A Comparative Analysis of The Film Careers of Hulk Hogan and The Rock Part 2

Suburban Commando vs The Rundown

Hulk Hogan as Shep Ramsey

My neighborhood chum and I spent many saturdays renting Suburban Commando. Hogan transfers his acting talent from wrestler to alien. He comes from an alien race that also speaks english and struggles with male pattern baldness. This film was originally intended for Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny Devito. They decided to do the Palm D' Or winning feature Twins. I can only dream about Arnold performing this scene:

If you watch the film closely, you can also see Christopher Lloyd's Back to the Future money running out.  

The Rock as Beck

His best movie so far. It's one of the better action star vehicles in the past ten years and I had hoped he would follow it up with even better work. I have nothing sarcastic to say about this one, which doesn't happen that often. Watch him in action:

The Rock - The Rundown
Uploaded by silentrock06

     Winner! The Rock as Beck

  Suburban Commando will always have a cheesy place in my heart, but The Rundown has baboons. 

Gremlins 2 vs Be Cool

Hulk Hogan as Hulk Hogan 

  

  Hogan is the only person who can play Hogan in one of the best cameos ever.

The Rock as Elliot Wilhelm

     I don't think it's ever a good idea to be in a movie with John Travolta in his post-Battlefield Earth career. Be Cool is a failed attempt at recapturing the success of one of Travolta's best characters.  The producers figured if they could fill the movie with as many celebrities as possible, no one would really care what was happening on screen. This movie began a string of misfires for The Rock. 

  Winner! Hulk Hogan as Hulk Hogan

      

       Future civilizations will look back Gremlins 2 as a benchmark in cinema while DVDs of Be Cool rot in a landfill. 

Mr. Nanny vs The Gameplan 

      Hollywood Math Problem: Tough guy + sassy children = $$$

Hulk Hogan as Sean Armstrong

   I'm guessing in the original script, the main character's name was probably like Sean Smith or Sean Harrison until Hogan signed on. . This time around he plays a "former" wrestler, which adds an extra angle of intense psychological drama. Childish pranks are played on Hogan in an effort to get in him touch with his own inner child and thus become a caring person. To counteract that mushiness it has Sherman Hemsley offering a blackjack and a lead pipe to children in order to take care of a bully.

 The Rock as Joe Kingman

     

   Another strategically placed tough guy name. Methinks I see a pattern. The Rock discovers he has a little girl. Childish pranks are played on Rock in an effort to get him in touch with his own inner child  and thus become a caring person. Hmmmm...where have I heard that before....? At least in this one the dog wears the ballerina outfit instead of the star.

  Winner!   Sherman Hemsley

          Stay Tuned for Part 3!

A Comparative Analysis of The Film Careers of Hulk Hogan and The Rock

The '80s ushered along the idea that if you were a professional wrestler, you could also be a professional actor. I grew up on Hulk Hogan movies, and now a new generation is growing up on Dwayne "No Longer The Rock" Johnson movies. I thought I would take a moment to compare their film careers and decide who comes out on top. Both men began their careers by making appearances in two different film franchises.....




Rocky III vs. The Mummy Returns

.

Hulk Hogan as

Thunderlips: The Ultimate Male

Somehow "Thunderlips" doesn't strike fear in me from someone who's supposed to be "The Ultimate Male". The granny panties don't help either. I would have enjoyed seeing more footage of arena security guards getting thrown around at a charity event. He does get bested by an 5'9 Stallone, who (with movie magic) throws him out of the ring. 

The Rock as

Mathayus: The Scorpion King

Kind of a kickass ring to it. Sort of invokes the idea of a man who commands the scorpions to do his bidding, Willard-style. That never happens though and it is a movie in the Mummy series. 

     Winner!   Mathayus: The Scorpion King

          Even though Thunderlips didn't have to sell his soul to Anubus in order to face Rocky, he is overshadowed by Clubber Lang in R3. The Rock is the only watchable part of Mummy Returns.

No Holds Barred vs The Scorpion King

Hulk Hogan as Rip

I assume as long as story pitches to Vince McMahon end with "and he's a wrestler" then the meeting is deemed successful. I do love this movie though. As a kid, I wanted to believe that I could one day be strong enough to burst out of the top of a limousine and fight the bad guys. I think the brilliance of this movie can be summed up with this scene. Hogan's acting is at its finest:

The Rock as

Mathayus: The Scorpion King

This time around, he's got his own movie. None of Stephen Sommers' cheesy direction and no Brendan Fraser yelling "I hate mummies". It's not a bad start for a action film career. You won't commonly see a wrestler in a business suit their first time out at the box office, so a loincloth film isn't out of the ordinary. It's a fun watch for FX on a Sunday. 

Winner!     Hulk Hogan as Rip

   I gotta call guilty pleasure on this one. No Hold Barred gets funnier and more absurd every time I watch it. I don't get as much out of Scorpion King. Also, I do believe Zeus would destroy Memnon in a fight.

                                                         

Stay Tuned for Part 2!   Suburban Commando vs The Rundown