Wrestler-turned-actor John Cena built his second career on star turns in franchise hits like Peacemaker and the various Fast & Furious sequels. It's a particularly impressive Hollywood ascension considering Cena's first leading role was in one of this generation's most infamous B-movie flops: The Marine. The so-bad-it's-good rookie effort was recently announced to receive a streaming spotlight, the film landing on Tubi March 1.
John Cena's First Leading Role Finds Streaming Home At Tubi The Marine Offers A Glimpse Into Cena's Unlikely Shift From Ring to Screen Image via 20th Century Fox
The Marine hit theaters in 2006 as WWE grappled with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's departure from the company in pursuit of greener movie-star pastures. It's no coincidence, then, that the production marked both WWE Studios' first major theatrical release and its, at the time, rising star, John Cena's silver-screen debut. The film flopped, earning a measly $22.2 million, barely lapping a reported $15 million budget.
John Cena's First Leading Role Finds Streaming Home At Tubi The Marine Offers A Glimpse Into Cena's Unlikely Shift From Ring to Screen Image via 20th Century Fox
The Marine hit theaters in 2006 as WWE grappled with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's departure from the company in pursuit of greener movie-star pastures. It's no coincidence, then, that the production marked both WWE Studios' first major theatrical release and its, at the time, rising star, John Cena's silver-screen debut. The film flopped, earning a measly $22.2 million, barely lapping a reported $15 million budget.
- 2/23/2025
- by Nic Guastella
- CBR
Professional wrestler John Cena is a 16-time WWE champion and is regarded as one of the best to ever step in the ring. In between title matches, he has also exerted dominance at the box office, appearing in some of the biggest blockbusters over the past 20 years. He has also established himself as a solid leading man, starring in some truly entertaining movies.
Cena has the grumpiest resting-scowl face in the business, but also a mile-wide smile that can defuse any situation, which reflects his range as an actor. Equally competent in tense dramas and action films as he is with wacky comedies, he can pull off any role with precision. Most of all, he is an extremely likable person, so even when he's cast as a villain, it's hard not to adore him.
John Triton Is Vengeful In The Marine
The Marine PG-13ComedyDrama
A group of diamond thieves...
Cena has the grumpiest resting-scowl face in the business, but also a mile-wide smile that can defuse any situation, which reflects his range as an actor. Equally competent in tense dramas and action films as he is with wacky comedies, he can pull off any role with precision. Most of all, he is an extremely likable person, so even when he's cast as a villain, it's hard not to adore him.
John Triton Is Vengeful In The Marine
The Marine PG-13ComedyDrama
A group of diamond thieves...
- 4/11/2024
- by Brian Anderson
- CBR
The Marine
NEW YORK -- A new action star isn't born in "The Marine", which toplines WWE superstar wrestler John Cena in the organization's latest attempt to branch out into the big screen. Playing John Triton, a former Marine forcibly discharged from Iraq -- for disobeying orders in order to save a group of fellow soldiers being held hostage by those nasty al-Qaida folks -- Cena demonstrates little of the charisma that has made him a star in the ring. The film opened Friday without being screened for the press.
An unrepentant B-movie, "The Marine" features the sort of bare-bones plot that would in previous years have served as a vehicle for the likes of Charles Bronson. Essentially, it boils down to a bunch of bad guys (and gal, played by the vixenish Abigail Bianca) who kidnap the hero's wife (Kelly Carlson, of FX's "Nip/Tuck") for "insurance" while they are being pursued by the cops.
Thus begins a relentless pursuit by the resolute, monosyllabic ex-Marine, which includes a good number of fights, both of the armed and hand-to-hand variety; car chases, including one in which the hero's car is essentially reduced to a frame with wheels; and amazing number of fiery explosions. Indeed, the sheer volume of conflagrations in the picture exceeds that of "The Towering Inferno" and "Backdraft" combined.
The film's saving grace are its fast pacing and generous doses of humor, the latter of which is mostly provided by Robert Patrick's sly delivery of the many wisecracks doled out by his villainous character. Requesting that the bystanders in the robbery avert their eyes, for instance, he claims to have "severe intimacy issues." And his deadpan reaction when one of his cohorts compares the unstoppable hero to the Terminator is priceless.
Otherwise, the film is strictly by the numbers, with director John Bonito (a veteran of television commercials, naturally) making sure to provide the requisite number of shots in which the actors advance in slow motion while pretending to ignore the apocalyptic explosions taking place just behind them.
An unrepentant B-movie, "The Marine" features the sort of bare-bones plot that would in previous years have served as a vehicle for the likes of Charles Bronson. Essentially, it boils down to a bunch of bad guys (and gal, played by the vixenish Abigail Bianca) who kidnap the hero's wife (Kelly Carlson, of FX's "Nip/Tuck") for "insurance" while they are being pursued by the cops.
Thus begins a relentless pursuit by the resolute, monosyllabic ex-Marine, which includes a good number of fights, both of the armed and hand-to-hand variety; car chases, including one in which the hero's car is essentially reduced to a frame with wheels; and amazing number of fiery explosions. Indeed, the sheer volume of conflagrations in the picture exceeds that of "The Towering Inferno" and "Backdraft" combined.
The film's saving grace are its fast pacing and generous doses of humor, the latter of which is mostly provided by Robert Patrick's sly delivery of the many wisecracks doled out by his villainous character. Requesting that the bystanders in the robbery avert their eyes, for instance, he claims to have "severe intimacy issues." And his deadpan reaction when one of his cohorts compares the unstoppable hero to the Terminator is priceless.
Otherwise, the film is strictly by the numbers, with director John Bonito (a veteran of television commercials, naturally) making sure to provide the requisite number of shots in which the actors advance in slow motion while pretending to ignore the apocalyptic explosions taking place just behind them.
- 10/17/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Marine
NEW YORK -- A new action star isn't born in The Marine, which toplines WWE superstar wrestler John Cena in the organization's latest attempt to branch out into the big screen. Playing John Triton, a former Marine forcibly discharged from Iraq -- for disobeying orders in order to save a group of fellow soldiers being held hostage by those nasty al-Qaida folks -- Cena demonstrates little of the charisma that has made him a star in the ring. The film opened Friday without being screened for the press.
An unrepentant B-movie, The Marine features the sort of bare-bones plot that would in previous years have served as a vehicle for the likes of Charles Bronson. Essentially, it boils down to a bunch of bad guys (and gal, played by the vixenish Abigail Bianca) who kidnap the hero's wife (Kelly Carlson, of FX's "Nip/Tuck") for "insurance" while they are being pursued by the cops.
Thus begins a relentless pursuit by the resolute, monosyllabic ex-Marine, which includes a good number of fights, both of the armed and hand-to-hand variety; car chases, including one in which the hero's car is essentially reduced to a frame with wheels; and amazing number of fiery explosions. Indeed, the sheer volume of conflagrations in the picture exceeds that of The Towering Inferno and Backdraft combined.
The film's saving grace are its fast pacing and generous doses of humor, the latter of which is mostly provided by Robert Patrick's sly delivery of the many wisecracks doled out by his villainous character. Requesting that the bystanders in the robbery avert their eyes, for instance, he claims to have "severe intimacy issues." And his deadpan reaction when one of his cohorts compares the unstoppable hero to the Terminator is priceless.
Otherwise, the film is strictly by the numbers, with director John Bonito (a veteran of television commercials, naturally) making sure to provide the requisite number of shots in which the actors advance in slow motion while pretending to ignore the apocalyptic explosions taking place just behind them.
THE MARINE
20th Century Fox
WWE Films
Credits:
Director: John Bonito
Screenwriters: Michell Gallagher, Alan McElroy
Producers: Joel Simon, Kathryn Sommer Parry, Jonathan Winfrey
Executive producers: Vince McMahon, Matt Carroll
Director of photography: David Eggby
Production designer: Herbert Pinter
Editor: Dallas Puett
Music: Don Davis
Cast:
John Triton: John Cena
Rome: Robert Patrick
Kate: Kelly Carlson.
Running time -- 91 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
An unrepentant B-movie, The Marine features the sort of bare-bones plot that would in previous years have served as a vehicle for the likes of Charles Bronson. Essentially, it boils down to a bunch of bad guys (and gal, played by the vixenish Abigail Bianca) who kidnap the hero's wife (Kelly Carlson, of FX's "Nip/Tuck") for "insurance" while they are being pursued by the cops.
Thus begins a relentless pursuit by the resolute, monosyllabic ex-Marine, which includes a good number of fights, both of the armed and hand-to-hand variety; car chases, including one in which the hero's car is essentially reduced to a frame with wheels; and amazing number of fiery explosions. Indeed, the sheer volume of conflagrations in the picture exceeds that of The Towering Inferno and Backdraft combined.
The film's saving grace are its fast pacing and generous doses of humor, the latter of which is mostly provided by Robert Patrick's sly delivery of the many wisecracks doled out by his villainous character. Requesting that the bystanders in the robbery avert their eyes, for instance, he claims to have "severe intimacy issues." And his deadpan reaction when one of his cohorts compares the unstoppable hero to the Terminator is priceless.
Otherwise, the film is strictly by the numbers, with director John Bonito (a veteran of television commercials, naturally) making sure to provide the requisite number of shots in which the actors advance in slow motion while pretending to ignore the apocalyptic explosions taking place just behind them.
THE MARINE
20th Century Fox
WWE Films
Credits:
Director: John Bonito
Screenwriters: Michell Gallagher, Alan McElroy
Producers: Joel Simon, Kathryn Sommer Parry, Jonathan Winfrey
Executive producers: Vince McMahon, Matt Carroll
Director of photography: David Eggby
Production designer: Herbert Pinter
Editor: Dallas Puett
Music: Don Davis
Cast:
John Triton: John Cena
Rome: Robert Patrick
Kate: Kelly Carlson.
Running time -- 91 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
- 10/16/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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