WWE has produced a number of films via WWE Studios. Now, the studio never had the best track record with quality films but they had quantity on their side. Sadly, that means there is an abundance of bad or mediocre films.
We’re going to look at the three best WWE Studios films of the 2000s. These are the more entertaining ones and don’t necessarily mean that they were really good–although two of them were.
The Rundown (2003)
This was the first proper film released by WWE Studios. I say “proper” because you had No Holds Barred but that was under the “Shane Distribution Company”. Starring The Rock, The Rundown showcased The Great One’s action and comedy chops.
The action-comedy approach was perfect as was the casting as WWE Studios managed to get a couple of actors who were making their names in recent films such as Seann William Scott, Jonah Hill, and Rosario Dawson as well as veterans such as Christopher Walken, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Emilo Reyes Jr.
Overall, this is the best film on the list. The Rundown was a blast to watch when it dropped and it holds up on a re-watch years later.
The Marine (2006)
I won’t lie: I enjoy the hell out of The Marine. It’s not a masterpiece of cinema or even one of the best action movies from that decade. That said, The Marine is one of the two best WWE Studios films of that decade without a doubt.
The formula isn’t difficult either: just take common action movie tropes and make the main character either military or ex-military. It’s a dated approach and The Marine would’ve been big in the 80s.
As a matter of fact, it’s a film that WWE would’ve probably cast Hogan in. Cena did well in the starring role—which didn’t require major acting chops. If we’re being honest, this should’ve been John Cena’s series with WWE Studios since he embraced acting outside of wrestling at a rapid pace.
A part of me is glad John Cena only starred in the first The Marine. It meant that WWE wouldn’t think “This is like Thunder in Paradise 2006! Let’s make this a series!”
The Condemned (2007)
If you were heading into The Condemned expecting a deep—no, a decent—plot to follow, this wasn’t the movie for you. This is the kind of film that you get a bag of gas station-only, local brand chips—not popcorn—and just veg out when it comes on cable.
That’s the important thing: this was a gory, violent made-for-TV film with a budget that I’m sure the film did not meet. It stars Stone Cold Steve Austin, Nathan Jones, and Manu Bennett—the most notable actor in the film not named Steve Austin.
Stone Cold sold the film but Bennett added that “there are actual, respected actors in this mother” coat of paint. This could’ve used better casting and writing because the premise is a good one to build a franchise on.
The Condemned wasn’t a great movie at all and really, you shouldn’t watch it more than twice. Fortunately for me, I exhausted my second viewing.
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