Early reviews say Dwayne Johnson's $40M Mark Kerr movie 'The Smashing Machine' is a "spoof of the biopic genre" and "NOT Oscar-bait"

Early reviews for Dwayne Johnson's $40 million biopic chronicling the life and career of MMA legend Mark Kerr have set the combat sports and broader pop culture realms abuzz. On one hand, there's an indication that the movie might not live up to the high expectations some had set. On the other hand, its focus on Kerr, his fights, and other elements were praised.

Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson has long been beheld as an icon in the sports-entertainment-based professional wrestling world of the WWE. The American athlete has also long reigned as a megastar in his nation's entertainment industry, starring in various big-budget movies/TV shows and being a Hollywood staple. He's played the role of Kerr in the latter's biopic that'll be released later this year.

Per World of Reel's Jordan Ruimy, Dwayne Johnson's movie about former UFC and Pride FC star Mark Kerr -- titled 'The Smashing Machine' -- was screened for a select few people last month (February 2025). Ruimy claimed that the Benny Safdie-directed Hollywood movie was screened again this month (March 2025).

Apparently, from what Ruimy has heard, moviegoers may not be ready for a movie of this sort. It was implied that Safdie deconstructed the biopic and put forth a film that could be one of the strangest that A24 has ever produced.

Notable entities, including A24 and Johnson's Seven Bucks Productions, were involved in its production and reportedly allocated it a $40 million budget. The film also stars Emily Blunt.

The early reviews reportedly signaled that the movie is unexpected and unconventional, wherein Dwayne Johnson's performance is tonally contrasting. Supposedly, the movie might not click with the TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) crowds and would be better suited to a European film festival. Ruimy wrote:

"I'm told what Safdie has concocted in [The] Smashing Machine is 'indescribable in tone and style,' and that it 'almost plays like a spoof of the biopic genre.' In other words, [The] Smashing Machine, is 'gonzo filmmaking,' and is NOT Oscar-bait in the least bit." [H/T World of Reel]

Alternatively, an X user "@papayastandards" praised the movie. One of their posts read:

"Watched The Smashing Machine. It's simply great, loved the way they captured Mark Kerr and his struggles. I also appreciate seeing more footage of the Pride 2000 GP, which was full of interesting characters. The ending montage was great, and the fights felt specially brutal."

Check out the screenshots of a few tweets below:

Screenshots of tweets

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Dwayne Johnson expressed his respect for Mark Kerr before working on 'The Smashing Machine' (2025)

Back in 2002, a John Hyams-directed documentary -- 'The Smashing Machine: The Life and Times of Extreme Fighter Mark Kerr' -- made waves among fight fans. In a tweet in 2019, Hollywood icon Dwayne Johnson alluded to working on a movie about Kerr, which was expected to be a much more large-scale presentation of Kerr's life.

Kerr, a former two-time UFC heavyweight tournament champion, notably overcame substance abuse and various other challenges. The 56-year-old American, who goes by the moniker 'The Smashing Machine,' is considered to be an MMA and UFC legend. Alluding to the same, Dwayne Johnson wrote:

"Thank you, D. Mark Kerr is a pioneering MMA/@ufc legend. I look forward to shining a light on his incredible/challenged life."