythology as a starting point, Moana follows a standard template that allows for a hero’s journey, vivid characters, picaresque adventures, musical numbers, comedy, empowerment and spectacular visuals. The quality of the animation is easily the best in the business, and the songs are terrific as well. (I’ll acknowledge that “How Far I’ll go” is positioned to be the Oscar-nominated one that everybody loves, but I’ll take the bouncy “You’re Welcome” and “Shiny” over it … in fact, I haven’t stopped listening to both of them in the week since watching the film.) Moana herself is a terrific heroine, self-reliant and sympathetic at once. While I watched the film in French, I could help but recognize two Dwayne Johnson visual tics (The eyebrow and the pec pops) in the character he voices in English. Moana is an effortlessly charming film, and it plays like a future classic Disney movie even on a first viewing. We’ll see in a few months whether it survives a twentieth viewing in the span of two weeks.

  • Central Intelligence (2016)

    Central Intelligence (2016)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (Video on Demand, October 2016) As much as I like Kevin Hart and Dwayne Johnson as comic performers, there’s something off with Central Intelligence that makes the film feel smaller than their combination would suggest. To its credit, the film does veer off in less simplistic territory than you could expect from the first few minutes: there’s a layer of uncertainty to Johnson’s character that makes the story a bit more self-challenging than expected, even though the ultimate outcome of the various twists is never in doubt. Unfortunately, it’s that same uncertainly that so often prevents the film from snapping fully in focus. Johnson’s character is pushed to such extremes that it’s tough to suspend disbelief that he would exist even in the film’s reality. It doesn’t help that Central Intelligence, in much of the same way as other contemporary action/comedy hybrids, veers back and forth between persona-based improvisation and strictly scripted madcap action scenes. The uneven pacing is an issue, especially when the result runs close to two hours. At least the two lead actors deliver more or less what’s expected of them. Johnson is ready to try anything for a laugh and his charisma helps the film hide some of its more inconsistent problems, but Hart seems a bit held back by the place taken by his co-star and the demands of the production—he’s usually better in more free-flowing films. As for the rest, director Rawson Marshall Thurber keeps things going during the action scenes, perhaps further highlighting the two-speed inconsistency of the film. Still, if you’re in the mood to see Johnson and Hart goof on their respective personas, Central Intelligence will do … although it’s not hard to be disappointed by how much better the film should have been.

  • San Andreas (2015)

    San Andreas (2015)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (On Cable TV, March 2016) The disaster movie will never die. Indeed, buoyed by advances in special-effects technology, it will rise again and again, more overblown and chaotic than ever before. If you thought that 2012’s earthquake sequences were as good that they were likely to get, prepare to be amazed by San Andreas’s wide-screen mayhem as Los Angeles and then San Francisco gets thoroughly trashed by a number of unimaginably powerful earthquakes. Dwayne Johnson anchors the film as its muscular protagonist, equally able to commandeer a helicopter for personal gain as he is to fly a small plane and provide first-aid. All of which turn out to be helpful when comes the time to go rescue his daughter from the elements. San Andreas is, to put it bluntly, a fairly dumb movie: The laws of physics are ignored, logic is downplayed, characters a mere plot puppets and nothing is as important as the CGI destruction shown on-screen. Even for a blunt disaster movie, it sometimes overplays its hand: Paul Giamatti does his best as the voice of exposition, while Alexandra Daddario is overexposed in centre-frame as a curvaceous object of desire. (I wouldn’t normally complain, except that in this case, there’s something extra-blatant in the way the movie shows her off and her character is supposed to be a teenager. Also, I’m getting old.) On the other hand, San Andreas is a cunning movie: Everything is engineered for the wow-factor, from some spectacular moments in which major California cities are torn apart to showcase sequences in which a character runs (in a single long shot) to escape to a building’s roof while skyscrapers are toppling all around downtown LA. It takes more than a little ingenuity to cram that much spectacle in a single film, and both the screenwriter Carlton Cuse and director Brad Peyton have to be congratulated (if that’s the right word) for delivering a film so committed to the base ideals of a disaster film. While the result may not be respectable, it springs to mind as a demo disc to show off any new home theatre improvement.

  • G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013)

    G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (On TV, January 2016) I wasn’t expecting this second G.I. Joe movie to be any good after the entirely dumb 2005 film, but it turns out that G.I. Joe: Retaliation definitely has its share of strong moments. A number of action scenes hold our attention, although the result ends up being limited by the silliness of its original material. Continuing where the first instalment stopped, Retaliation has the halfway-gutsy charm of starting with an impostor playing the role of US president and killing off the lead character of the previous movie within minutes, leaving Dwayne Johnson to lead the rest of the film. A few good sequences, such as the prison visit/breakout (anchored by the instantly compelling Walter Goggins) and a demented cliff-side battle, do much to remind us that we are watching a grander-than-logic action film ready to go all-out on big stunts. Unfortunately, Retaliation suffers from a much duller conclusion, blunting what could have been much more enjoyable throughout. It doesn’t help that for every time we’re shown actual combat equipment or quasi-believable refinements, the film shoots itself again in the foot by reminding us of how silly it is, with juvenile code names (Can anyone call someone else “Snake Eyes” in real life and not break out laughing?) and ridiculous plot developments. G.I. Joe: Retaliation almost tries to be more than an adaptation of a beloved but silly kid’s toy mythology. Alas, it is limited by its origins material, its willingness to please fans and its maddening lack of ambition when comes the time to commit to being more than a dumb action film.

  • Hercules (2014)

    Hercules (2014)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (On Cable TV, May 2015) I don’t quite understand this trend of demystifying legends, offering “the real story” behind fantastical tales or sucking all the fun and excitement out of time-proven tales.  Hercules hops on this bandwagon (see Robin Hood, Exodus, etc.) by telling audiences about the Hercules behind the legend, presenting a mercenary who’s only too happy to let the legend of his twelve labours get him hired by rich clients.  What follows is a historical epic absent of magic, almost bending itself out of shape to deliver epic battles without tipping into the supernatural.  It doesn’t always work, as a not-really-zombies sequence shows.  Still, the film coasts a long time on Brett Ratner’s unobtrusive direction and Dwayne Johnson’s pure charisma.  As often happens, Johnson is fantastic even if the film around him isn’t: playing a mortal-but-extraordinary Hercules is the kind of thing that only Johnson can do in today’s action star pantheon.  Otherwise, Hercules seems almost happy to undercut even its own claims to spectacle, and its bare-bones structure is so predictable that it leaves almost nothing to gnaw upon.  So it ends up as a serviceable, but hardly memorable historical action film.