Did Dwayne Johnson "The Rock" Break the Video Game Movie Curse?
You might not know, but "The Rock" Dwayne Johnson, actually has quite the reputation for tackling different franchises - from jungle Movies to blockbuster superhero hits! He really has a big range in his Dwayne Johnson movies. But there is one thing he just can't seem to nail, and it's something he's tried several times: making video game movie adaptations!
Was Rampage Really a Video Game Movie?
- It was a box office hit with The Rock as a paleontologist fighting against a giant gorilla - talk about a kaiju movie!
- But the Rotten Tomatoes rating kinda made fans feel meh about the whole thing. If you look at his other Dwayne Johnson movies that he did in those video game franchises - none of them had really been very well received, despite them making big money at the box office. It was almost like The Rock couldn’t escape the curse! It’s pretty common to hear those negative opinions on how video games get adapted to movies.
The Movie That Really Disappointed Everyone
- Even though "Rampage" got a second look with The Rock as a leading actor - it wasn’t enough to save this one. And remember "Doom"? It came out 13 years before "Rampage," but "Doom" got even worse Rotten Tomatoes scores. Fans did not like "Doom"! That was actually a pretty huge bomb. Not that bad - it’s almost a bit fun to see how much the industry was afraid to do those video game movie adaptations way back in the day. They totally got it wrong, making that movie kinda bland! But it has some really famous actors like "The Rock", Karl Urban, Rosamund Pike, and more. I wonder if maybe that made them try again with Rampage.
- Now you’re starting to think The Rock should just stick with those action movies and those monster movies because even with some great video game movies out there, those have been so hard to get right - not that bad. I wonder why he couldn't do what others like Sonic the Hedgehog did?
Was "Rampage" At Least a Better Film Than "Doom"?
Well, yeah, if you're comparing them as video game movie adaptations, they're both kinda rough around the edges - but "Rampage" is at least a more entertaining action flick. Those monster fight scenes are actually super awesome - kind of like those from the monsterverse. Plus that The Rock charm goes a long way. The CGI for Rampage is great. And if we take a look back at "Doom", even with those star actors, they really messed up the dialogue and story - it wasn't that great of a movie.
What Will "The Rock" Do Next?
- The Rock can pull off a really great video game movie adaptation; that is a fact. That whole video game movie curse is so real and "Doom" is a big example, because it totally ignored the best part of the game - it tried to copy it and it did a terrible job!
- Rampage didn't quite do it either - they just took the basic idea from the game - kind of like they took an awesome game, but did a bad job of adapting the story. If we're being honest with ourselves - he should be looking for some different games, those that he might really enjoy. It’ll be interesting to see what’s next for him!
"The Rock" is an action movie king and has worked hard on getting more than a few big franchises off the ground! And maybe one of those movies will turn the whole video game movie adaptation curse around! I can't wait to see!
