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Movies / On DVD / The Rock
The Rock

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The Rock (1996)

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65 %
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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

[See More Credits]

Reviews for The Rock

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Bubble View | 1 2 3 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 
Reviews
Tomatometer Critic Review Category
tomato

Providing an endless stream of one-liners, which put in check any of the films pretensions towards seriousness, Connery brings life to an otherwise formulaic movie.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Sep., 19 2008 03:11 AM

Channel 4 Film

tomato
4/5

Chris Hewitt (UK)

Entertaining action, nothing more nor less.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Dec., 30 2006 07:08 AM

Empire Magazine

tomato

Wally Hammond

Fake countdown and knowing reactionary tone, but the best SF car chase to date.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jun., 24 2006 04:11 AM

Time Out

N/R

Todd McCarthy

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Mar., 26 2009 03:17 AM

Variety

tomato
9/10

Jack Garner

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Oct., 18 2008 06:32 AM

Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Oct., 18 2008 06:32 AM

Washington Post

tomato

Richard Corliss

Slick, brutal and almost human, this is the team-spirit action movie Mission: Impossible should have been.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Sep., 19 2008 03:13 AM

TIME Magazine

splat
2/4

It's an action junkie's angry fix -- 130 minutes of sound and fury, signifying nothing but big bucks and boundless contempt for viewer intelligence.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Sep., 19 2008 03:12 AM

TV Guide's Movie Guide

tomato
6/10

Jean-François Vandeuren

Un festival de démolition aussi grandiose que profondément immature

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Aug., 07 2008 05:35 AM

Panorama

splat

Jeffrey M. Anderson

The movie, directed by sophomore Michael Bay (Bad Boys) is almost unwatchable.

Full Review Source: | comment 3 Comments | May., 26 2006 03:17 AM

Combustible Celluloid

tomato
7/10

Chuck O'Leary

Extremely far-fetched, but undeniably exciting.

comment Comment | Jan., 23 2006 03:11 PM

Fantastica Daily

tomato
B+

Mark Pfeiffer

A rousing action picture with generous dashes of humor, The Rock remains the much-maligned director's best film

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Aug., 06 2005 10:20 PM

Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema

tomato
B+

Robin Clifford

It may not be an original, but it's certainly a good knock-off.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Apr., 09 2005 04:08 AM

Reeling Reviews

splat
2/4

Judith Egerton

The movie's extreme violence, exhausting action and macho posturing make it an unlikely ticket choice for women and unsuitable for children.

Full Review Source: | comment 4 Comments | Jun., 25 2004 12:53 PM

Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)

splat
2.5/4

Jeffrey Westhoff

A huge, noisy mess.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jun., 18 2003 11:31 AM

Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)

tomato
3/4

Jim Shelby

No review available.

comment Comment | May., 20 2003 05:11 PM

Palo Alto Weekly

splat
3/10

Dragan Antulov

Connery was very good in this role, and his presence is the reason why The Rock doesn't suck as bad as it could have.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jan., 20 2003 12:12 PM

rec.arts.movies.reviews

tomato
3/4

Kevin N. Laforest

The dialogue is real sharp and perky, and cool one-liners abound. Oddly enough, the thing that works the least in the film is the action.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Sep., 10 2002 08:17 AM

Montreal Film Journal

splat

Desson Thomson

A violence-intoxicated, far-fetched, morally corrupt drama.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jun., 11 2002 10:10 PM

Washington Post

tomato
4/5

Bruce Kirkland

The Rock is a B-movie blast!

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jun., 11 2002 04:47 PM

Jam! Movies

 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Bubble View | 1 2 3 >> >|
all

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