Though I may regret admitting it, I
am actually a fan of the musical genre and do find certain projects
entertaining, but I also acknowledge that the film type usually appeals to a
limited demographic and is never a guarantee of runaway success. Still, if there was ever a chance to attract
male audience members to the musical genre (beyond the blatant tactics that
failed for Burlesque), it would be Rock of Ages, as the film would focus
exclusively on classic rock. Personally,
I was sold the second I discovered that the music of bands like Bon Jovi, Guns
N’ Roses, and Journey would be featured; but I did have to question whether
such a line-up unintentionally aged the project, as large portions of the
highly-desired younger movie-going demographic either didn’t recognize these
bands or still consider Justin Bieber and LMFAO musical artists. The cast itself also generated some
interesting buzz, as a number of the additions made perfect sense (Julianne
Hough and Catherine Zeta-Jones), while others were questionable at best (Russell
Brand and Alec Baldwin). So, even though
I myself was excited for Rock of Ages,
I had to acknowledge that there were a number of elements that could go wrong.
Overall
Recommendation: Low
Whether it involves the characters,
the dialogue, or the acting, Rock of Ages
is a massive disappointment that represents a significant squandering of the
film’s potential. Even though the film
itself is a jukebox musical drawing from familiar songs, the narrative makes no
attempt to ease audiences into the format…Julianne Hough’s instantaneous
breakout into song is so forced and unnatural that it immediately alienates
skeptical audience members. The story itself
also submits to so many cinematic clichés that it is almost nauseating; a fact
that is not helped by the overblown and overacted characters (Tom Cruise’s role
as a burn-out rocker wears thin quickly).
Now, these missteps could be forgiven if the musical numbers themselves
were awesome, but aside from a few interesting mash-ups (“Juke Box Hero/ “I
Love Rock ‘n’ Roll”), overall song choice was just wrong. The only thing that prevents Rock of Ages from being a complete
disaster is that I did glimpse certain instances of genius, which, if
harnessed, would have produced a far better film than what was ultimately offered.
