The Marine 5: Battleground

The Miz is back again as Jake Carter, the poor beleaguered ex-Marine who can't seem to find a job where people aren't shooting at him, and I'm happy to say this is a much better installment in the franchise than the last film was. The script is simple, but was everything it needed to be for a popcorn action flick. This fifth "Marine" film was packed to the gills with WWE stars, with solid and believable performances by Heath Slater, Maryse, Naomi, and Curtis Axel. The Miz ia awesome as always, and I like how he's allowing the cumulative emotional toll from the previous two films to build up and show through his performance in subtle ways. He is a profession and very proficient actor, and I'm glad he now owns this role. However, I have to say the true star of this film is Bo Dallas. His turn as the big bad boss in this was just tremendous. His range of emotion and commitment to the character was great. I predict he could have a long career in film, if only he can get that first push (a push, I might add, that he has been long deserving of and not getting in the WWE). This was a solid installment in the "Marine" franchise and a big improvement from the last film, and I hope The Miz gets a whole slew of new sequels to come. 3.5/5

The Marine 5: Battleground on Netflix

The Marine 4: Moving Target

Oh wow, what a disappointment this was! This script was absolute garbage - monkeys banging on keyboards could have written something better. There are no characters, there is not plot, and the direction is lousy. No one in this movie could act, but given that no one even had much dialogue, it mostly didn't matter. I felt terrible for The Miz, who worked so hard in "Marine 3", because all his character work was gone here. However, his excellent gun and fight work helped make this somewhat palatable, which is why it gets half a star. I was so sad for Summer Rae, as she had virtually no lines and nothing to do except run awkwardly with a large gun. She had a really cool fight scene with The Miz, but it was over in about twenty seconds. Such a waste! I sure hope "Marine 5" is better than this! 1.5/5

The Marine 4: Moving Target on Netflix

The Marine 3: Homefront

The Miz worked hard to prepare for this role and it shows. His gun handling was excellent, as was his movement. He did a large majority of his own stunts to boot. He was very natural in his approach and I thought he was quite good in the role. Unlike "Marine 2", the supporting cast was also good and the direction was solid. I'm impressed by The Miz, I'm looking forwarding to seeing the fourth film. 3.5/5

The Marine 3: Homefront on Netflix