There are plenty of films that deserve sequels. 12 Rounds isn’t one of them.
The original was a marginally forgettable, bordering on awful film that found its way into theatres as a starring vehicle for pro wrestler John Cena. Unfortunately Cena never connected with movie audiences the way Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson did and as such he remains a full time wrestler while Johnson is a highly successful actor. The concept behind 12 Rounds is a solid and repeatable one, even if the execution wasn’t all that good the first time around.
This time around it’s pro wrestler Randy Orton, another big WWE star apparently, who’s stepping into the role of “generic everyman forced to play a game” in 12 Rounds 2: Reloaded. Orton’s a paramedic who can’t go to the cops and has to play 12 rounds with a madman, trying to stop him from committing horrific crimes by playing this deadly game.
This is what happens when you take a film that’s a Die Hard sequel ripoff that somehow managed to not be completely awful and this is a sequel that manages to be just that: embarrassingly awful. This is a horrible film, even by WWE Films standard, and is one of those films you watch when you have two hours of your life you don’t want to get back.
There’s a piece on Orton, a piece on the locations and a piece on the action sequences. Blah.
WWE Films presents 12 Rounds 2: Reloaded. Directed by Roel Reine. Written by David Benullo. Starring Randy Orton, Cindy Busby, Brian Markinson. Running time: 94 minutes. Rated R. Released: June 4, 2013. Available at Amazon.com.
