Every Dwayne Johnson Sequel, Ranked From Worst To Best

The perfect Dwayne Johnson sequels embrace principally a mixture of films he got here into later of their existence, however just a few had been franchises he began from the bottom up. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has been one of the biggest movie stars of the final twenty years, making him one of the profitable former WWE superstars to make the bounce to Hollywood. Johnson began as a typical motion star in movies like the underrated The Rundown and Strolling Tall, however quickly stepped up and have become a blockbuster motion star.

Aside from his first main function, a sequel to The Mummy franchise and a role in the Elmore Leonard adaptation Be Cool. Johnson labored to make himself a marketable star in his personal movies for the primary decade of his profession. Nonetheless, as soon as he had made his identify, he jumped into some main franchises, together with follow-ups to Jumanji, The Quick and the Livid, Journey to the Middle of the Earth, and G.I. Joe. Add in a sequel to the Moana franchise, and Dwayne Johnson has develop into the king of sequels.

14

The Scorpion King (2002)

Mathayus Of Akkad / The Scorpion King

The primary film that Dwayne Johnson appeared in was The Mummy Returns. He then returned two years later for a follow-up to that movie. The Scorpion King noticed Johnson reprise the identical function he performed in The Mummy Returns, however this time he was the lead – the primary time in his profession Johnson had a lead function in a film. He performed Mathayus, a warrior within the Black Scorpions, who sought revenge after his father’s homicide.

This was a prequel movie exhibiting how Mathayus grew to become The Scorpion King earlier than Imhotep summoned him years later to assist in his assault on humanity. It was an attention-grabbing flip since he was a villain in The Mummy Returns, however this film confirmed how that wasn’t at all times the case. It’s the worst of Johnson’s sequels, receiving principally detrimental critiques because of the cartoon-like CGI used to create Johnson’s Scorpion King.

13

G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013)

Roadblock

In what served as a shock to many G.I. Joe followers, the sequel to G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra did away with some beloved staff members and despatched out brand-new characters for the second journey. Channing Tatum’s Duke, the star of the primary film and the long-time Joe chief, was killed on the movie’s starting. One among these new members was Roadblock, performed by Dwayne Johnson. Bruce Willis additionally signed on for a smaller function as the unique Joe, Basic Joe Colton.

Critiques had been principally detrimental, with critics saying the G.I. Joe sequel was higher than the primary film however relied too closely on the motion and dismissed it for a “nonsensical” plot. With that stated, the constructive critiques proclaimed that the absurdity of the story made the film enjoyable, even when it made little sense. A third G.I. Joe team movie never arrived, and a reboot adopted eight years later with Snake Eyes.

12

The Mummy Returns (2001)

Mathayus Of Akkad / The Scorpion King

Whereas The Mummy Returns was a enjoyable addition to the franchise, it fell wanting the primary film for 2 large causes. The primary was that the particular results had been an enormous step down. The primary Mummy film had principally Brendan Fraser’s Rick O’Connell preventing Inhotep himself, and that appeared nice. The second Mummy film had a number of issues that simply appeared cartoony, making it inconceivable to have the identical feeling as the primary movie, which was a beloved journey film. Each of these issues harm Dwayne Johnson’s debut.

This was Johnson’s first-ever film function, and director Stephen Sommers did not have him do an excessive amount of. He was there to appear to be The Rock and supply the specter of The Scorpion King. Nonetheless, the largest downside was when Johnson confirmed up. His character appeared like a online game illustration of The Rock’s face, however on a weird-looking large scorpion’s physique. If the filmmakers needed it to look threatening, they failed, because the Scorpion King’s look offered extra laughs than gasps. Fortunately, the film was nonetheless decently enjoyable, apart from the CGI.

11

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (2012)

Hank Parsons

Dwayne Johnson’s first sequel was within the Brendan Fraser franchise, The Mummy. 11 years later, Johnson replaced Fraser in a different franchise. In 2008. Fraser starred in Journey to the Middle of the Earth, primarily based on Jules Vernon’s novel of the identical identify. In that first film, Fraser performs Trevor, a professor who finally ends up journeying by the middle of the Earth primarily based on what Verne wrote about in his novels (the film posits that Verne’s novels had been true accounts). In 2012, Johnson was the lead within the sequel.

Josh Hutcherson, who performed Trevor’s nephew Sean within the first film and was a part of the journey, is again as a 17-year-old within the sequel, now an adventurer primarily based on his journey within the first installment. Vanessa Hudgens can also be within the movie, and the 2 kids find yourself misplaced on the mysterious island with Johnson’s former Navy officer, who can also be Sean’s stepdad. It was an attention-grabbing function for Johnson, who performed a no-nonsense stepfather towards sort, however he was a fan favourite, successful a Nickelodeon Youngsters’ Alternative Award for his function.

10

Quick X (2023)

Luke Hobbs

Fast X

6/10

Launch Date

Could 19, 2023

Runtime

141 Minutes

Director

Louis Leterrier

Dwayne Johnson has been in 5 Quick and Livid films, not together with the spin-off he was a lead in. This tenth film was a return for Hobbs after lacking the ninth movie within the franchise. Nonetheless, whereas the movie was an important motion story, it was solely half a film and ended on a serious cliffhanger, which left followers questioning what was going to occur subsequent. Even worse, Johnson was not even a part of the story.

As a substitute, Johnson confirmed up solely within the post-credits scene, the place he investigated the place the villain Dante Reyes (Jason Momoa) labored from, solely to search out out that the villain was trying to come after Luke Hobbs subsequent. It was a pleasant shock, however in terms of Dwayne Johnson films, it falls beneath each different look within the Quick and Livid franchise.

9

Be Cool (2005)

Elliot Wilhelm

When Be Cool got here out in 2005, Dwayne Johnson had confirmed he was a reputable motion star, however he hadn’t confirmed he might step exterior that consolation zone. He received that likelihood when he took a supporting function within the Elmore Leonard adaptation, Be Cool. This was a sequel to Get Shorty, which starred John Travolta as Chili Palmer, a Miami-based mortgage shark who loves films. The film’s different two stars (Rene Russo and Danny DeVito) weren’t concerned within the sequel, with solely Travolta making the return.

The story within the second installment sees Chili Palmer tired of the film business and discovering a brand new love within the music business, the place he helps Linda Moon, a small-time membership singer, get out from below the thumb of legal producers. That is the place he meets the producers’ Samoan bodyguard, Elliot. Johnson stepped out of his consolation zone right here, playing Elliot as a gay Samoan villain with a really flamboyant character and magnificence. Johnson stole each scene he appeared in and proved he might act when wanted.

8

Quick & Livid 6 (2013)

Luke Hobbs

Quick & Livid 6 was Dwayne Johnson’s second film within the franchise. After working as one of many antagonists in his first look, as he spent many of the movie attempting to arrest Dom and his crew, Luke Hobbs was totally onboard as a very good man in his second look. This movie sees Luke Hobbs search out Dom to ask for assist in stopping a brand new legal on the scene named Owen Shaw (Luke Evans), and it places Dom and his crew working with legislation enforcement for the primary time, altering the franchise.

Seeing Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel struggle in Quick 5 was nice, however seeing them staff up within the sixth film was the beginning of a change in all the franchise’s dynamic and storylines. Johnson’s arrival helped transition the sequence from a automobile heist sequence to an action-adventure franchise that finally morphed into an nearly superhero sequence by the point Johnson had left. Johnson started to combine himself as one of many fundamental stars, beginning on this film.

7

Jumanji: The Subsequent Degree (2019)

Smolder Bravestone

Dwayne Johnson helped paved the way within the Jumanji reboot-sequel in 2017 with Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. A free sequel to the Robin Williams film from 1995 modified the story by having the youngsters who discover the sport board go into that world as an alternative of the animals from that world coming into the actual world. Nonetheless, once they arrive in that world, they find yourself within the our bodies of the sport’s characters, certainly one of whom is portrayed by Dwayne Johnson.

On this third film, the sequel to Welcome to the Jungle, the characters find yourself being put into completely different our bodies, which created a lot of the humor. As a substitute of Johnson being the avatar for the brainy Spencer, like the primary film, he ended up the avatar for Eddie, Spencer’s grandfather (Danny DeVito). This was an important Johnson efficiency, as he channeled DeVIto’s actions and mannerisms brilliantly. The movie wasn’t nearly as good as Welcome to the Jungle, but it surely was a enjoyable flip for Johnson.

6

Hobbs & Shaw (2019)

Luke Hobbs

Hobbs and Shaw

5/10

Launch Date

August 2, 2019

Runtime

133 minutes

Director

David Leitch

Dwayne Johnson left the Quick and Livid fundamental franchise after he and Vin Diesel had a falling out. Nonetheless, he remained within the franchise when he signed on for a by-product film, Hobbs and Shaw. This noticed Johnson’s Luke Hobbs and Jason Statham’s Deckard Shaw staff up to cease terrorists from releasing a supervirus on the world. This was just like what Johnson and Diesel did years earlier in the primary sequence, however this mixture really labored higher.

There was no connection right here to the Quick and Livid franchise apart from Hobbs and Shaw having their rivalry constructed there, however this was an important movie that stood by itself and works nicely for even individuals who do not know a lot about the primary sequence’ story. The movie was a monster success, because of the chemistry of Statham and Johnson, and whereas there hasn’t been a sequel but, this can be a sequence that would have legs if the 2 stars teamed up for one more journey.

5

Moana 2 (2024)

Maui

Moana 2

6/10

Launch Date

November 27, 2024

Runtime

100 Minutes

Director

David G. Derrick Jr., Jason Hand, Dana Ledoux Miller

Within the first Disney animated Moana film, Dwayne Johnson proved to be a serious star. His singing was nice, and his tune “You are Welcome” was an enormous hit that ended up climbing to sixty fifth on the Billboard music charts. The Moana sequel did not have any tune that was successful, and Johnson’s fundamental songs did not attain the extent of something he sang within the first film, and Johnson had a smaller function this time round.

Whereas the primary Moana had the titular character and Maui as mismatched companions battling an important evil, Moana needed to discover Maui right here after which the 2 had been break up up for a lot of the movie. Nonetheless, as soon as the movie received its toes below it, the story held as much as the primary installment, with Maui and Moana serving to one another discover who they’re imagined to be ultimately. Whereas the primary film was an Oscar favourite, the second wasn’t even nominated.