Dwayne Johnson has carved a big area of interest out for himself in Hollywood. Not each movie he’s picked out has been an unqualified success. However between youngsters’s movies like “Moana,” motion flicks like “The Rundown” and the “Quick and Livid” franchise, and out-of-the-box picks like “Southland Tales,” he’s proved he’s bought first rate performing chops and the flexibility to attract an viewers. Past the lifting of an eyebrow or the shouting of a catchphrase, he can ship a efficiency. If John Cena has change into the wrestler-turned-actor who excels at comedy and Dave Bautista is slowly growing into a personality actor, then Johnson has confirmed to be a crowd-pleasing, versatile motion star who additionally shines in different genres.
Nothing, nevertheless, will shield even the cleverest of actors from falling afoul of a nasty choice. On this case, Johnson has starred in a number of clunkers throughout his time on the massive display. Whether or not he’s enjoying a imply hockey participant, a warrior king, a superhero, or a lifeguard, not even his attraction, humorousness, and cocky spirit may save these motion pictures from whole cultural oblivion. Include us as we layeth the smackdown upon the very worst of Dwayne Johnson’s work. And on this case, you would possibly want you couldn’t odor what he’s cooking.
5: Tooth Fairy
Dwayne Johnson has managed to safe a foothold on the household movie market through the years; “The Sport Plan” continues to be charming years later, and “Jungle Cruise” and the “Jumanji” sequence show that he can attraction audiences of all ages. So one’s left to surprise what went improper with “The Tooth Fairy,” a kiddie flick that makes Johnson a bitter presence and places forth a predictable and off plotline that disappoints.
The story follows Derek “Tooth Fairy” Thompson, a minor-league hockey participant who has gained his nickname because of his propensity for knocking out his opponent’s molars. Karma comes to go to Derek’s mean-spirited self after he hurts the emotions of a younger hockey fan. He’s subsequently sentenced to behave as a tooth fairy and pay again his debt to the universe. Derek just isn’t a pure — however quickly finds love and objective in his journey.
The top result’s virtually as dangerous as Hulk Hogan’s “Mr. Nanny,” with a one-joke “have a look at the robust man carrying frilly clothes” premise and a sappy retread of historical household movie themes a few imply man turning good and heroes incomes their method to an enormous victory. Whereas it was a success on the field workplace and proved profitable sufficient to spawn a sequel starring Larry the Cable Man, critics and audiences haven’t been type to “Tooth Fairy” since its launch, and it reigns over the decrease half of Johnson’s resume on IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes.
4: The Scorpion King
To be honest to Dwayne Johnson, this was one among his earliest roles. He was nonetheless a neophyte actor when he took on “The Scorpion King,” however his inflexibly wood model in it doesn’t do the image any favors. Nor does its sub-“Conan: The Barbarian” writing, which ages it like a cup of milk neglected within the desert warmth.
Whereas he’s an antagonist in “The Mummy Returns,” Mathayus (Johnson) is the hero on this film. The movie charts his rise to the highest of the heap of the native confederation of tribes by defeating pure evil. With grit, magic, and willpower, Mathayus turns into a king — and everybody is aware of how that finally ends up going for him.
The “Mummy” franchise might have modified motion motion pictures as we all know them, however the pedigree it gave to “The Scorpion King” and its field workplace success has failed to offer it cultural longevity. The movie has gone the best way of most WWE Photos productions and disappeared into the ether, trailed by the brickbats of critics. It’s positively not amongst Johnson’s finest performances and never his most attention-grabbing motion epic both. “The Scorpion King” franchise would go on to have a number of direct-to-DVD releases, all of them not staring Johnson, including to the ignominy of the film’s legacy. Whereas the actor is trying to reboot the franchise, maybe it’s wiser to depart Mathayus’ story to be buried within the sands of time.
3: Black Adam
It’s exhausting to make a profitable movie when half of what makes that character so nice isn’t an enormous a part of the story. Black Adam is probably finest often called Shazam’s foremost villain, however his film pits him in opposition to the Justice Society. Dwayne Johnson produced this one, and he wished his childhood hero to be the principle antagonist for Superman (Henry Cavill). The outcome was a movie that continued to hasten the downslide of the DC Prolonged Universe.
Teth-Adam (Johnson) is a former slave who can harness the powers of a number of Egyptian gods. He’s positioned in stasis and woke up by a magical incantation within the modern-day, the place Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) deems him a risk. However there are worse individuals than Adam operating about, together with the Intergang syndicate, and Ishmael Gregor (Marwan Kenzari), the final descendant of the king who held Adam prisoner and slew his household. Adam should go on a rampage to save lots of the son of the lady who awoke him from his historical slumber.
Overlook the post-release controversy and the movie’s inevitable entry into the field workplace bomb corridor of fame; “Black Adam” doesn’t work as a result of it might probably’t commit to creating its central determine a full-out villain or hero. That shouldn’t be an issue; gray-hatted people are normally attention-grabbing to comply with, however Black Adam isn’t distinctive sufficient. He’s boring as a hero and ignorable as a villain. When the DC Universe reboots in 2025, Black Adam is not going to be part of it — and there’s a very good motive for that.
2: Baywatch
Primarily based on the TV phenomena that dominated the ’90s, “Baywatch” ought to have been like taking pictures fish in a barrel. It must be loaded with campy enjoyable, however as an alternative, it splats to the bottom, full of antiquated humor. It wastes Dwayne Johnson’s attraction and the realizing charisma of Zac Efron, which is probably its greatest sin.
To be honest to the movie, it doesn’t take itself significantly, or go too far afield out of your common “Baywatch” episode. Johnson’s Mitch Buchannon is the pinnacle lifeguard mainstay, and he finds himself coaching 4 new lifeguards, together with insubordinate insurgent Matt Brody (Efron). A brand new drug hits the seaside and Mitch and his staff are pressed into service to nab the villains, however will they save the day?
“Baywatch” might have made again its price, and it could have its tongue firmly planted in its cheek, however its light-weight methods aren’t almost as enjoyable as they must be. The sequence that gave delivery to it’s a large, sand-encrusted, deeply tanned goal that its film spin-off doesn’t make the most of. The unique “Baywatch” had a “Gilligan’s Island” crossover episode and an episode the place a personality was reincarnated right into a canine. How on earth do most of its jokes find yourself falling so flat and its references come off as … effectively, so pat and simple? General, it’s a downer.
1: Doom
That is it: The film that nearly ended Dwayne Johnson’s motion profession earlier than it bought off the bottom. “Doom” ought to have been a stroll within the park adaptation of a highly regarded blood-and-guts online game. As an alternative, it rips off “Alien,” turning into a thriller the place all the things’s foregone and the thrills are lower than thrilling.
Johnson performs Sarge, one among eight area marines despatched to analyze a misery name emitted by a Mars-based analysis college. What seems to be alien creatures change into mutated people, which forces Sarge to attempt to shoot his approach out. Opposing him is the extra humane John Grimm (Karl City). However the stage of human interference concerned is stunning — and the variety of marines coming residence proves to be very low.
“Doom” was reviled by critics and drew solely middling plaudits at finest from followers, who felt the movie was an insult to the sport’s bloody, meaty origins. The film earned Johnson his first Razzie nomination and wasn’t any nice shakes on the field workplace. It almost buried his probabilities of main a movie. Even Johnson himself admitted it was a cautionary story as to what to not do when adapting a online game. However persistence — and higher materials — ended up guiding his profession out of the Smackdown Resort and someplace rather more fertile in the long run.
