I absolutely loved THE ROCK | First time watching!

[@SliderFury1]

Ed Harris never phones it in, dude is always on point.

[@keefriff99]

His intensity is incredible. I love how Harris plays his role deadly serious while Cage and Connery are more acting with a wink and a nod towards the camera.

[@OrcDragon65]

I could listen to him and Michael Biehn scream at each other for hours.

[@nooneofconsequence1251]

I could have used more from him in Milk Money. but, yeah, usually... one of my favorite actors.

[@crewchief5144]

I wish he would play General Mattis in a movie about the Marine Corps in 2003, but he is WAY too tall. We always said if he was an actual Marine officer, we would follow him.

[@ewthmatth]

​@@OrcDragon65so you're an Abyss fan?

[@Patriiiiick]

This, Face/Off and Con Air are the trifecta of peak 90s Nic Cage.

[@seidon_]

fr!

[@normirymy]

Con Air 😎

[@PillarOfWamuu]

I respectfully disagree. Face Off and Con Air are both bad movies that are a good bit of fun. But The Rock is well made, well directed and well acted. A legitimately great film.

[@kiwione12]

@@PillarOfWamuu con air clears both... objectively

[@LupusLifestyle]

Con Air is the prequel to Spirit Airlines 😭

[@spf4yt]

There is a fan theory that Connery's character, Mason, was actually James Bond.

[@riveraharper8166]

Prefer that one over the the latest suicide.

[@TrashPandaActual]

That theory has some really good points

[@JakkFrost1]

I mean, when it came out, everybody knew he's not James Bond, but everybody also knew he's not NOT James Bond.

[@xwhogafx815]

Love that theory

[@nicksykes4575]

At least two problems with that theory, 1: James Bond was a Lt Commander in the Royal Navy, John Mason was a Captain in the SAS, which is British Army. 2: John Mason was locked up in the US throughout the whole period Sean Connery's Bond was active.

[@DrakeAurum]

Every time I see that scene of Mason getting out of the boiler room through the cogs and fire bursts I hear Sigourney Weaver yelling "This episode was badly written!"

[@dannyadams4765]

😂😂😂

[@paulmartin2348]

Not like that spoof was based on this?

[@najhoant]

This is such a great 90s action movie. It has so much that just mixes perfectly: the cast, Cage and Connery’s chemistry, Hummel being a great anti-villain, the writing, Hans Zimmer’s score and the action

[@alextan1478]

The music was also made by Nick Glennie-Smith & Harry Gregson-Williams.

[@MalcomMcLeod]

Michael Biehn is like the American Sean Bean, always dies.🤭

[@LordVolkov]

Yeah, I think Sean Bean might survive more movies than Biehn does 🤕

[@Justin0807]

He did manage to survive Aliens!

[@Scottie_S]

@@Justin0807 yeah, but...3. He may as well have been dead at the end of 2.

[@Justin0807]

@@Scottie_S Yeah, not happy with how Alien 3 started. I believe he did survive the 1990 action film Navy Seals with Charlie Sheen but it's been a long time since I saw that one.

[@Wolf-ln1ml]

@@Scottie_S There's two "Alien" movies. They were great. Too bad nobody ever made a third or even fourth... 😜

[@benjauron5873]

Francis Xavier Hummel is the perfect example, maybe even the trope codifier, of an "anti-villain." An "anti-villain" is the opposite of an "anti-hero." Where an "anti-hero" is a morally questionable and disreputable person who is, for whatever reason, compelled to be heroic, an "anti-villain" is a morally upright and righteous person who is, for whatever reason, compelled to be villainous. I haven't seen every movie ever made, but I really can't think of a better cinematic example of an "anti-villain" than Francis Xavier Hummel.

[@Falcun21]

You COULD make the argument that General Zod in Man of Steel was an anti-villain. He was trying to protect his people no matter what atrocities he had to commit.

[@benjauron5873]

@@Falcun21 Yes, I can see that, though I'm not as familiar with that movie.

[@davidcorriveau8615]

And most of the heavy lifting in defining Hummel's character is done mixed with the opening credits, when he has a chat with his dead wife and leaves HIS FREAKING Medal of Honor on her headstone!

[@jimdetry9420]

@@Falcun21 I never figured out why, in that movie, Krypton had some kind of "warrior" class. Who were they at war with?

[@MrSiriusAB]

Such a great 90s movie 😂 Addie, now you *HAVE TO* complete the entire Nic Cage's *unofficial* Holy Trinity of 90s movies: The Rock, Con-Air and Face/Off 🙏🙏🙏

[@alextan1478]

#MoreNicolasCageForAddieCounts

[@Snyper-if3kt]

What makes this movie so good is you have a main bad guy who you are actually sympathetic to there cause, not the way they are trying to go about it of course, but the main reason behind it. Then you add some great actors, a few good one-liners, and a couple of stand-offs, and you have a truly great 90's style action flick.

[@irishinnj72]

Despite being 66 years old at the time, Sean Connery did a good number of his own stunts in this movie. Including the scene where he and Nic Cage swam underwater with flames burning above them. In his youth Connery had been both a boxer and an aspiring bodybuilder and over the years, he kept in excellent shape.

[@xHeckronx]

This Michael Bay movie is the most Michael Bay movie to ever Michael Bay.

[@OrcDragon65]

But the Rock is actually good. . .

[@smavtmb2196]

The Rock is fantastic but letting Michael Bay direct Transformers was a mistake. The first movie was not bad, but the rest were a train wreck. Proof it takes alot more than flashy CGI to make a movie good. All flash zero substance. Very disappointing. Especially for Gen 1 Transformers fans.

[@smavtmb2196]

@@bcfc2947Ok its not 100% his fault but he agreed to that nonsense and his action scenes in Transformers were convoluted meaningless white noise. I would just tune out. Agree the writing was truly terrible. No real character development. Revenge of the fallen was a complete dumpster fire. The worst. Atleast the Rock is awesome.

[@nsasupporter7557]

@@smavtmb2196Agreed, I didn’t even see the first one… But the second one was garbage. I heard that Robert Zemeckis was considered to directed it maybe he would’ve been a better choice

[@boretrk]

@@OrcDragon65 There are plenty of bad directors out there that you never hear about. The reason people are annoyed with Bay is that they know that he can direct movies like The Rock but chooses not to.

[@Flastew]

Connery and Cage were great together. The worst part is Hummel was fighting for a real cause that is known to exist. Addie's excitement really added to the experience of watching this movie. So great job Addie!

[@keefriff99]

This cast is absolutely STACKED. So many great character actors…John Spencer, Philip Baker Hall, William Forsythe, Stuart Wilson, Michael Biehn, David Morse, John C. McGinley, Tony Todd, Gregory Sporleder, Bokeem Woodbine, Danny Nucci, Steve Harris, Raymond Cruz. I’m amazed Glenn Morshower isn’t in this.

[@richardstarkey2247]

I never realized that was Tony Todd. Mind blown the dude can do a diverse set of roles.

[@sean_b_drummer]

Bond, James Bond. One of the best fan theories I've heard! Another GREAT Sean Connery film is, The Hunt for Red October. 🔥🔥

[@RoninTX3377]

Exactly, the unoffical Sean Connery Bond FIlm. There's a video out htere that looks at the background for the film and everything from the Sean Connery Bond films, minus one, AND real world events match perfectly for this movie.

[@JS-wp4gs]

Its not a fan theory, the writer literally stated multiple times this was the intent when he was writing it

[@Markus117d]

Then the writer is a idiot, Bond is a commander in the Royal navy in the lore of the bond films, Mason is in the lore of the rock, A former member of the SAS, Aka the special air service, Which happens to be a special operations unit in the army not the navy, So if they intended to equate the characters, Which films lore do you ignore.. 🤔

[@nathancline4000]

@@Markus117d What information are you thinking you are going to extract from a special operations agent. All you know is he is operative of UK descent who was captured. Keeping it vague allows for instant credibility for Connery in his character to all Bond fans, for an old British dude.

[@Markus117d]

@nathancline4000 Who said anything about extracting anything from him? I was saying America would have its own sources ( Spies ) seeking information about him from within the UK.. everyone spies on eachother.. lol

[@vudujl83]

Hey it’s Addie…”but of course you are” 😂

[@migster2451]

This, face/off, and con air has got to be one of the greatest consecutive run of movies for any actor ever.

[@MarcoMM1]

Great reactiom Addie like always, love this movie. Sean Connery saying " Welcome to the Rock" was one of my favorite movie memories!! And a fun-fact: in the original script, the dialogue for Nicolas Cage's character was loaded with f-bombs and other profanity. He decided since he was playing a geeky scientist, it would be more appropriate if his character didn't swear. So he replaced all of the curse words with improvised stuff like "gosh", "a-hole" and "Zeus' butthole". The only time he curses is at the end when he fights Captain Frye, as a way of showing how the experience has toughened him up. keep up the good work.

[@thisisscorpio6024]

Agreed. I never tire of watching this film. The Fugitive is another movie I can watch over and over.

[@Mister_Samsonite]

The Fugitive holds up amazingly well! It's in my top 5 favorite of all time movies.

[@dejavu2030]

Oooooooh and the Mask of Zorro (1998) was another classic. Hilarious emotional and epic.

[@agp11001]

That goddamn intro. The "They're not coming for us, are they, Sir?" is heartbreaking.

[@gchild1286]

The Rock is an absolute ’90’s action classic with a stacked cast. Nearly every face in this movie was a readily identifiable actor even back then. Glad you liked it Addie.

[@williammatthews693]

Mason: Am I out of style? (regarding his long hair) Goodspeed: Unless you're a 20 year old guitarist from Seattle. LONG LIVE GRUNGE!

[@kobarsos82]

Literally one of the best action-adventures of that whole decade. There is something magical in Sir Connery's performance here, Edd Harris is freaking amazing, Hanz Zimmer is undeniably doing wonders, and it all ties up so well and keeps tension from start to finish. Hell even Nicholas Cage is passable in this, which is completely opposite to most of his filmography. What's not to like? A very rare and memorable film for this genre indeed. Back when action films were actually pure fun.

[@MrFrikkenfrakken]

And the cast: John Spencer, John C McGinley, Michael Biehn, David Morse, Vanessa Marcil and on. Fun reaction.

[@waterbeauty85]

There's a website of movie heroes, and it describes Gen. Hummel as a "Redeemed fallen hero."

[@kennethdavis3736]

Sadly they are not making them like this anymore... Crazy action scenes with REAL Helicopters, Hummers, Ferrari's and other vehicles with a good script and Michael Bay Mayhem turned up to 11. Awesome Hans Zimmer score and a stellar cast led by Nic Cage, Sean Connery and Ed Harris!

[@leonardodavid4670]

"Con Air" after this, please.

[@alextan1478]

#ConAirForAddieCounts

[@Mister_Samsonite]

@@alextan1478 I second that!

[@Ithro-Ithrozovich]

30:13 There is something absolutely hilarious about Addie saying "He just has to put that in his heart, right, and he'll be fine." with the same calmness as someone describing putting your dogs medication in a tasty snack.

[@asiateboom2178]

This is one of the best action movies ever made.

[@skiptrace1888]

This is really Connery's last James Bond movie! Excellent 😊😊😊

[@Markus117d]

Except James Bond is a commander in the royal navy & Mason is ex SAS a special operations unit of the army.. 😂

[@mizrolist]

@@Markus117d Yes, Bond would never lie about his rank, would he? :P

[@Markus117d]

@mizrolist And the US intelligence services would never just take a foreign operatives word for the whole truth without doing some spy work to Verify the information would they?

[@leonardodavid4670]

Sean Connery in this movie is literally James Bond in an alternate universe.

[@michaeljung1662]

Or perhaps the actual James Bond who was captured by the US and disavowed by his own government (I believe the screenwriter wrote Mason's backstory as an unofficial continuation of the Connery Bond films)

[@dallasyap3064]

@@michaeljung1662 There are lots of similarities. There's someone who did a match up of events in the Bond films and backstory of Mason, and the outcome resulted in a lot of matchups.

[@s1lm4r1l6]

Some people view this as Sean Connery's last James Bond movie. The Abyss is another great Ed Harris film.

[@BarryOkanagan]

Simply the best action movie of all time. Perfect casting. Growing up in the 90s with these kind of movies was simply amazing.

[@stevekongliew8305]

Thank you for reacting to this movie. Great reaction as always Addie. 😂 I'm glad you enjoy it too.

[@nsasupporter7557]

“Freeze sucker” sounds like such a 90s thing to say lol

[@njw5869]

Someone mentioned Con Air , which lead me to “Air America “ really a good film . Ask around .

[@emultra759]

90s pop culture is special in a lot of ways, but in particular for the way it holds up over time. Going back as far from 1996 as as 1996 is old now would land you in 1968, which was very different and already far into vintage territory at the time. Films like this, Se7en etc. are the first batch of movies that feel mostly modern almost 30 years later. Another example but with music: Alice in Chains is halfway between The Beatles' heyday and now, but it feels a lot more recent than that.

[@anonymes2884]

Crazily over-the-top action combined with a genuinely witty script, Nic Cage being every single version of Nic Cage (sometimes within the same sentence :) and a fantastic world weary performance from Sean Connery - "The Rock" _might_ be the best smart-dumb movie ever made :).

[@PUNKSBR]

31:00 - That's Jim Caviezel (Jesus Christ) ❤

[@joshuacampbell7493]

Happy Good Friday Addie. Also the actor Tony Todd is also the one did the voice of Venom in Spider-Man 2 video game.

[@sean_b_drummer]

And Worf's brother, Kurn in Star Trek: The Next Generation.

[@lou7139]

Love the soundtrack to this movie! So epic and the main theme is forever stuck in my head. Hans Zimmer never disappoints.

[@soulstealer82]

i was in San Francisco when they were filming the hummer/ferrari chase scene and saw nic cage

[@MadcapMatt]

The girlfriend in this was played by Vanessa Marcill. She was in a great TV show with James Caan called Las Vegas.

[@asterix7842]

32:51 Seeing you so happy always makes my day, Addie. Another great Nicolas Cage movie is National Treasure (2004). He won his Oscar for Leaving Las Vegas (1995). It's a hard movie to watch, but worth the effort.

[@TheBlond49]

90's Action gem

[@dejavu2030]

This was my fav movie as a kid. This and FaceOff. I had the censored TV versions recorded on the same VHS tape so I watched em back to back my entire childhood.

[@SkullAngel002]

32:50 - Glad you enjoyed this flick, Addie. Definitely check out Bad Boys (1995) which was also directed by Michael Bay and has just as much action and explosions!

[@timothywatson4595]

Love your channel. First time I saw Alcatraz from the Golden Gate bridge, I was thinking, " that IS The Rock.." 😮

[@Rising_Pho3nix_23]

This was one of the first non-cartoon that I saw as a kid and I still love it

[@krisfrederick5001]

Sean Connery is the definition of a legend

[@nsasupporter7557]

Yes it’s incredible how he was able to become one of the biggest stars despite being typecast as James Bond. Because usually whenever an actor plays such an iconic character they get type cast as that character and they can’t get any other work as an actor. But I’m glad that wasn’t the case with Sean Connery

[@alextan1478]

(in response to the title of this video) Me too, Addie. This is my all-time favorite Michael Bay movie, alongside Ambulance (2022) and is my all-time favorite Disney movie of 1996. Sean Connery (RIP) & Nicolas Cage make an awesome duo and Ed Harris makes a great tragic villain.

[@alextan1478]

The actor who plays Lt. Shepard is Danny Nucci. He was also Fabrizio in Titanic (1997). Another movie with him in it that I would also suggest to you is Crimson Tide (1995) with Denzel Washington & Gene Hackman. It's also produced by Don Simpson & Jerry Bruckheimer and is directed by Tony Scott, the director of Top Gun (1986). #CrimsonTideForAddieCounts

[@alextan1478]

This movie was also dedicated to the memory of the late Don Simpson (1943-1996). In his honor, Jerry Bruckheimer uses the Simpson/Bruckheimer logo animation as a tribute to his late collaborator on sequels to the movies that he produced with Simpson, like Bad Boys II (2003), Bad Boys For Life (2020) and Top Gun: Maverick (2022).

[@alextan1478]

This was also Michael Bay's first movie to ever be shot in the 2.39:1 Super 35 format by cinematographer John Schwartzman, ASC. Unfortunately, he didn't like it due to the increased grain it created when optically blown up to anamorphic film prints, at the time. Fortunately, a Technicolor lab in Rome, Italy had a bleach bypass process called ENR that allowed the colors to be manipulated. It only costed 3¢ a foot and Disney was willing to chip in since they realized that the had a hit on their hands with this movie. 1,100 prints were made with ENR while 2,000 of them were done optically. As a result, most of Bay's movies, starting with Armageddon (1998) and minus Bad Boys II (2003) (which was also shot in Super 35, but finished with the higher-quality digital intermediate process), were Filmed in Panavision (anamorphic).

[@Flesharrower]

16:39 well now, if that isn't the face of someone proud of their punning today! lol

[@whoarocket]

My opinion of what makes this movie so good is how you don't really notice any weaknesses to it. It seems about 8/10 on just about everything--cast, acting, writing, music, direction, filming, stunts, etc. It just seems to do everything pretty well.

[@Ryan_Christopher]

29:12 “That is the youngest-looking Lieutenant General I’ve ever seen and why is the Army Chief of Staff asking the Air Force General about fitting thermite plasma ordnance to a Navy & Marine Corps jet?” - yet one of many questions in my mind when we saw this in the theater

[@StoriesThatSuck-pw1vi]

This film was a lot of fun in the theaters, back in the day. Still a lot of fun now. Hard to go wrong with this cast.

[@daenorah776]

The music in this film is amazing. 😻

[@davecondreay]

Definitely one of my top 10 all time movies. So glad you finally saw it.

[@Do0msday]

This is one of the best action movies of the 90's and the James Bond theory just fits so damn well!

[@Markus117d]

If you ignore the lore of the films, Bond is a commander in the Royal navy, While Mason is ex SAS a special operations unit of the army, So yeah fits perfectly 😂

[@CyclopsScott]

This movie is SO GOOD and plays so well as if that's 60s Connery Bond in prison into the 90s :) The score RULES Hummel is such a great antagonist too.

[@Markus117d]

Yeah except for the lore stating Mason is ex SAS a unit of the army, While bond is a commander in the navy 🤣

[@christophercurtis4131]

Another great reaction. This is a great movie and it does make you think, especially watching this from the point of view of a Veteran. If I may recommend another movie, try the 1982 film An Officer And A Gentleman. I mention it because one of the actors in it, Louis Gossett, Jr. passed away today at the age of 87. He was the first black man to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Marine Gunnery Sergeant in An Officer And A Gentleman. It is my favorite performance of his. I was 12 the first time I saw it, the year after it came out.

[@Dmitriy88S]

4:52 Dr. Perry Cox !!!

[@TenTonNuke]

Plot twist: This was the prequel to National Treasure. What he found in that hollow pew leg led him to the Charlotte. He was operating under the alias Stanley Goodspeed, which was a play on the Silence Dogood Letters. And who survived Alcatraz only to make an appearance in National Treasure 2? Ed Harris.

[@ugib8377]

This and Con Air are peak 90's action. Such good movies that take me back to a much simpler time in cinema. Happy to see you enjoyed this one Addie. You should really check out Con Air. Another Cage movie with Michael Bay directing.

[@alextan1478]

Con Air (1997) was actually directed by Simon West.

[@alextan1478]

RIP Don Simpson (1943-1996), Sean Connery (1930-2020) and now Tony Todd (1954-2024).

[@poisonedpawn7813]

This is my #1 very favourite movie of all time. I can watch this a 1000 times. To me its a perfect action movie.

[@TheeGoatPig]

This is the last movie I saw in my hometown theater before it closed, sat derelict for years, and later became a clothing store.

[@opkearney]

Best non sci-fi action movie of the 1990s in my humble opinion. Face/Off is a close second.

[@UKMessi1]

One of my favourite action movies, I have watched this Movie so many times

[@SilentBob731]

8:48 Thank You Addie! Connery looks bad-ass with the long hair, though more refined and professional with the short, I suppose. 14:08 I think it's possible that Michael Biehn has been in more Action Classics than any other actor.🤔 19:32 Just a Classic line.🤣

[@ThistleAndSea]

Fun one, Addie! This is such a fun movie. Thanks for sharing it! 🙂

[@jeffdetmer4681]

Great reaction Addie. If you have never seen it, you should check out The Sting. Great movie and cast. Lots of twists and turns without much blood and gore. Paul Newman and Robert Redford and a great supporting cast. Enjoy!! ; ))

[@BryanFritchie]

I hadn't thought about Vanessa Marcil in a long come a long time. ❤

[@michaeljung1662]

This is Sean Connery's best unofficial James Bond film! (There's even a KZbin video outlining how "John Mason" could actually be the James Bond played by Connery in the films)

[@ericjohnson8847]

Great movie, great reaction! Thanks Addie!

[@paulmartin2348]

Pretty sure I saw this in the theater on release. (as well as Face Off and Con Air) They are all enjoyable movies for what they are. If you ever get the urge to check out the others you will probably enjoy them. Great reaction as always. 😄

[@brianwilson2789]

Addie, this is one of my all time favorite action movies. If you liked it too, watch Con Air asap!

[@robertrouse4503]

When I was in my fifties I had grey, full hair own past the my shoulders. Then again, I was a rock musician and not a former SAS agent.

[@RobertFergus-l3c]

I like the long hair look on Sean Connery as well. Looks great!

[@demarek]

I mean, any movie with Sean Connery is amazing but this is definitely one of my favorites.

[@rickymoranjr9609]

This movie was my favorite Sean Connery & Nic Cage movie ever especially since it takes place in Alcatraz

[@MadcapMatt]

Michael Bay also did a movie recently with Jake Gyllenhaal called Ambulance.

[@JoergWeida]

And it's utter TRASH!

[@mlong1958]

There are a lot of people, including me, that believes this is actually a James Bond film in disguise. Connery is the original James Bond. I believe this takes place after he was disavowed by MI6.

[@generic_sauce]

Easily my favorite Bay movie, and another great 90s action classic! Fun fact: the jet pilot who bombed the island is Jim Caviezel!

[@sithlordkaeyl21]

This is definitely a “shut-off-your-brain-and-enjoy-the-absurdity” kind of a movie, but it’s still a pretty entertaining film.

[@nelbongellor412]

when this movie came out I was is a HUGE Claire Forlani fan

[@bigdream_dreambig]

Two other Nic Cage action films of the same era that you should definitely put on your watch list are Con Air and Face/Off, both from 1997!

[@terrysilverthorn4582]

if didnt recognise him "Rocket Man" is Tony Todd he's played Klingons, he was the Mortician in Final Destination movies and best of all Candyman

[@neptunusrex5195]

This movie is so great - it’s an action movie but with Nic Cage and Sean Connery it’s just so campy / buddy cop vibes. I love it 😁😂

[@jinchoung]

this is one of the very few michael bay movies that i liked. it's a little cartoony and over the top but it totally works. and i love how they kind of play with the idea that mason is kind of what james bond ended up as.

[@ven_skywalker7007]

Since Sean Connery was the first actor to portray James Bond, there were also a lot of fan theories that John Mason was Connery playing a version of James Bond who was captured by the US and disavowed by the British government. Would've been one hell of a way to wrap up a character haha. Or at least that actor's portrayal of a character

[@nsasupporter7557]

It’s incredible how Sean Connery became one of the biggest stars ever despite being so strongly typecast as James Bond. You’d think that his career would’ve been sabotaged due to his typecasting

[@nathanjones7417]

Great film. Hope you enjoyed it.

[@IDLERACER]

😁👍 I remember when this film came out and people were joking about Nicholas Cage and Sean Connery engaging in the greatest battle of the toupees since William Shatner vs Ricardo Montalbán in "The Wrath Of Kahn." 😜

[@nooneofconsequence1251]

1st time noticing that Borat's wife is one of the tourists locked up on Alcatraz in this...

[@corymccarty8603]

I love your work so much Addie. You're a top notch reactor. As far as really liking this movie. Yeah it's a good one. You'll find pre-2000s movies had a style and quality missing from many of the current movies. They can still make good movies don't get me wrong but it's a lot more hit and miss. Anyways keep ip the great work and I'll keep watching!!!

[@robdario661]

Soft and squishy and Jerry Bruckheimer, you react to em all!

[@SimpleGuy61072]

We enjoy watching you watching this movie.

[@Dmitriy88S]

love the Zimmer`s score

[@Sherman1fan]

Humvees just came out, I think this was the first time used in a movie.

[@PuffPiastri]

Just a classic movie. Lots of fun.

[@nathieboy1987]

Need to do The Negotiator