Movie Review: “Rock of Ages”-Ageless?

by Lauren

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When watching the newest version of Rock of Ages, you will be sent back into the time of rock ‘n roll. The timeless songs of the 50’s are sung by today’s modern actors and actresses. Although the story line is a little dry, the movie was fantastic. Rock of Ages made all the moviegoers want to sing and dance right in their seats.

The movie begins with a small town girl, Sherrie, played by Julianne Hough and Drew, played by Diego Boneta.  The two meet at the famous rock ‘n roll club, The Bourbon Room, and instantly hit it off. The story follows their journey and attempts to “make it” in the music business. At the same time, the musician Stacee Jaxx, played by Tom Cruise, runs the whole music scene while being completely intoxicated, causing persecution from the local governor and his wife. In the end the audience finds out that the wife of the governor is so relentless in her attempts to stop rock ‘n roll because she happened to be one of Stacee Jaxx’s old flings.

Reviewers did not rate this movie highly in the end; many argued that the story had no real dialogue and has a weak story line.  Also, many critics said that the movie’s songs were cheesy.  In response to this, yes, the story line was not as developed and one would like, but also no one wanted the actors and writers to upstage the classic songs they sang.  When looking at the songs, I have no idea how one could call them cheesy. That is like going to a Joan Jett concert and saying that was cheesy.

The actors and singers get five stars for their flawless singing. One actor who shines in particular is the one and only Tom Cruise. In making his singing debut, he was flawless. Not once would I have guessed that this was Cruise’s first time singing. He embodied his unusual character and brought new depth to the already over-the-top film.  The movie also did have a few funny moments from comedian Russell Brand, who played Lonny, a friend and manager of The Bourbon Room.

In the end, I was very pleased with the film. I thought it was a clever way to sync up the songs of the 50’s with a modern day story. Even with the mixed reviews, it was a film worthy of my time. Bravo to the writers and actors of Rock of Ages. It was a fantastic film that could uplift any soul with the love of rock and roll.

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