The Smashing Machine (2025) is a biographical sports drama about MMA fighter Mark Kerr’s journey to reclaim his championship status. We watch Mark Kerr (The Rock) try to overcome his struggles, ranging from addiction to his relationship. This movie was not for me. The movie did not have a clear direction, making it stale. The movie dedicated a lot of time to the arc of Kerr rebuilding his relationship with his wife just to forget it later in the movie. Furthermore, most combat sport movies have intimidating antagonists like Ivan Drago or Damian Anderson. The opponent in this movie named Usky did not demand the same respect. He did not look or act like a worthy opponent. It’s hard to feel danger for a character when their opponent appears significantly weaker. The whole concept of a UFC movie is not exciting to me because personally I like boxing more as it’s more gentleman-like. The fight scenes do not have elegance. When I think of combat sports, I think of legends like Prince Naseem who fought in an entertaining way. The training montage in this movie was not that powerful. The training is not intense like Rocky, rather it’s just the rock doing some exercises followed by him sitting down looking at the ceiling. He then does a light jog and then looks into the sky uninterested. The intensity was not there, and the training did not seem like it was enough. In the Rocky movies, Stallone is absolutely grinding in the gym, and the training seems relentless and rewarding. My favorite scene is the Rock running a light jog up a staircase for two seconds and then stopping with his hands on his hips nodding to himself– followed by him walking down the stairs slowly staring into the distance. Ultimately, this movie was hindered by its lack of ambition which was showcased in many of the scenes and plot points.