June 10, 1996 -- Which of the 1996 blockbuster movies is the best so far? I'd say "The Rock." Oh, I know it is silly and it has just about every movie cliche in the book. It steals shamelessly from other films and it is pretty violent, too, but man, is it fun.

One of the reasons it is so much fun is that it has a sense of humor. Parts of it are really funny. There is also the non-stop directed by Michael Bay, along with really slick photography and editing. The acting is also top-notch with Sean Connery and Nicholas Cage doing "Lethal Weapon" cop buddy-type thing. You've also got Ed Harris as the misguided hero gone wrong.

The plot is that Harris (General Francis Hummel) and his band of U.S. Marines have taken control of Alcatraz Island and are threatening San Francisco with deadly chemical weapon missiles unless the government gives them a lot of money, and some money for neglected families of some secret operations veterans.

Nicholas Cage (FBI chemical weapons super freak Stanley Goodspeed) is assigned to disarm the weapons. Connery (British secret agent James Bond, I mean Patrick Mason) is recruited to help in the mission because he is the only guy ever to escape from Alcatraz. That's right, but it was kept secret because he was a spy. Never mind, the plot doesn't really matter. What matters is that all the Navy Seals on the strike team get killed and Goodspeed and Mason have to go it alone.

Oh please! You're saying, there was a film with just the same plot last year about a bomb on a plane headed toward the U.S. and all the highly trained guys get killed and the untrained guys have to finish the mission. It is the same, but it is better than that one. There are also bits of "Bullett" and "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" thrown in for good measure, and many others.

Like I said, it isn't original, but it is a lot of fun. Connery and Cage make a great team. Harris makes a sympathetic villain. Michael Biehn ("Aliens") has a nice supporting role as well. Vanessa Marcil from "General Hospital" also has a supporting role, for you soap fans.

The movie is a real thrill ride, even if the plot is full of holes. It has that Bond tongue-in-cheek swagger that causes the viewer to overlook the film's lapses and enjoy the ride. It rates a B+.

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