Dwayne Johnson must correct his movie star formula after Red Notice
Dwayne johnsonthe last film of Red Notice hasn’t performed so well among critics and viewers, showing The Rock needs to change their movie star formula. Having started out as a popular WWE wrestler, there is no doubt that Johnson has capitalized on his natural charm and magnetic personality. However, with critical and box office performance starting to wane, there are signs that he needs to change his approach to ensure continued success.
After being acclaimed in the wrestling world, Dwayne Johnson starred in the 2002 The Mummy spin off The Scorpion King. After that, the actor switched to such family comedies as The small mouse and The game plan. The Rock easily became a celebrity due to his charismatic demeanor and charming character. Today, the actor is a Disney favorite, starring in huge blockbusters like Jungle Cruise and Moana, as well as the Jumanji reboot series, an upcoming Black Adam movie and The Fast and The Furious franchise. Dwayne Johnson is now recognized as one of the highest paid, highest grossing actors of all time.
Despite his success, however, it feels like Dwayne Johnson has rehearsed many similar roles, leading to a feeling of box office fatigue among viewers. Most recently, Netflix Red Opinion got bad reviews despite its popular airing on the streaming service and a star-studded cast. The reception of the film should serve as a wake-up call for the star, perhaps providing a window of opportunity for personal development. While The Rock is definitely crowd pleaser, the wrestler can only do a limited number of movies in which he plays the buff guy with a big heart. Going into blockbuster after brilliant blockbuster is no longer doing his career a favor – to stay relevant, he has to expand his repertoire. Despite all of his accolades, the star’s supposed cinematic formula is no longer enough, meaning he must seek to evolve as a performer.
Dwayne Johnson’s movie star formula explained
According to a 2018 interview via Rolling Stone, Dwayne Johnson is proving his acting skills by tackling very specific types of characters: “highly skilled villains who are also sensitive and vulnerable, imperfect but decent men with big biceps and bigger hearts. ” Truth be told, his roles don’t seem that different from how the actor portrays himself in real life. Dwayne Johnson refuses to take characters that are too dark, saying audiences will never see him as a “borderline psychopath suffering from depression “. He also states that while he admires his friends who come up against these complex characters, that’s just not his goal as an artist. The Rock would prefer “take care“audience by showing the power to overcome difficulties instead of going deeper into them.
Johnson’s movie star formula isn’t unusual for the way the actor presents himself. Some may see it as a smart decision for the Jungle cruise actor to play to his strengths. After all, he made a lot of money from his ideals. The Rock is not left out with the many Teen’s Choice, People’s Choice and Kid’s Choice awards he has to his name. Plus, the formula helped Dwayne Johnson become a household name; something that wouldn’t happen if he stayed in the pro wrestling business. However, as a movie like Red Notice shows, sometimes the formula needs some adjustment.
Red notice shows Johnson’s formula is on the decline
In Red Notice, Dwayne Johnson stars as an art thief disguised as an FBI agent who is associated with Gal Gadot’s character, The Bishop. On paper, the film is scheduled to be a success. It has substantial funding and an interesting storyline. There is a lot of action, intrigue, and stunt sequences meant to blow audiences away. Same Red NoticeThe cast and characters of ‘s set the stage for blockbuster success. Despite all of this, however, critics have battered the film. So far, the film only scores 35% on Rotten Tomatoes – although it does well with its audience score – coupled with a mediocre 6.4 stars on IMDB. So with the creation of studios Red Notice to be a huge success, why did it bomb?
The short answer is that audiences are tired of watching movies cut from the same fabric. Red Notice sort of feels dated and tired, which says a lot since this is an original movie. In a way, the film does a disservice to the talents of the main actors. Ryan Reynolds, Gal Gadot, and Dwayne Johnson all play caricatures of other roles they’ve played in the past, perhaps proving Reynolds and Johnson are better off with Disney. Reynolds brings his sarcastic humor, Gadot is an attractive and powerful woman, and The Rock is what he always is: “a highly skilled badass who is sensitive and vulnerable“.
Red Notice shows very clearly that viewers are tired of the same old thing. Given that audiences are on brilliant blockbusters of little substance, that means it’s time for The Rock to reinvent itself. Other action stars like Will Smith and Arnold Schwarzenegger had to embark on different projects in order to stay relevant. There is no doubt that Dwayne Johnson is a smart guy when it comes to his career; which, hopefully, means reinvention is just around the corner.
Dwayne Johnson must make darker plans
Viewers always wonder what The Rock is up to, but not once has this role been dark or complex. If Dwayne Johnson is to remain relevant throughout his career, then the actor has to take on a darker project. It worked for a lot of other actors, like Zac Efron (who turns into Ted Bundy for Extremely mean, incredibly evil and vile), or Disney actor Ross Lynch in My friend Dahmer. Granted, Dwayne Johnson doesn’t need to play a serial killer to maintain his popularity, but something substantial is better than no substance at all.
While Johnson says he only wants to take on positive character arcs, a darker role would showcase his talents in ways that have yet to be seen. The Rock has demons from his past to pull off from experiences, some things Johnson highlights in Young Rock. The films he made, like Faster Where Snitch, prove it Dwayne johnson is capable of more interesting and intense roles. Plus, he wouldn’t have to change his formula too much if the goal is to show the audience a character capable of overcoming obstacles. The problem with this now is that his characters really don’t have anything to overcome, a darker role could fix that while also giving in to what Johnson expects from his plans. If the star is to remain popular, mixing a variety of content into her repertoire will help alleviate some of the fatigue experienced by viewers. Especially after watching another cookie-cutter movie like Red Notice.
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