For years, The Rock entertained and wowed many wrestling fans during his time in the WWF/WWE. He was flashy, charismatic, and live audiences would hang on his every word. Johnson had all of the qualities of a Hollywood superstar, and as time went on, Johnson would hang up his wrestling boots for a Hollywood career.
Johnson would get a chance at some big time exposure, as he played The Scorpion King in the second installment of the very popular Mummy franchise. Although, you really can't judge Johnson's performance here, because we hardly see him in this film. He doesn't last too long at the very beginning, and then we see a very shitty CGI monster version of him at the end of the film. Still, The Mummy Returns was a big time summer blockbuster. This was a golden opportunity for Johnson. Johnson would get his chance to star in his own summer blockbuster shortly after this film. I've always thought The Scorpion King was a solid action flick. There was a good amount of energy in this film, the battle scenes were entertaining, and Johnson wasn't bad as the lead. Johnson's first major starring role was a box office success, and The Rock had made his mark in Hollywood.
Over the years, Johnson has starred in a variety of comedy, action, and family films. Johnson's range isn't spectacular, but he does have plenty of charisma, he's a likeable guy, and he can have an on-screen charm. He could be the angry and mean squad leader in Doom, he could make us laugh as the cocky quarterback who had to learn how to be a father in The Gameplan, or he could be the lone rebel who fought to clean up his hometown in Walking Tall. Most recently, Johnson's performance in Fast Five really managed to impress me. Johnson was this hard ass Diplomatic Security Service agent. He had the PERFECT look, and he did manage to bring a good amount of intensity to this character. This wasn't an Oscar worthy performance by Johnson, but I do think he did a damn good job with this character, and in my opinion, this has been Johnson's best role so far. Also, I think Gridiron Gang deserves to be mentioned. Johnson was a caring and strict football coach who wanted to help a group of troubled kids, and I did enjoy his inspirational and emotional speeches. On a side note, I wish I could've saw more of Johnson in The Other Guys.......
As far as the quality of Johnson's films go, I can't say I've hated all of his films. Most of Johnson's films are either decent or solid, but I thought Doom was awful. Johnson doesn't have that five star classic film on his resumé, but for the most part, his films have been entertaining, and a good amount of them aren't bad to look at.
Johnson's success as The Rock has undoubtedly helped his film career. He made a huge splash in the wrestling world, and he has managed to maintain a steady career in Hollywood. Johnson has made a noticeable impact, and his role in the very popular Fast & The Furious franchise can do wonders for him. There was a time where I thought Johnson could be one of the next big action stars, but I don't see it happening now. I don't think Johnson has that major "it" factor to make this happen.
The mainstream media and a lot of other people usually frown upon pro wrestling and wrestlers. They think it's a ridiculous soap opera and fake sport, where men in tights grease themselves up in baby oil and roll around in a ring with each other. But Johnson hasn't suffered from the "pro wrestler stigma." His career hasn't been damaged by this. Johnson might not become a huge and famous star, and he probably won't receive any Oscar nominations in the future, but I don't think his Hollywood career has been a failure, and he still has more time for improvement.
What are your thoughts on Johnson's film career?
