The Marine

Directed by John Bonito, The Marine follows former soldier John Triton (John Cena) as he springs into action after his wife (Kelly Carlson’s Kate) is abducted by a group of violent criminals (led by Robert Patrick’s smug Rome). It’s a thoroughly appealing setup that’s employed to periodically passable yet mostly disappointing effect by Bonito, as the filmmaker, armed with Alan B. McElroy and Michelle Gallagher’s screenplay, delivers an overcranked misfire that’s rarely, if ever, as engrossing or engaging as its seemingly foolproof premise might’ve indicated. And while Bonito has admittedly elicited strong work from his stars, with Patrick’s gleefully over-the-top efforts certainly standing as an ongoing highlight within the hit-and-miss proceedings, The Marine has been saddled with a whole host of underwhelming attributes that slowly-but-surely drain the viewer’s interest and excitement – with, especially, Bonito’s incoherent approach to the action sequences, the proliferation of computer-generated explosions, and a pointless, egregiously silly subplot involving a whiny henchman (Anthony Ray Parker’s Morgan) perpetuating the predominantly dissatisfying atmosphere. (And this is to say nothing of the tiresome midsection detailing the characters’ swamp-based exploits.) By the time the larger-than-life climax rolls around, The Marine has cemented its place as a watered-down, needlessly PG-13 actioner that generally feels like it could (and should) be so much better.

** out of ****