Kinda wish I saw this in the Summer of '96

Rating: 7/10 (30 March 2012)

Michael Bay is not my cup of tea. Not to disparage the man, he just doesn't usually make my kind of movie. But "The Rock" is fortified with such an ironclad cast and an abnormally (for Bay movies) decent script that the usual Bay idiosyncrasies (the histrionic 360 degree slow pan, the larger-than-life low angles, etc) didn't kill my overall enjoyment of the piece.
Connery, Cage and especially Harris were exceptionally cast, along with a list of supporting players that's nothing to sneeze at. And the script keeps us moving through one huge set piece after another (mercifully spending minimal time on a lousy romance).
Aside from a car chase that was better left deleted (a dizzying frenzy of whip pans with no sense of geography is no way to cut a chase scene), it's certainly Bay's most substantive contribution to the action genre.
Also, I have to admit: Connery's "Welcome to The Rock" moment was pretty badass.
7/10