Wrestler-turned-actor Dwayne Johnson has been winning applause for his role as metahuman Teth Adam in the DC film Black Adam, which released in theatres in India on Thursday. Popularly known by his ring name The Rock, Johnson got noticed for his potential as an actor in the 2001 film The Mummy Returns and its spin-off, The Scorpion King, in 2002. However, the 50-year-old came into his own as an actor with important roles in action and adventure movies, including five Fast & Furious projects. Here we take a look at five of Johnson’s action-adventure movies you can watch on OTT if superhero films are not your thing.
The Rundown (2003)
Johnson plays Beck, a bounty hunter, in this action-packed film. He is sent by a wealthy mobster to rescue his son Travis (Seann William Scott) from a gold-mining town in the Amazon. Upon his arrival in El Dorado, Beck learns that Travis has discovered a missing golden artefact called ‘O Gato do Diabo’, thus drawing the wrath of the local warlord Hatcher (Christopher Walken). Beck and Travis escape from Hatcher’s men, and wander into the jungle, encountering wild animals, rebel groups, waterfalls and more. Dry humour, interspersed with brutal action in the Amazon forest, makes this comedy-action film an entertaining watch.
Watch it on: Netflix
Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (2012)
This is a sequel to the 2008 film Journey to the Center of the Earth, starring Brendan Fraser. In Journey 2, the Jules Verne-obsessed teen Sean Anderson (Josh Hutcherson) teams up with his stepdad Hank (Dwayne Johnson) to find his grandfather, who went missing from a mythical island. Hank is determined to win the trust of his stepson during this mission, which makes him endearing. The island offers an assortment of wonders — big animals are tiny while small animals are large, for example. The journey also poses life-threatening perils to the duo. The Rock has many witty one-liners up his sleeve, making this adventure a joyous ride.
Watch it on: Netflix
Moana (2016)
Johnson is a voice artist in the animated film Moana, about an adventurous teenager, Moana (Auli'i Cravalho), who sails out on a dangerous mission to save her folks. During her journey, she meets the once-mighty demigod Maui (voiced by Dwayne Johnson), who guides her on her quest. Together they sail across the ocean on a voyage, encountering enormous monsters and unimaginable hurdles. Johnson’s portrayal of Maui is on point. His comic timing makes the self-obsessed muscled demigod adorable. Maui’s interactions with Moana are hilarious. Overall, this film is a voyage anyone would love to go on.
Watch it on: YouTube
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017)
In this spin-off to the 1995 Robin Williams-starrer movie Jumanji, four high school students get sucked into an old gaming console, where they assume new bodies and become their Jumanji-world avatars. Johnson plays Dr Xander ‘Smolder’ Bravestone, a strong, confident archaeologist and explorer, who leads the team through the various levels of the game in a fun-filled adventure. They must return a magical jewel called the ‘Jaguar's Eye’ to the shrine it was stolen from in order to lift a curse and leave the game. As the group navigates the jungle in search of their destination, they come across angry animals, venomous plants and, of course, the bad guys out to kill them.
Watch it on: Amazon Prime Video
Jungle Cruise (2021)
Johnson plays Frank, a steamboat skipper, in this fantasy-adventure film set in the Amazon forests and co-starring Emily Blunt. Frank offers jungle cruises to tourists with fake, theatrical dangers and delivers corny jokes at any given opportunity. He reluctantly agrees to take two explorers on the quest for a mythical tree. During their mission across the jungle, the group encounter carnivorous fish, wild animals and strong river currents that can sink a ship. A cursed tribe that guards the tree is after their lives, and so is an entourage of German navigators who want to reach the tree before Frank and his team.
Watch it on: YouTube
