The latest straight-to-home-entertainment
sequel in this action franchise amps up the level of patriotism, making it
almost feel like a sequel to Act of Valor
instead. This comparison makes even more sense when comparing the acting skills
of the group of Navy Seals used in Act of
Valor and the wrestlers of The Marine
4. Even sadder is the fact that these performers are no less convincing
than the actual actors cast in the supporting roles. The bottom line is that
these films are about action above all else, and The Marine 4: Moving Target is the closest sequel in the franchise
to capturing what made the first film mildly successful.
For the first
time in the franchise, The Marine 4
has the same leading man as a previous installment. Though there are no real
connections between the stories in the two films, Mike “The Miz” Mizanin
returns as Jake Carter, a war hero who has moved to work in the private sector.
When his first job transporting a whistleblower is sabotaged by a group of
mercenaries, Carter is forced to put his skills to the test once again. Like
the original film, this results in a chase through wilderness while our hero
takes out the bad guys one-by-one. The creativity of this action is the
strength of the film’s narrative, while realism and believability have been all
but discarded. Guns never seem to run out of bullets and the booby traps seem
to defy the laws of physics, but the non-stop spectacle of the action is
actually far more engaging than it has a right to be.
Part of the
difficulty with this franchise has also been its selling point; the casting of
WWE wrestlers to attempt acting onscreen rather than in the ring. While their
physicality may be believable, acting skills often leave something to be
desired. This time around may give Mizanin a second chance that others did not
receive, but he is no more convincing with the dialogue than he was before. The Marine 4 also features the first
appearance from a WWE Diva in a film from WWE Studios, and Summer Rae may come
off more convincing, but this is merely because of the limited dialogue given
to the villainous character.
All of the bad
guys are fairly convincingly played in The
Marine 4, perhaps because of how little their characters need to be
developed between scenes of action. In the end, it is the actor with the least
demanding physical role who ends up coming off as the worst actor. Actually,
perhaps I should rephrase that. Melissa Roxburgh has the least demanding role
in terms of action and stunt work as the attitude-filled whistleblower, Olivia
Tanis. There is no need for a physically active actress in this role, but the
physicality of her attractiveness must have played a larger role in the casting
process than her abilities to act, because the bad dialogue often sounds more
believable coming from the wrestler’s mouths than her own. It is far more
forgivable to be forced to endure meathead wrestlers struggle with acting than
someone who was cast to do nothing but act, no matter how cute the casting
director may think they are.
The Blu-ray
release includes a digital copy of the film, along with a handful of
predictably promotional featurettes. All three serve the solitary purpose of
self praise, highlighting the action and integration of WWE Divas into the
cinematic universe. There is also a featurette about the progression of the
minor action franchise.
Entertainment Value:
4.5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 4/10
Historical
Significance: 2/10
Special Features: 2.5/10
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