The Rock’s Worst Movies

The Rock‘s movie career has been going on for twenty years, and has been nothing but a success since his studio debut in The Mummy Returns” way back in 2001. Going from the role of “The Scorpion King” to the highest paid actor in Hollywood was quite a journey for the multi time WWE Champion. Everything he learned in the squared circle was put to great use on the silver screen.

Some of his films have been less successful with the critics (although generally they do make bank, such is his name power). The Rock definitely knows what most people like in terms of entertainment. Choosing projects wisely and maintaining his brand image irrespective of the odd turkey is all part of the Hollywood machine. With that said, here are his top ten rated worst films ever according to the audience of Rotten Tomatoes.

UPDATE: 2024/04/24 20:00 EST BY MICHAEL CHIN

The Rock made a triumphant turn to wrestling, reminding fans of the ups and downs of his movie career to date.

The Rock’s epic return run to WWE in 2024 reignited wrestling fans’ passion around him. While his rivalry John Cena in the early 2010s had its moments, The Great One took things to the next level when he returned to classic heel form. As The Final Boss, he brought back elements of Hollywood Rock, with an added severity that came from him working with The Bloodline, having real-life corporate power, and his celebrity only having grown since he last entered the ring. So, there’s no better time to look back on his movie career, including some of the low lights as he found his footing in Hollywood and some of those earlier movies failed to impress critics or moviegoers.

11 Dwayne Johnson Starred As Hercules In 2014 (48%)

The Rock Followed In A Line Of Muscle-Bound Actors Playing This Part

• The Rock had the right look to play Hercules.
• This film was based on Steven Moore’s graphic novel.
• Though the film drew lukewarm repsonses, Dwayne Johnson was praised for his acting.

The idea of The Rock fronting a movie in the role of mythological hero Hercules isn’t such a bad idea. It’s a role Arnold Schwarzenegger brought to the big screen early in his own acting career, and has since been a vehicle for a number of bodybuilder and action hero types. The version of Dwayne Johnson that emerged after he largely left wrestling for Hollywood was arguably the most jacked he’d ever been.

Dwayne Johnson’s take on the character wasn’t bad, with some critics going out of their way to praise his performance within the film. Moreover, the raw material of a Steven Moore graphic novel had potential. Nonetheless, the screenplay wasn’t the greatest and though the film was ultimately profitable, it nonetheless goes down as one of Johnson’s weaker feature films.

10 GI Joe Retaliation Looked To Build On A New Franchise In 2013 (48%)

The Rock Was Part Of A Star-Studded Cast

• GI Joe Retaliation built off of the Rise of Cobra film.
• GI Joe’s toy line had been popular for decades.
• The Rock plays the character of Roadblock.

A new franchise for The Rock after the Steven Sommers original Rise of Cobra added new members. Based on the Hasbro toy line from the 1980s and cartoon series that was wildly popular with posable figures and vehicles, the Joe’s were up against Cobra, the worldwide terrorist organization once again.

The Rock plays Roadblock, second in command, and front guy in conjunction with Channing Tatum as Duke to move the series forward, Bruce Willis even joins the fray this time as General Colton.

9 Pain and Gain Cast The Rock As A Bodybuilder In 2013 (47%)

The Rock Fit Right In Playing A Bodybuilder

• Pain and Gain featured Dwayne Johnson and Mark Wahlberg.
• The film was set in the 1980s bodybuilding scene.
• While not exactly great cinema, the movie is fun.

An enjoyable dramatic comedy directed by Michael Bay starring Mark Wahlberg and The Rock as body builders in 1980s Florida who get involved in hijinks through a kidnapping, and all based on true story. It follows the notorious “Sun Gym Gang” and is definitely played for laughs thankfully.

The Rock plays Paul Doyle who is actually a composite of three different characters from the book, and it is actually one of Michael Bay’s films that is easy to follow in terms of direction without major explosions, camera movements or slo-mo lens flair overkill. It is fun viewing in honesty, so do not be put off by the audience rating too much.

8 Race to Witch Mountain Was A Remake In 2009 (44%)

The Original Film Came Out In 1975

• Race to Witch Mountain was the third film in tis series.
• The Rock cemented his place as a Disney favorite when he took on this role.
• Dwayne Johnson plays a cab driver who gets mixed up in a children’s adventure.

A remake of the 1975 Disney science fiction adventure feature film involving two children, and third in the series overall. The Rock’s partnership with Disney continued after the Game Plan, becoming a firm favorite in the “House of Mouse”. It’s all initially set around Las Vegas and The Rock plays a cab driver who gets involved with the two kids and is dragged into their fantastical story.

Viewing like a family friendly version of the X-Files, The Rock was still finding his feet in the world of Disney here playing Jack Bruno. Many fans felt it was not up to the level of the original film with much of the mystery and magic missing but The Rock gives it his all anyway.

7 The Rock Appeared In Be Cool In 2005 (42%)

The Movie Was A Sequel To Get Shorty

• Be Cool saw characters set their sights on the music industry.
• This was one of The Rock’s earliest movie roles.
• Dwayne Johnson was convincing playing a Samoan bodyguard.

This was the sequel to the critically acclaimed Get Shorty with John Travolta as Chilli Palmer, as he now set his sights on conquering the music industry as a result of the Russian mob. This was one of The Rock’s early roles just after Walking Tall and he would learn a lot from some seasoned actors ranging from Uma Thurman, Danny DeVito and Harvey Keitel.

The Rock plays Elliot Wilhelm, a Samoan bodyguard and aspiring actor in an obvious in joke. A little bit too much navel gazing and being caught in a self referential loop hinders the rating. The director Gary Gray stated he was hamstrung by the switch from an R to a PG-13 movie.

6 The Tooth Fairy Was A Change Of Pace For Dwayne Johnson In 2010 (41%)

Many Fans Were Surprised When The Rock Took On This Role

• Fans were skeptical when they learned The Rock would play The Tooth Fairy.
• The Rock’s character is that of an ice hockey player who spends two weeks serving as The Tooth Fairy.
• The film helped Dwayne Johnson break into family entertainment.

In this fantasy comedy that did suprisingly well at the box office despite critics savaging it, The Rock plays Derek Thompson “who does not believe in fairy tales” or “playing by the rules”. A hard-nosed ice hockey player who enjoys knocking teeth out is recruited to serve two weeks as a tooth fairy, complete with wings. Even The Hurricane might have been able to make fun of Dwayne in this costume.

Ashley Judd, Billy Crystal and Julia Andrews all co-star and it has good moments, as The Rock attempts to expand his appeal and become a mainstream movie star outside of action or adult-orientated content. It proved a popular mix, as he keeps producing new content in this field like the recent Jungle Cruise and Jumanji sequels, that have been hugely successful.

5 An Impressive Cast Couldn’t Make Southland Tales Work In 2006 (41%)

Southland Tales Represented A Mix Of Genres

• The Southland Tales screenplay shares an author with Donnie Darko.
• Southland Tales was panned at the Cannes Film Festival.
• Dwayne Johnson was figuring out his acting range at this point in his career.

This was an original screenplay by Richard Kelly who also directed Donnie Darko in this blending of genres. It’s classified as a dystopian comedy thriller but shines the light onto many facets of our world from celebrity culture, surveillance, political corruption and more. It was shown at Cannes and received a terrible reception, running at over two and half hours long.

The cast is impressive though, everybody from Buffy’s Sarah Michelle Gellar to Justin Timberlake, Miranda Richardson and even Kevin Smith show up. The Rock plays Boxer Santaros, an action star with political connections and is right at the heart of the story. This probably explains why he took the role, as it was early in his career and he was still finding out what worked in terms of his acting range.

4 Dwayne Johnson’s Took An Early Foray Into Voice Acting With Planet 51 In 2009 (40%)

This Animated Film Didn’t Land As Well As Moana

• Planet 51 was an animated feature film that blended science fiction and action.
• The Rock voices the protagonist of the movie.
• While critics responded poorly to Planet 51, it did turn a profit.

This is an animated CG sci-fi comedy produced by Tristar pictures and Spanish based Llion Animation. The Rock plays the protagonist Charles T Baker, a NASA astronaut who discovers Planet 51 on his mission. The 51 refers to everything being frozen in time and resembling 1950s America. Think Pleasantville with colour, set in space, and you will get a great idea.

Despite the critics not being a fan, it still turned a profit and at the time was the most expensive film produced in Spain. An excellent cast rounds out everything with Jessica Biel, Justin Long, Sean William Scott, John Cleese, Gary Oldman and others.

3 The Scorpion King Marked The Rock’s First Time As A Leading Man In 2002 (37%)

The Rock Built Off A Star Turn In The Mummy Returns

• The Rock had his first opportunity as a leading man in The Scorpion King.
• The movie is set 5,000 years before the Mummy series.
• For all its failings, The Scorpion King spawned three sequels.

This was The Rock’s original solo film and spin off from his appearance in The Mummy Returns a year earlier. Obviously Universal felt there was potential in this character and delved into his backstory for a full narrative and turned the villain into Mathayus of Akkad and set him on a hero’s journey set 5,000 years before the events of the Mummy series.

It lacks the playfulness and highs of the original movies, The Rock shows some flashes of his charm throughout and the series spawned three sequels for a total of four films, one of which helped launch David Bautista’s film career. Rotten Tomatoes does warn you though “action adventures do not get much cheesier than the Scorpion King”.

2 The Doom Film Was Not As Well Received As The Video Game It Was Based On In 2005 (34%)

It Took Some Time For The Popular Game To Become A Movie

• Doom was immensely popular as a video game in the 1990s.
• The Rock portrayed the character of The Sarge.
• In his part, The Rock wields most of the signature weapons from the Doom video game.

Yet another early film choice (this seems to be a growing trend). Based off the hugely popular 1990s ID Software FPS video game about battling monster sent directly from a hell dimension, Doom was reworked a little from the original concept. The plot involves a portal to Mars buried deep within the Nevada desert and a squad of Marines sent out that reads like a loose reinterpretation of James Cameron’s Aliens.

The fantastic Karl Urban and Bond Girl Rosmaund Pike turn up as co-stars, and The Rock plays The Sarge who gets to yield the destructive and distinctive weapon of choice from the games. It is lighthearted horror science fiction fun, and easily digestible, with it taking a decade for the film to come to screens.

1 It’s Little Wonder Empire State Was Released Straight To DVD In 2013 (24%)

The Rock Played Opposite Rising Stars Liam Hemsworth And Emma Roberts

• Empire State was a heist movie set in New York.
• The Rock plays a detective in this film.
• Empire State was based on a true story.

This was one of the few or only Dwayne Johnson films to bypass theaters and go straight to DVD. It looked good on paper with Liam Hemsworth and the young Emma Roberts co-starring in a New York armored-car heist, crossed with a realistic drama of being born on the wrong side of the tracks. The Rock plays veteran Detective James Ransome (that does sound cliched).

It is all based on a true story so perhaps more “fiction” was needed to push this one into higher box office territory. Even if The Rock’s films are mauled by critics (he sticks to what he does well and knows it), they perform well in terms of numbers so this is an unusual outlier in terms of his filmography.