The Smashing Machine is a bit of a weird movie for me. I am a massive fan of The Rock and have been since he made his debut at the 1996 Survivor Series. However, when it comes to UFC, I am kind of ignorant. I loved the UFC game for the Sega Dreamcast, and I have played several of the others over the years, and I have enjoyed some of the seasons of Ultimate Fighter, but I am not this huge fan of the sport, but I do respect the hell out of it.
Where to Watch The Smashing Machine
The Smashing Machine was released on October 3, 2025. In a couple of months the film should become available on HBO Max, Prime Video, and Apple TV.
The Movie Review
What I am trying to say here is that last year, I watched The Iron Claw, and being a huge wrestling fan, I had a much different set of expectations and feelings with that movie. With The Smashing Machine, I took this more as the next movie starring The Rock, Dwayne Johnson, rather than a movie about MMA, if that makes sense.
Dwayne Johnson’s Transformation Into Mark Kerr
Like many other people, it was the look of Dwayne Johnson that caught my attention here. The prosthetic department did an amazing job of making him look more like UFC legend Mark Kerr. The fact that he wore this stuff while doing the very well done fighting scenes, and they did not move or look weird, was amazing, and honestly, come award season, these guys deserve to be at the very least nominated.
Who Is Mark Kerr?
The story is about Mark Kerr, whom I will admit, I knew nothing about before seeing the movie. Mark Kerr is one of the early stars of MMA, and he is known for his wrestling and just grounding and pounding people when he gets them to the mat. He was a real pioneer of the early days of UFC and Pride.
Brutal Fighting and Personal Struggles
The fighting scenes are brutal and very well done, and I liked the stuff with him training too. However, this is more about Mark Kerr, the man, the human being, than the MMA star. The main thread holding the movie together is the relationship between Mark Kerr and Dawn Staples, played by Emily Blunt (The Devil Wears Prada, A Quiet Place). Emily Blunt and Dwayne Johnson have great chemistry together. When they made Jungle Cruise, I loved the interviews the two would do together to promote the movie.
Relationship Drama at the Core of the Story
Here, I have to say, neither one of them is all that likable. Again, I knew nothing about Mark Kerr before I watched this movie, and by all accounts, he is a top and nice guy. However, Mark and Dawn have a very volatile relationship, and it can be pretty hard to watch. Out of the two, I did prefer Mark. I think that they could have done more to show his struggles with addiction, and I kind of felt this was glossed over a bit.
Dwayne Johnson’s Most Dramatic Role Yet
Much has been said about this being the first “acting” role for Dwayne Johnson, which I think is ridiculous. I am always entertained by him, granted, I am a massive fan of The Rock. However, I think Dwayne Johnson is quite underrated as far as his acting goes, but this is clearly the most dramatic stuff he has done so far, and I think that he nails it.
Final Thoughts on The Smashing Machine
The Smashing Machine was a solid biopic. I went in expecting more of a UFC/MMA fighting movie, but it was the more dramatic stuff that kept me entertained and hooked. I would be very interested to hear a huge UFC fan’s views on this movie, especially if they are a long-time fan and familiar with the career and life of Mark Kerr. I certainly would not be against watching this again at some point.
