8. (TIE) THE ROCK
Release Date: June 7th
Cast: Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage, Ed Harris, John Spencer, David Morse, William Forsythe, John C. McGinley, Tony Todd, Michael Biehn, Booken Woodbine, Vanessa Marcil, Claire Forlani, Willie Garson, Jim Caviezel, Xander Berkeley, Raymond Cruz.
Random Cast Note: Jim Caviezel, who would go onto fame playing Jesus in Passion of the Christ, and as the lead on CBS’ Person of Interest, appeared uncredited as a fighter pilot.
Director: Michael Bay
Why I Love It (Megan Labruna): Picking top movies from 1996 is a tough task. There were so many great releases that year. However, for me, one stands above the rest and that is The Rock. I know there is a major stigma attached to actually liking Nicolas Cage movies nowadays (even a podcast dedicated to Nicolas Cage films: Enter the Cage doesn’t like this movie), but let’s remember that I was ten when this came out and it was totally awesome by my standards.
Going back and watching the preview for it is almost comedic. It’s amazing to see how far we’ve come in terms of special effects, however for the time it was released the big explosions and stunts are actually pretty great. The story centers around Nic Cage working to combat a threat of nerve gas being used on the San Francisco area. What do you do when you’re battling the big bad Ed Harris who has military training? You bring in the biggest badass of all – Sean Connery!
The storyline isn’t extremely hard to predict, but it does have a few moments that throw the audience a curve ball. However, my favorite scene would absolutely have to be when Cage and his fellow scientist are in the science lab opening up a crate they believe may have poison in it. I can completely relate to the sheer terror they must have faced when they were told to survive they would have to stab themselves in the heart with a giant needle full of an antidote. I along with many others hate needles, and this one was massive. Of course on top of that news, the sprinkler system in the enclosed environment isn’t working and also there’s a bomb built inside a baby doll with enough C4 to completely blow up the building…because why not add more suspense? The Rock definitely does not lack in offering edge of your seat thrills! Luckily the sprinklers turn on and Nicolas Cage manages to diffuse the bomb with five seconds to spare.
All in all, this movie has everything you could hope for – suspense, romance, comedy, deceit, accents…it is absolutely my number one pick for 1996. After 20 years, if you haven’t seen The Rock yet, then I think it’s about time that you do, because it will “Rock” your world!
Best Line: “Losers always whine about their best. Winners go home and f*ck the prom queen.” (Mason)
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