John Cenahas appeared in a number of sequels in his movie career, some of which are better than others.Cena’s persona in the wrestling worldhelped to make him an icon before he ever starred in a movie. However, over the years, he has become one of the most successful wrestlers-turned-actors.
Cena broke into Hollywoodwith the typical action hero roles, but he proved his versatility in original movies likeTrainwreckandThe Wall.Eventually, his star power grew to the point that he was able to step into franchise filmmaking.
In some cases, likeVacation Friends, Cena found success with a movie that spawned a follow-up. In other cases, liketheFast and Furiousfranchise, he stepped into an already-established series. With Cena appearing in eight sequels thus far, some are worthy follow-ups, and others are forgettable entries.
Surf’s Upwas a rather forgettable animated movie from 2007, so fans would be forgiven for forgetting that there was a sequel released a decade later. The movie was a direct-to-video adventure that follows a penguin who convinces a group of the toughest and best surfer penguins to accompany him on an adventure to take on some dangerous waves.
The film loses a lot of the fun cast of the original, including Jeff Bridges and Zooey Deschanel. However, one of the only selling points of the lackluster sequel is thatCena is joined in the voice cast byother wrestling legends, including The Undertaker, Triple H, and even Vince McMahon.
Once you get past that fun little inclusion,Surf’s Up 2: WaveManiadoesn’t have much to offer. The jokes are stale, the animation is less impressive than the first movie, and even younger audiences are not likely to be impressed with the animated adventure.
2021’sVacation Friendswas a surprisinglyhilarious R-rated comedythat once again proved John Cena can deliver big laughs. The success of the movie quickly led to a sequel in 2023, with Cena and Meredith Hagner returning as the reckless and wild couple, Ron and Kyla, who join their more straight-laced vacation friends on another tropical adventure.
Like the first movie, the highlight is the comedic chemistry between the cast.
A lot of the fun of the first movie came from Marcus (Lil Rel Howrey) and Emily (Yvonne Orji) trying to rid themselves of the chaotic couple who won’t leave them alone. The sequel naturally loses some of that fun with the main characters now all friends. The plot also throws in too many over-the-top elements that feel unnecessary.
However, like the first movie, the highlight is the comedic chemistry between the cast.In particular, Cena and Hagner make for a terrific duo, while Steve Buscemi is a nice addition to the mayhem as Kyla’s ex-con father.
John Cena feels like an obvious choice to join theFast and Furiousfranchise, although he came in at a time when the franchise was in a bit of a decline.F9sees Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) facing his past as his long-lost brother, Jakob (Cena), returns and is now working as a mercenary for the villainous Cipher (Charlize Theron).
Cena makes for a formidable villain in the franchise and one of the few who looks like he could really take on Dom in a showdown. There is also an interesting backstory with Jakob and his falling out with Dom, even though it is strange that Dom never mentioned his younger brother.
Dwayne Johnson did not return to his role of Hobbs inF9.
As always, the over-the-top action of theFast and Furiousmovies is hugely entertaining. However,F9is really where the ridiculousness of the franchise started to weigh it down. From the overly complicated return of Han toF9’s infamous outer space sequence, the sequel crossed a line in silliness that damaged the series.
After Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell proved to be a surprisingly hilarious comedic duo inThe Other Guys, Daddy’s Homeallowed them to team up for more laughs. The sequel finds Wahlberg and Ferrell as the biological father and stepfather to some young kids. The star-studded cast is added to, with Mel Gibson and John Lithgow as their fathers.
Like the first movie,John Cena’s role inDaddy’s Home 2is more of a cameo, playing Roger, the intimidating biological father of Wahlberg’s stepdaughter. Though a brief role, it is fun seeing him in the big ensemble of famous faces.
The first movie fell short of the hilarity ofThe Other Guys, and the sequel is similarly disappointing in terms of big laughs. However, it is also the superior of the twoDaddy’s Homemovies, as Gibson and Lithgow add some fun to the holiday comedy.
John Cena returned to theFast and Furiousfranchise in the most recent entry,Fast X.Once again, there is a dangerous villain out for revenge on Dom and his crew. Dante Reyes (Jason Momoa) is revealed to be the son of the drug lord villain from Fast Five.
Cena drops the stone-faced performance ofF9and embraces his comedic side once again.
Cena’s Jakob Toretto becomes the latestFast and Furiousvillain to turn good, as Cena drops the stone-faced performance ofF9and embraces his comedic side once again. He spends most of the movie with Dom’s son, Brian, serving as his protector, and these moments are among the best in the movie.
The ridiculousness of the franchise is still a big problem, and thecliffhanger ending ofFast Xis disappointing, especially as the follow-up is taking so long. However, Momoa’s performance adds a lot to the sequel, moving away from the overly serious bad guys of previous movies.
TheTransformersfranchisesaw some huge success at the box office, but as they continued on, the reviews continued to get more and more negative. By the timeThe Last Knightdisappointed at the box office, it was time to take the series in a new direction with the smaller-scale prequelBumblebee.
Set in the 1980s,Bumblebeefollows the titular Transformers hero when he first lands on Earth and strikes up a friendship with lonely teenager, Charlie (Hailee Steinfeld).John Cena steps into action hero mode as Jack Burns, an army officer who is investigating the alien arrivals on Earth.
Bumblebee had the lowest budget of any live-actionTransformersmovie to date.
The movie still delivers on the action fans of theTransformersmovies would expect, withBumblebee’s opening sequence on Cybertronperhaps being the best of the franchise. However, the smaller scope of the film also allows it to be a more character-driven story, delivering the most emotional Transformers movie to date.
TheTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesfranchisereturned to its animated roots and delivered its best movie to date.Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhemis also the first film in the franchise to treat the main heroes like teenagers as they cope with finding their place in the human world while discovering more mutants.
The movie has a terrific voice cast, withJohn Cena providing the voice of fan-favorite henchman, the mutant rhino Rocksteady. Though the character is not as prominent as in other movies, he is more sympathetic alongside his fellow misunderstood humans. Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne, and Paul Rudd also add to the mutant cast.
The movie uses its vivid animation style to deliver some very entertaining action sequences. It is also a hilarious comedy with the characters getting the chance to be awkward teens as well as warriors. It pays great respect to the franchise while also pushing it forward.
After the disappointment of 2016’sSuicide Squad, James Gunn stepped in to deliver a pseudo-sequel that was so entertaining that he was put in charge of the entire DC cinematic universe. Like the first movie, it follows a group of incarcerated supervillains who are forced by the government to carry out dangerous missions.
Cena is a standout of the cast, leading to his ownPeacemakerspinoff series.
Along with returning characters, like Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn,The Suicide Squadbrings in a new ensemble of morally dubious characters, including Cena as Peacemaker. The role really gives Cena the chance to show all sides of his talents.He is funny and he is the action hero, but also shows layers to the character and his warped values.
Gunn brings his irreverent humor, pop soundtrack, and interesting visual style to the movie while also embracing the freedom of the R-rating.The Suicide Squadmakes for a hilarious and wild action movie that has a lot more heart than you’d expect. Cena is a standout of the cast, leading to his ownPeacemakerspinoff series.
