--- title: "The Rock: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-rock/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-rock" critics_score: 67 critics_reviews: 13 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Rock (1996): what the critics said Critics' score 67 from 13 reviews: 10 positive, 0 mixed, 3 negative. Most critics enjoy The Rock and say so plainly: it is loud, fast and silly, and it works. The praise clusters around Michael Bay’s staging of the action, with the San Francisco car chase named more than once, and around the three leads. Ed Harris’s conflicted villain is singled out most often, followed by the pairing of Nicolas Cage and Sean Connery. Several later reviews, looking back after two decades of Bay, call it his best and most coherent film, largely because the writers reined him in. The reservations are about volume and credibility. Even the admirers concede clichéd dialogue and an implausible plot. The three dissenters go further: the Los Angeles Times and The New Yorker both describe a film that pounds the viewer into submission, and Eye for Film finds it over-edited, with weak leads. The spread is wide, from 25 to 90, and the later reviews are noticeably warmer than the first wave. ## Variety — Todd McCarthy Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 3 June 1996. This is a pure popcorn picture that is inescapably entertaining, a high-octane kick-butt actioner with top-flight actors and an ultra-slick package. Director Michael Bay delivers a hard-hitting, fast-moving thriller that works overtime to engage the audience. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1996/film/reviews/the-rock-2-1200446070/) ## Radio Times — John Ferguson Rating 4/5. The critic calls it the most satisfying of Michael Bay's blockbusters and praises its role in establishing Nicolas Cage as an unlikely action hero. Bay's enthusiasm for stunts and destruction proves highly contagious. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-q2fcos/the-rock/) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 7 June 1996. The critic delivers a positive verdict on this slam-bang action thriller, praising its style, humor, and efficient direction by Michael Bay. He singles out the skillful, quirky performances by Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage, and Ed Harris for particular praise. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-rock-1996) ## Empire — Chris Hewitt Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. The critic finds The Rock breathlessly exciting despite its loud, bombastic style and editing flaws. Standout elements include Bay's action choreography and Ed Harris' conflicted villain, along with the strong buddy chemistry between Cage and Connery. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/rock-review/) ## The AV Club — Tom Breihan Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 10 March 2017. The critic offers a positive retrospective verdict, calling it Michael Bay’s best and most coherent film while acknowledging its excesses. He singles out Ed Harris’s layered, authoritative performance as the standout villain for praise. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/cage-and-connery-bust-into-the-rock-the-one-good-movie-1798258993) ## The Hollywood Reporter — David Hunter Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 3 June 1996. The critic calls it an above-average big-budget action film with enough macho behavior and explosive thrills to please genre fans, despite credibility problems. The fast, ferocious direction and solid performances from the lead trio make the slick, silly ride entertaining. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/the-rock-review-movie-sean-connery-nicolas-cage-1235917569/) ## The New York Times — Janet Maslin Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 7 June 1996. The film is pure why-not bravado, pumped-up and staggeringly dishonest but exciting just the same. It features stylish, crazily vigorous elaboration on a bare-bones storyline with flagrant salesmanship in its shooting and editing. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1996/06/07/movies/film-review-break-into-alcatraz-why-not.html) ## Time Out — WH Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 26 September 2014. The review praises Bay for propelling a mix of combat war movie, Die Hard-style actioner and adventure on high octane despite clichéd dialogue and implausible plot. It singles out the best San Francisco car chase to date. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-rock-2) ## The New Yorker — Terrence Rafferty Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 10 June 1996. The film pounds the captive viewer into submission with nonstop action in a manic style. Connery is up against something bigger and scarier than Alcatraz in this huge-scale action movie. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1996/06/17/1996-06-17-101-tny-cards-000152803) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 7 June 1996. The film is a nonstop aural bombardment that beats viewers into submission, slick and forceful but largely unconcerned with character. It epitomizes trends in Hollywood filmmaking that have made many people very rich while impoverishing audiences. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-06-07-ca-12444-story.html) ## Collider — Sam Barsanti Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 18 March 2026. The critic praises The Rock as Michael Bay's best film, highlighting its pure form of Bay's bombast with restraint, strong buddy chemistry between Cage and Connery, and how it avoids the excesses of later Bay movies. They single out the action-buddy dynamic and Connery's contribution for praise. [Read the review](https://collider.com/30-years-later-the-rock-michael-bay-action-epic-still-holds-up-as-his-best-film/) ## Paste — Jacob Oller Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 7 June 2021. The critic calls it Michael Bay’s best film due to its contradictions and how writers reined in Bay's style, making it insightful about patriotism and masculinity while delivering over-the-top action. They praise the cast ensembles, especially Harris, and the self-aware, self-loathing elements in the action sequences. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/michael-bay/the-rock-michael-bay-anniversary) ## Eye for Film — Gator MacReady Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). 13 July 2002. The critic finds The Rock a clumsy, over-edited action film stretched thin with extraneous subplots and weak leads in Cage and Connery. He singles out Hans Zimmer's score, the supporting cast, and Alcatraz sets for mild praise but deems the movie inferior overall to Executive Decision. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-rock-film-review-by-gator-macready) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-rock.md