Emily Anderton said:
It's not terrible, the musical numbers are entertaining enough, but my my is it cheesy. It seems ironic that a film about rock n' roll would not appeal to rock n' roll fans, instead it is the teen 'High School Musical' audience. The obvious comparison is last year's Footloose remake, which also stars Julianne Hough. There isn't much of a plot to the film, it seems to have been written around the songs. Having said that, I've not seen Rock of Ages on stage, but I imagine it works much better in that format. Most of the characters aren't developed, there is quite a funny 'revelation' scene involving Alec Baldwin and Russell Brand's characters, but ultimately nothing comes of it, it seems an excuse to use another song. A lot of the film focuses on the sex appeal of Stacee Jaxx, Tom Cruise's character, which I think works. Weirdly (?) I've often found Cruise attractive, and so I can understand Jaxx's appeal throughout the film, but the wider majority of people who don't like Cruise probably will feel slightly lost as to the attraction of his character. I did enjoy the songs, but unlike most successful musicals, it takes a while to get used to them bursting out into song.
I loved "Rock of Ages," but I completely understand your review. Rock and Broadway can create a strange juxtaposition, so this concept is a tough sell unless you love the music, musicals, or Mr. Cruise.