The Good

If what you want is a pro-American, filled with fights, explosions, action movie experience, than this film will more than satisfy you.

The Bad

I wish John Cena had done a commentary track.

WWE superstar John Cena stars as John Triton in The Marine. After being discharged from Iraq under bogus accusations of not following orders, Triton is shipped back to America where is wife Kate (Kelly Carlson), and a job as a security guard awaits him. After knocking heads with some people on the job, Triton is dismissed and he and Kate decide to take a road trip.

Later, a band of jewel thieves led by Rome (Robert Patrick, in another interesting performance), happen into the same gas station as Triton and his wife. When the cops show, Rome's team panics and after utterly destroying the station, steal Triton's car and Kate. Well, Triton, who has magically survived the blast, goes on the hunt and try as they might, Rome and his crew cannot shake him. One by one, Triton picks off Rome's men in a manner reminiscent of First Blood and Commando.

In the end, Rome and Triton engage in cinematic smackdown, and I use that phrase because only on the silver screen would Robert Patrick stand a chance against John Cena.

Features

WWE Promotional Features

There are 10 of these to choose from and they are basically quick spots that promote certain aspects of the film. With titles like "Overall Plot," "Fight Scenes," "John Triton Profile" and "Fan Reaction," these things are cool because they don't take a lot of your time. Also, if you just bought this DVD as a blind buy, they would give you a solid background on the film if you felt that one was needed. I enjoyed these but they are little more than puff pieces hoping to draw people into the theater. While these segments are certainly worth a look, I don't know that they are mandatory.

The Making of The Marine

John Cena Features

Four featurettes have been cut together to give old school John Cena fans and newbies a better understanding of who this man is. They have titles like "Basic Training" (where we see Cena get prepared to play a Marine), as well as "Aussie Day Off" (which gives people an insight into how Cena spent his off days during this shoot). I used to follow wrestling back in the Hulk Hogan days but it seems to have become much bigger now. Cena is a very boisterous, very charismatic performer and it makes sense that he, like The Rock, would eventually cross over into movies. The question is, does Cena have the range of acting chops that The Rock does?

Camp Pendleton Premiere

People like Triple H, Ric Flair and some of the WWE Divas are on hand to witness this premiere in front of this film's target audience: The United States Marines. Cena and Carlson mingle among the crowd, and everyone seems to be at a fever pitch in anticipation of what this film will offer. Based on what the troops say after the screening and what we see via the in-theater, green screen reactions, it appears that this film did that branch of the service proud.

Video

Widescreen - 1.85:1. This film is big in every way, shape and form. While it is completely over the top and obviously digitally enhanced, it isn't so over the top as to be unbelievable. Filled with explosions, quick fight scenes, and awkward shots of John Cena running, this film never lingers in any area for any long amount of time. While the action isn't heart pounding, there are enough action scenes to keep things moving at a fairly frenetic pace.

Audio

Dolby Digital. English 5.1 Dolby Surround. Spanish and French Dolby Surround. Close Captioned. Subtitled in English and Spanish. The audio on this movie is big and I had a chance to watch half of it on my one speaker system, and the other half on my parents surround sound setup. The most interesting thing, I found, was how natural John Cena was as an actor. Granted, there weren't moments when he was delivering monologues, but this move isn't all fights, shoot em ups and explosions.

Package

John Cena stands looking tough as the American Flag hangs behind him, explosions happen all around him, and this film makes no bones about it's intentions. The back cover features shots from the movie, all of which contain some form of action, a succinct description of this film's story, a Special Features listing, and technical specs. I feel this packaging stands out. While it isn't amazing or different in any way, it is highly eye catching and that counts for a lot in today's crowded DVD marketplace.

Final Word

I really enjoyed this movie. When I first saw the commercials for it I thought it was going to be huge. Well, it was made for $13 million and it grossed $18 million so I guess all things considered, it didn't really break any records. Still, in this day and age of selective offensiveness, where you can say horrible things and then find ways to spin it, I was happy to see that a no holds barred movie like The Marine was able to be released through 20th Century Fox. I have a feeling that on DVD, this movie will probably make as much, if not more, than what it took in theatrically. Also, Robert Patrick gives a very convincing and very interesting performance as the main bad guy, Rome.

There is no pretense about this film. The Marine plays to that side of America that just wants to see some good, old fashioned butt kicking. Who cares if there's collateral damage, who cares what the rules of engagement are. The only thing The Marine cares about is being entertaining, and it more than delivers in that department.

The Marine was released October 13, 2006.