DTDD looks at the franchise series of WWE Films (no, seriously.) that is now at its 3rd entry and 3rd main character. How does this film stand up among the earlier entries, and itself as a whole? Time to dig in and see how awesome The Miz really is.
The Story
Sergeant Jake Carter of the Marine Corps’ Special Operations unit is returning home to his small rural town after a dangerous covert mission in Central America. He’s looking forward to spending quality time with his two sisters, Amanda and Lilly. Jake’s homecoming is short-lived though when Lilly and her boyfriend are kidnapped and Jake is forced to make use of his military skills to save them. Taken by Jonah Pope, a former college professor turned extremist, Pope determined to unleash an elaborate terrorist attack on American soil, Carter will do whatever is necessary to save his sister and to stop Pope before it’s too late.
The Cast
Mike “The Miz” Mizanin as Jake Carter. Reality Star turned wrestler, The Miz has had his share of successes in the ring, culminating in him winning the WWE Title.
Neal McDonough as Jonah Pope. Has appeared in the WALKING TALL remake, MINORITY REPORT, CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER, BAND OF BROTHERS, DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES, and JUSTIFIED. Also, he voiced Bruce Banner in the INCREDIBLE HULK cartoon series, FYI.
Ashley Bell as Lilly. Best known for playing Nell in both THE LAST EXORCISM 1 and 2, she also worked on THE UNITED STATES OF TARA and THE DAY.
Camille Sullivan as Amanda. Worked on TV shows like RED WINDOW, FLASHPOINT, and INTELLIGENCE.
The Dissection
The first film of the franchise, starring John Cena, may not have been a huge hit, but the subsequent success on home release did lead WWE’s film production company to move from theater release to direct to DVD. As for the movie itself, it was very laughable dialog and a stupid set up to the various action scenes. As for the sequel, which featured Ted Dibiase Jr in the lead role, it was the same, except Dibiase didn’t have the same kind of electricity as Cena’s role did, even though Cena himself was no maverick in his role, either. Now, we have The Miz stepping in, and the results are a bit better, but still lacking.
The Miz as Jake Carter
The big issue is that Miz, like it or not, comes off very cool and confident in his element of his role as douchebag extraordinaire whether it be the Real World series he debuted on or as his character on WWE Programming is. Take him out of that element, though, and that is where the problems occur. The Miz is not playing the same character he usually does, but more like the characters Cena and Dibiase played when they did these films. It’s like that Mitch Hedberg joke about working your ass off to be a really great cook, and then being expected to farm. It doesn’t help that the cast itself is mostly filling in the overused tropes of action films, setting up the mustachioed twirling villain, damsel in distress, comedy sidekick, useless backup, and so on and so forth, to lend some support in that aspect.
As it stands, The Miz feels bland and dull, seeming more like he belongs as a player character in a modern warfare FPS game than in a film series. In fact, the series feels more like a non-playable version of a Call of Duty mission, as the story is all about a few minutes of intro, then action, then 30 seconds of cool down before the credits. The plot and characters don’t matter, all that does is the action. It’s not bad action, mind you, but it’s not that interesting or nothing that hasn’t been done before. And the main problem is that, even if you like the action, there’s nothing to make you care as to why it is happening.
Neil McDonough as Jonah Pope.
It’s not a bad movie, overall, but it’s kind of a pointless one. The first film has it’s place, but the second and this latest one especially, feels out of place and unneeded. It’s only here to appease fans of the original, and fans of the star as well, if the various videos about him that are extras on the disc are anything to go by.
The Verdict
While trying to not be harsh, as the film has nothing too bad going for it, the main problem is that the film feels more like it belongs with the T-shirts or posters or whatever merchandise they sell at the tables of a WWE wrestling show. It’s hollow as a film, really only aimed for a smaller audience than the film is demanding. It’s not worth anyone’s time, especially with many other choices out on DVD and Blu-Ray, and only really recommended for people that would rush out to get it anyway. If you were looking to get it, you will enjoy it. If you were hesitant at all, it’s not worth your time.