The Marine | REVIEW

Let me state here that I'm a huge pro-wrestling fan, mainly WWE. I know it's scripted, I know it's staged, I know some of you call it bullsh*t, and I know that despite all the brutal battles the wrestlers have in the ring, they're all really good friends backstage. For some reason though, I've been watching pro-wrestling for almost nine whole years now. So when it comes to this review which is for The Marine, a film starring John Cena and developed by WWE Films, I'm not being bias just because it's a film produced by a wrestling company...meaning that I'm not going to diss it just because it's by WWE Films. I'm no fan of John Cena be it in the ring or out of it, and my opinion is that WWE should stick to the wrestling and not try to make their mark in Hollywood. That being said, on to the review.

The Marine is only the second movie produced by WWE Films, their first being See No Evil. While I was surprisingly impressed by See No Evil, I wasn't so taken aback by The Marine. I was, however, impressed that The Marine wasn't as bad as some of the Steven Seagal or Van Damme flicks that end up straight on DVD. Although The Marine's storyline was that of a typical actioner and the acting wasn't great, it passed as a great first attempt at an action flick for the guys at WWE. The film itself was directed by John Bonito. If you haven't heard about him, it's because he's an unknown with no other projects. Search him on Wikipedia and it'll turn up on The Marine's page.

The story centers around John Triton (John Cena), a former US Marine who is discharged for disobeying a direct order while serving in Iraq. His new job as a security officer doesn't seem as pleasing so he decides to go on an unplanned vacation with his wife Kate (Kelly Carlson). They stop by for some gas when out of nowhere a bunch of baddies take Kate as hostage and blow up the petrol station with Triton inside! This is only the first explosion of many, many others in this movie...but I guess that's what makes a good action flick, doesn't it? Lots of blowing things to lil' tiny bits and pieces. Anyway, that's where the story begins. This ex-Marine is on a hunt to get his wife back from a bunch of goons. That's basically it, a very simple story with nothing deep or abstract to it. No sub-plots etc.

While I wouldn't rate The Marine as even an average film, I wouldn't call it a disaster either. Despite its corniness and complete disregard for the limitations of the human body, The Marine actually does well as one of those really casual action flicks that would set nicely during a weekend watch or on a lazy Sunday. Sometimes it's just nice to sit back and not think of the subplots and artistic meanings of a movie, and that's where stuff like The Marine comes in. It's not saying much, I'm also placing it in the 'No-Brainer' category, but in the end, that's exactly what The Marine is. There's no excessive CGI in The Marine, only plenty of explosions and pyro work, with all the stunts being pulled off by Cena himself. Being a wrestler helps.

Needless to say, there are no Robert Downeys or Al Pacinos or Johnny Depps in terms of acting when it comes to The Marine. There's very, very mediocre acting with corny dialogue and stereotypical henchmen that work for the big boss baddie. But I guess for a film like this, not much acting is needed. Most of the messages derive from body language and the physical action on screen rather than facial expressions and vocal tones.
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Wrap : I give The Marine a rating of 2.8 out of 5.0. It's not special in any way and if you never get to watch it, you're not missing a damn thing. BUT, if for some reason you do get to watch it or need a casual film for a lazy Sunday, as I said, The Marine will do just fine. Long story short, it's not the worst film in the world. Superhero Movie has already taken that 'award'.