By Graham "GSM" Matthews "The Marine 3" was a direct-to-DVD release in March 2013. Despite being the massive Mizfit that that I am, I didn't get around to watching it until just last month (I would have rented it, but stores such as Blockbuster are hard to come by these days and I don't think Netlix was offering it). It's funny because I originally saw it at FYE for a low price (which shouldn't come as any surprise), but opted not to get it. Lucky for me, someone in my household reminded me shortly thereafter that they recorded it via DVR on our TV, so I watched it over the course of the week that followed. As you can tell from the attached photo, the film featured The Miz as its leading star, which is one of the leading factors why I wanted to watch it (that and the fact that it was released by WWE Studios, whose productions can be hit or miss most times). I saw The Marine 2 with Ted DiBiase and only parts of the first Marine with John Cena. While I can't really speak on the one with Cena (which apparently did big business for the WWE due to being one of their first films), I liked the first sequel with DiBiase and was anticipating for this installment to be good as well. Perhaps I am a bit bias since Miz is among my favorite wrestlers, but I found this to be a better movie than its predecessors. This was Miz's motion picture debut and I thought he did an excellent job in the role as the marine. I enjoyed his involvement in "Christmas Bounty" since it was a fun film for what it was, but he had a much bigger role in this movie and did a great job with it. It was interesting not seeing him play the loudmouth, over-the-top character he usually does on WWE TV but rather a super serious marine in combat. His co-stars, Ashley Bell (Lilly) and Camille Sullivan (Amanda), were also good, though Sullivan's acting was questionable at times. Aside from that, they were nice supporting characters, playing the role of Jake Carter's (Miz) sisters.
The most interesting of the entire movie, though, had to be the main villain, Jonah Pope (played by Neal McDonough). He wasn't your typical bad guy and was far different than the main villain from The Marine 2 who was an obvious terrorist. Pope's motives were simple yet unique: he was seeking justice for those who had their houses foreclosed after an experience he endured in his youth. Due to that, he comes off more sympathetic than he should. Whether that is a good thing or a bad thing is up for debate, but he is definitely one to watch throughout this film. We get our first look at Pope early on in the movie where he along with a few others are seen robbing a bank (with masks on, of course). Viewers don't know much about the character at that point in time, but it isn't until the FBI run a background check on him that viewers discover what is really all about. He is an intriguing shades of gray, having done despicable crimes yet still having good intentions. For that very reason, he is hard to hate despite kidnapping Jake's sister and her boyfriend and planning to blow up an entire building. The action scenes weren't anything out of the ordinary, but they thankfully weren't over-the-top, either. Being a WWE Superstar, Miz didn't look completely out of place during them and had some nice back-and-forth toward the end. However, the conclusion of the movie left a lot to be desired. Jake and Lilly's boyfriend Eckert (Michael Eklund) chase Pope to a local location to save Lilly. A shoot-out eventually ensues, Lilly is saved, and is shot and killed almost immediately afterward by Jake. Jake would also dispose of the bomb by bringing somewhere else for it explode. Talk about a anticlimactic ending. Sure, the ending shot of Jake reuniting with his sister was heartwarming, but the death of Pope could have and should have been a much bigger deal. Although I can see why many people would crap all over this movie especially considering The Miz was its leading star, I actually enjoyed it and thought it was better than expected. The Marine 2 was good, but this was far more suspenseful and intriguing to watch in my opinion. I don't just say that due to being a fan of Miz, but he truly did impress in his role by being so dedicated to the character. If you can recall, it wasn't even supposed to be him as the star but rather Randy Orton, who was later replaced by Miz due to Orton's embarrassing background in the military. A fourth Marine film is on the way which will also involve The Awesome One, making it the first film in the series to feature the same actor in back-to-back movies. Summer Rae will also be starring in it, so I look forward to seeing the story from the third installment continue and what role she will play as well. Should you watch this movie? Yes. |
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