It's been 20 years since Arnold Schwarzenegger told Dwayne Johnson to "Have fun" in the The Rundown. How'd he do?

[Wrexis]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aC6eMf87fsc

This was more or less the passing of the action hero torch. How do you think he did?

Honestly? Looking at his filmography, of that 20 years I think he had a good 5 year run, but a lot of that was driven by Fast & Furious period, which included Pain & Gain. The last 8-10 years have been poor. I don't think his highs match Arnolds (Terminator 2 etc).

Also - Dwayne is almost the same age Arnold was back then - time to pass the torch again? To whom?
Though I acknowledge there's less of a demand for the muscle bound action hero these days of course.

 

[AuthenticM]

I don't think anyone will ever come close to Arnold's output from the 80s and 90s. He's going to remain the poster face for the blockbuster action movie. He is the action movie star.

 

[Praetorpwj]

He might as well have said 'good luck replacing ME'.

 

[Tobor]

Zero stars wasn't an option, so I chose 1.

Bruce Willis and Keanu did a better job than Dwayne.

 

[Aiqops]

Never reached Arnolds action star status, that's how.

 

[Pirateluigi]

Also - Dwayne is almost the same age Arnold was back then

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This is breaking my brain. (For the record, Arnold was 56 at the time, DJ is 52)

 

[Wrexis]

Bruce Willis and Keanu did a better job than Dwayne.

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Keanu sure, since 2003. But Bruce Willis since then?

 

[thediamondage]

he can't even hold arnolds jock strap

 

[Skel1ingt0n]

Everybody knows who he is, which is pretty impressive.

And he had some pretty decent stuff with early Fast Five and whatnot. He's clearly carried some movies like Jumanji and Moana.

But he's also had a LOT(!) of duds, and in no way, shape, or form does he have a "defining" character action role.

Arnold is the Terminator.

He leads PREDATOR, COMMANDO, TOTAL RECALL, TRUE LIES, etc. etc.

The Rock is only at Arnold's level if Arnold was only ever in things like Batman, Eraser, the Sixth Day, etc. etc.

Also, Arnold is infinitely more likeable. For clearly being the better actor and action star, he was also way better at making fun of himself with things like Junior or Jingle all the Way.

Spoiler

Dwayne's best roles are still in Southland Tales and Pain & Gain, by FAR

 

[Tobor]

Keanu sure, since 2003. But Bruce Willis since then?

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Die Hard alone is better than anything Dwayne has ever made.

EDIT: Are we only talking since 2003? Matt Damon in the Bourne movies, I guess. Or anyone in any Marvel movie. The Rock is bottom tier any way you slice it.

 

[shacklesmcgee]

At first I thought we were rating The Rundown, which is obviously 5 stars, but then I re-read....

 

[SCUMMbag]

1 star

Dwayne peaked with The Game Plan.

 

[TheBaldwin]

Had such high hopes for the rock after the rundown, but yeah his output has been so lackluster.

Since then ive enjoyed gridiron gang, the other guys, jumanji 1&2, and Fast and furious, and pain and gain.

Not exactly stellar highlights from 20 years in film and a shit ton of films.

 

[Night]

The Rundown was like peak Rock as an actor and then the quality of his output meandered and went downhill from there IMO.

I liked that movie he did with Johnny Knoxville too. Edit: Walking Tall

 

[Dan Thunder]

I mean yeah, clearly his high's aren't going to reach Arnie's; Predator, Total Recall, T1 & 2 are genuine movie classics, not just action classics, and I'd argue that even his Tier 2 stuff is probably better than the Rock's best movies.

That said he's had an amazing run, moreso since Fast Five and he's still doing incredibly well. I don't think that 'not as good/big as Arnie' is something that you can take negatively, especially given his successes.

EDIT: Maybe if he'd been around in Arnie's era things might have been different but the movie world has moved beyond the physical archetype he displays - probably because now everybody from the janitor upwards is ripped so a big, muscular physique just isn't as rare to see in the cinema these days.

 

[entremet]

Arnold had amazing talent to work with James Cameron, Ivan Reitman, etc.

That's very important. He also learned from them.

Dwayne is not like this. He likes to control the narrative and his projects. He rarely collaborates with skilled directors.

 

[Jroc]

What is the defining iconic Dwayne Johnson action role?

Fast 5?

 

[Wrexis]

Not exactly stellar highlights from 20 years in film and a shit ton of films.

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I think DJ has actually been in more films in 25 years than AS has in 50 years as well.

 

[Yerffej]

Zero stars wasn't an option, so I chose 1.

Bruce Willis and Keanu did a better job than Dwayne.

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[RetroRunner]

Fast Five makes it automatically at least 4 Stars

 

[AlgusUnderdunk]

Keanu sure, since 2003. But Bruce Willis since then?

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Not gonna be attending that hat convention, huh OP?

Now if you'll excuse me, time for Bruno to return once again.

Return of Bruno

youtu.be

 

[Violence Jack]

Not one of Dwayne's films are on par with Arnie's at all. Not even Last Action Hero or End of Days. I'm excluding the Fast and Furious films since those aren't solely Dwayne Johnson films.

Arnie should've said that to Jason Statham instead.

 

[Strings]

This is where Johnson peaked so...

 

[The_Iceman2288]

Very relevant video essay


View: https://youtu.be/j_6bscCG7OA?si=Wss_exnUrvQxsclb

 

[NickatNite]

Get Smart(2008) was his last best role, and The Rundown is his best role as the lead.

 

[Era Uma Vez]

Arnie has great movies and absolute classics in his catalogue.
I'm still waiting for Dwayne to be in a good movie, so...

 

[entremet]

Arnie has great movies and absolute classics in his catalogue.
I'm still waiting for Dwayne to be in a good movie, so...

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Not a fan of Black Adam?

 

[adj_noun]

That means it's been twenty years since Christopher Walken ranted about the Tooth Fairy.

 

[Foot]

I think he has successfully had fun, yeah.

 

[Tobor]

Not one of Dwayne's films are on par with Arnie's at all. Not even Last Action Hero or End of Days. I'm excluding the Fast and Furious films since those aren't solely Dwayne Johnson films.

Arnie should've said that to Jason Statham instead.

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Statham is like Seagal/Vandamme tier. He's not Schwarzenegger level either.

 

[boontobias]

If The Rock had more vulnerability and did more acting he would have more classics. Put your trust in filmmakers and storytellers instead of your brand and image

 

[butalala]

Hot and intentionally outrageous take: bob odenkirk has a better action movie career than the rock

 

[Psamtik]

I don't know if it would've prompted him to make more interesting decisions or work outside of a very narrow range, but I don't think the Rock ever fully got out from under Vince McMahon's thumb. Vince was pissed (because of course he was) that Rock played a gay man in Be Cool, and my understanding is that he took that rejection pretty hard.

Arnold was so limited as an actor, but he chose to work with some great directors and had an affection for genre projects. Sometimes that - along with superhuman charisma, obvious as far back as Pumping Iron - is all it takes.

 

[grang]

I like his movie with Billy Bob Thornton, Faster

 

[RSTEIN]

What about this... Arnold minus Cameron vs. Dwayne.

Otherwise it's not a fair fight. Nothing Dwayne has done comes close to T1, T2 or True Lies.

So then it's Predator/Total Recall/Pumping Iron vs. Fast & Furious franchise/Moana/Other Guys/Jumanji.

 

[Violence Jack]

Statham is like Seagal/Vandamme tier. He's not Schwarzenegger level either.

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I think his films are a little better than Van Damme's outside of Bloodsport, Kickboxer, and possibly Universal Soldier, but you may be right. However, I will always say that Segal's films were god awful.

 

[AgeEighty]

The Rundown is so underrated.

"Go away monkey!"

 

[gnexus]

The Rock peaked with his appearance in The Other Guys.

I don't think The Rock comes close to Arnold, I think he's a bit above Jean Claude Van Damme. He's had some decent action movies, but nothing I would say is iconic.

 

[Hero_of_the_Day]

I am not sure The Rock has ever done anything I wanted to watch more than once. Not saying I hate all his movies. But, they are mostly just disposable entertainment that I watch once and forget about.

 

[Tobor]

What about this... Arnold minus Cameron vs. Dwayne.

Otherwise it's not a fair fight. Nothing Dwayne has done comes close to T1, T2 or True Lies.

So then it's Predator/Total Recall/Pumping Iron vs. Fast & Furious franchise/Moana/Other Guys/Jumanji.

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Arnold by a mile. There's still Commando, Conan the Barbarian, The Running Man, and more.

 

[Kabuki Quantum Lover]

I don't know if it would've prompted him to make more interesting decisions or work outside of a very narrow range, but I don't think the Rock ever fully got out from under Vince McMahon's thumb. Vince was pissed (because of course he was) that Rock played a gay man in Be Cool, and my understanding is that he took that rejection pretty hard.

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The first third of Rock's cinematic career is probably his strongest as he was trying to break out of the wrestling chains that ultimately engulf him. Now all the Rock is concerned about is portraying the Rock in whatever he is in.

I'm hoping The Smashing Machine is a step in the right direction.

Sidenote: it tickles me everytime to think about Dave Bautista's career trajectory. I absolutely hated him in The Man With the Iron Fists and thought this was going to be a Hulk Hogan/Triple H/Randy Orton-style of movie career. No, that man just wanted to keep improving to the point where I don't think I can hate a Bautista performance. He's almost always one of the best people on screen.

 

[HStallion]

The crazy thing for me is that The Rock has not made a better film than the Rundown. It was best action film by and far while also featuring some of his best work bouncing off of Sean William Scott and Christopher Walken chewing the scenery every chance he got. It's a legitimately great action comedy and the best film the Rock has done. Which is a shame as it was so long ago. I would have loved a sequel following the further adventures of these characters than most anything else that he's done.

 

[cyress8]

Rock also lacks the memes. Arnold has so many because he has quite a few quips and expressions that push him to a higher level and keep him relevant even years. I can't think of shit from the Rock besides "Do you smell what the Rock is cooking".

 

[SeeingeyeDug]

The crazy thing for me is that The Rock has not made a better film than the Rundown. It was best action film by and far while also featuring some of his best work bouncing off of Sean William Scott and Christopher Walken chewing the scenery every chance he got. It's a legitimately great action comedy and the best film the Rock has done. Which is a shame as it was so long ago. I would have loved a sequel following the further adventures of these characters than most anything else that he's done.

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He was trying to break into the industry and probably wasn't trying to have so much control and letting the experts in their field make a good movie. He seems like a control freak that allows the ego to spoil the work of others. Once he had clout and power, it was over for creating greatness.

 

[Arex]

I don't think anyone's replaced Arnold yet

 

[Violence Jack]

Sidenote: it tickles me everytime to think about Dave Bautista's career trajectory. I absolutely hated him in The Man With the Iron Fists and thought this was going to be a Hulk Hogan/Triple H/Randy Orton-style of movie career. No, that man just wanted to keep improving to the point where I don't think I can hate a Bautista performance. He's almost always one of the best people on screen.

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I'm always reminded that when Dave got the news he would be cast as Drax, he broke down crying, and then immediately signed up to take acting classes. That told me he was serious about being a decent actor and not just another Hulk Hogan or Dwayne. Plus, he's a favorite of two high profile directors in James Gunn and Denis Villeneuve.

 

[RSTEIN]

Arnold by a mile. There's still Commando, Conan the Barbarian, The Running Man, and more.

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I dunno. I grew up on Arnold's movies so I have a big fondness for Conan and Commando but nothing Arnold did has anywhere near the global scale of Moana/Fast & Furious.

I mean, if we're being real, both have 3-4 solid movies wither everything else decidedly B-tier shit. This includes Command and Conan (which I love dearly).

 

[Nickgia]

The only thing I remember about the Rock is that he wears the same jungle shirt and pants in all the jungle movies

 

[StrangeADT]

The business changed on him so I don't know that I really fault Dwayne. It's not like there are *other* action stars that are bigger or significantly more dominant than him. People willing, ready, and capable of becoming action stars didn't just disappear. Their roles did. We simply don't have the kinds of blockbusters we used to have - certainly not the same kind or volume. Investment in movies feels comparably down as well - I haven't actually looked so feel free to tell me I'm wrong. TV took over as the predominant story telling medium. I don't find myself watching a whole lot of movies now. TV is just where it's at.

 

[The Unsent]

I don't think his films are half as good as Arnie's but he was the successor no doubt and that scene aged well in that context. Be more apparent if Rock joins politics.