Sometimes you just want to watch some brainless action and The Marine starring John Cena will give you exactly that. It knows perfectly well that it’s not going to win any prizes or wow the audience and acts accordingly. Now, I had some doubts about whether John Cena will be able to pull something like this off but he proved me wrong. He was the embodiment of the one-man army gimmick and played his role pitch-perfect. Opposite of him we have our old pal Robert Patrick channeling his inner villain. Something that apparently comes naturally for Robert. Do check him out in Last Rampage for more of this.
The Marine is built for action. And when I say action, I mean the eighties and nineties style action with chase scenes, hand-to-hand combat, and surprisingly few shootouts. The explosions will be juicy though. The production values are excellent along with cinematography meaning that the visuals are spot on. The same goes for the audio part and even the soundtrack is quite decent. When it comes to the dialogue, you can expect your classic blend of snappy comebacks, jokes, and threats. It’s perfect for those nights where you need something to be running in the background or you’re feeling nostalgic for old action movies.
After he sacrificed his military career to save a group of hostages in Iraq, John Triton is having trouble returning to normal life. After being fired from his latest job as a security guard, his girlfriend suggests a vacation. Something to clear his mind and get him in the right mood. And to have some fun as well. However, their vacation is about to take a turn for the worse as they run into a group of hardened criminals.
The Marine opens with a shot of a huge American flag waving in the background as John Cena salutes us in full military uniform. You really can’t tell if they’re making a parody or are they for real. And by they I mean WWE Films. They kind of remind me of the immortal Cannon Group, kings of bad but entertaining action movies of the eighties. I mean, WWE Films even reused some of the Rambo III footage in the opening fifteen minutes! This also means that you shouldn’t try to make sense of the story. Stuff will happen and people will get hurt but it will all be sort of casual.
Once the action kicks off it pretty much doesn’t stop ’till the end. It reminds me of an eighties action classic Commando starring Arnold Schwarzenegger as John Matrix. And while Arnie used all kinds of weapons, Cena focuses only on his fists. I don’t know why maybe to get that coveted PG-13 rating or something. Finally, I just want to mention that there are no fewer than five sequels to this movie. And all of them are pretty bad. However, if you’re at that point in your life where you’re willing to go down certain rabbit holes, you might want to check them out.
Director: John Bonito
Writers: Michelle Gallagher, Alan B. McElroy
Cast: John Cena, Kelly Carlson, Robert Patrick, Anthony Ray Parker, Abigail Bianca, Jerome Ehlers
Fun Facts: Cena trained with the Marines in preparation for his role in the film.
Rating:
IMDb Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0419946/
