Review Roundup: ROCK OF AGES, The Movie

Warner Brothers Pictures (Philippines) released the much awaited stage-to-screen adaptation of "Rock of Ages" one day ahead of the United States.

The film stars Tom Cruise as Stacee Jaxx, Diego Boneta, Julianne Hough, Russell Brand, Alec Baldwin, Mary J. Blige, Brian Cranston, Malin Ackerman, Paul Giamatti, and Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Below are excerpts from local reviews that the film production has garnered:

Karen Kunawicz, The Manila Times:  It's a huge break from last week's "Prometheus" -all you have to do is sit back and surrender to the almighty cheese. Do not expend your energy taking any of it seriously. Do not question the logic-how characters pop up at opportune times for one. And just go with the thumping, hairy, excessive flow.

Rito Asilo, The Philippine Daily Inquirer: "Rock of Ages" is a career-boosting testament to what hard work and Will Power can accomplish for a superstar in dire need of reinvention-and we're glad to note that the risks Tom Cruise has taken have paid off beautifully (and musically). In fact, he is the best thing about Adam Shankman's crowd-pleasing screen version of Chris D'Arienzo's '80s-inspired "jukebox" rock musical!

Paul Daza, Spot.Ph: As the boy and girl who try to make their rock dreams come true in Los Angeles, Diego Boneta and Julianne Hough simply don't have the star power to carry "Rock of Ages." Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens exhibited more star wattage in "High School Musical," and that was a made-for-TV movie! Boneta and Hough's cause aren't helped by a thin, cliché-riddled storyline and the fact that they're surrounded by seasoned performers like Alec Baldwin, Tom Cruise, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Paul Giamatti, who give more arresting performances using far less screen time.

If "Hairspray" was a homerun for director Adam Shankman, "Rock of Ages" shows the filmmaker struggling to reach second base. As a jukebox musical comedy, this "Rock" is far from solid.

Karl R. De Mesa, Interaksyon.com: Like a glam song, this movie is far from perfect, however. For one thing, there are too many divergent side stories that have little to no impact on the main narrative.

Case in point is Mary J. Blige's role as Justice, the manager of the strip club where Sherrie finds herself post-breakup. You'll suspect the part is there just so we could watch the R&B diva take on some '80s rock. To be fair, her powerful voice certainly shreds harder than the rest.

BroadwayWorld Philippines: The Broadway production is fun because it's campy; whereas, the newly-released movie adaptation misses the point. 

When we first saw "Rock of Ages" on Broadway, we found its song placements very witty amidst all the nonsense. That bizarre charm apparently got lost along the way in the movie version.

Oliver is about to earn his M.S. degree in public relations and corporate communication from New York University while serving as regional editor for BroadwayWorld.com. Over the past 18 years, Oliver has been handling public relations and corporate communication for numerous brands (including Pepsi), Broadway shows, Broadway stars, non-profit organizations, and mainstream celebrities. He also teaches public relations at De La Salle University-Manila. Follow Oliver on Twitter: @OliverOliveros

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