Dwayne “The Rock” Johnsonhas been a big fixture of many movie franchises, but not all of them hold up to scrutiny the same as a complete whole. The former wrestling star has sought many high-profile films over the course of his acting career, becoming one of the highest-earning actors of all time.
With so many blockbusters under his belt, Dwayne Johnson has partaken in his fair share of movie franchises, with roles ranging from important series staples to side characters who only come up later in their continuities. Though they may compare in pop culture significance and box office hauls, they stack up quite comprehensively in terms of quality.
Dwayne Johnson’s charactershave a bit of a habit of mostly sounding the same, with the star settling into a comfortable series of roles more or less playing the same person. But some of his best movies take place in series that put him in drastically different roles, allowing him to shine a bit more with some much-needed variety.
7The Journey To The Center Of The Earth Movies
Failed To Crack Box Office Relevance
Of the manyfilms to adapt the works of Jules Verne, the famous science fiction writer, theJourney to the Center of the Earthduology might be one of the most unremarkable. After a lukewarm initial film featuring Brendan Fraser, The Rock was brought on to replace him in the sequel,Journey 2: The Mysterious Island.
For what it’s worth,Journey 2: The Mysterious Islandis marginally better than the first film, but it isn’t a terribly high bar to clear. An entirely unremarkable action-adventure movie series, theJourney to the Center of the Earthfilms easily bring up the low end of Johnson’s film series.
6G.I. Joe
Hardly An American Hero
After the wild success of Michael Bay’s earlyTransformersfilms, Hasboro made a gambit to adapt another one of their famous ’80s cartoon properties into a gritty action movie series,G.I. Joe.Once again, Dwayne Johnson doesn’t appear until the sequel, serving as the Joes' heavy muscle with the character Roadblock inG.I. Joe: Retaliation.
Somehow,G.I. Joe: Retaliationbombed even harder than its predecessor, with a similarly abysmal critical appraisal, to boot. The series does at least carry a certain appeal of nostalgia to die-hardG.I. Joefans, but they’re a clear attempt to recapture the magic of the Transformers without the spectacle of the Cybertronians themselves.
5The DCEU
The Rock Wasn’t Able To Alter The Hierarchy Of Power
Dwayne Johnson was quite the latecomer to the ill-fatedmovies of the DCEU, the fragile franchise already walking on eggshells by the time ofBlack Adam’s release. While Johnson’s movie promised to completely re-shape the hierarchy of power in the franchise with the introduction of his anti-hero, whatever his plans were, they never got to pan out.
Though it never succeeded in stepping out of the shadow of the MCU, the DCEU did have a few bright spots. However,Black Adamcertainly wasn’t one of them, being one of several financial failures for the franchise that finally sunk it, resulting in James Gunn and his DCU taking over.
4Moana
A Highly Polarized Duology
While Dwayne Johnson only played minor characters in the grand scheme of his franchises up to this point, his presence has been a major selling point in Disney’sMoanaandMoana 2.Johnson stars in both films as Maui, the boisterousdemi-god from Polynesian mythology who helps the titular character navigate dangerous waters.
Johnson puts in one of his best performances as the voice of Maui, and even has some half-decent pipes singing anthems likeYou’re Welcome.However,the second film was a gravely disappointing follow-up to the original in terms of animation, story, and character, leaving the franchise as a whole in an awkward middling spot.
3Fast and Furious
A Career Staple With Ups And Downs
No franchise has stuck with Dwayne Johnson quite liketheFast and Furiousfilms, exemplifying the kind of mass-appeal action adventure he’s best known for. Johnson only first appeared in the franchise as DSS Agent Luke Hobbs inFast Five, going from friend to foe like so many other characters in the series.
While Johnson was part of the film that revitalized theFast and Furiousfranchise, his signature spin-off,Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, has been a real low-point of the I.P. Overall, the lengthy series has had some high highs and low lows, making it a fantastic but not perfect part of Johnson’s storied career.
2The Mummy
A Hit With Some Disappointing, But Not Awful Follow-Ups
Another, far more successful franchise The Rock shared with Brendan Fraser was the late ’90s/early 2000s series ofThe Mummyfilms.The firstThe Mummyis one of the best adventure movies ever made, and Dwayne Johnson’s introduction as the Scorpion King in the sequel,The Mummy Returns, isn’t half bad, though it features some rough early CGI and early acting as one of The Rock’s first roles.
Sadly, the third entry in the franchise,The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, drags the franchise down far more heavily. Between a fantastic start, and ok middle, and a regrettable final act,The Mummytrilogy is close to being Dwayne Johnson’s best movie series, but loses out to another amazing adventure series.
1The Jumanji Reboot Series
Levels Up The Creativity Of The Original Film
The more recentJumanjifilmsrank as one of the most creative rank as some of the most creative re-interpretations of a classic movie ever concieved. Adapting with the times, in the more recent films theJumanjiboard game transforms itself into a retro video game to suck in new players, starring The Rock as a heroic explorer avatar.
Seeing Dwayne Johnson convincingly perform as a nebbish teen boy trapped in the body of a musclebound action hero is one of the best showcases of his actual acting abilities. Creative, hilarious, and full of fun action setpieces, theJumanjiseries is easily the best ofDwayne Johnson’s filmography.
