Recently, WWE teamed up with Warner Brothers to release a direct-to-video mash-up movie, The Flintstones and WWE Stone Age Smackdown! This follows hot on the heels of last year’s WWE/Scooby-Doo movie and there are plans for similar team-ups in the works. If you heard about this Flintstones collaboration, you probably rolled your eyes, just like I did. But here’s the thing: it’s actually good.
The WWE/Flintstones movie is better than whatever you’re expecting
We’re still trying to figure out how this even happened. The surprising thing is, it’s actually really good.
Bill Hanstock is a writer, author and Emmy Award-winning producer. He began writing for SB Nation in 2011.
Here is the complete list of components for a successful and entertaining Flintstones jam:
- Fred being an idiot
- An “IT’S A LIVING” gag
- Barney giggling
That’s it. That’s all you need. Sure, some good puns would be nice, but they’re not essential. (To tell you the truth, the puns are the one area where this movie sort of falters, as the pun names for the WWE wrestlers are sorely lacking. “John Cenastone?” That isn’t even a thing.)
The plot of the movie is that Fred needs a harebrained scheme to take his family on vacation, so he becomes a wrestling promoter. Then his ego takes over and he gets in over his head. It’s a brisk romp that’s just over 50 minutes long and honestly I may have laughed more at this than I’ve ever laughed at the Flintstones, ever. There are two KILLER “it’s a living” jokes and one extremely bleak, adult joke that should earn a lengthy laugh from just about anyone.
One of the criticisms of this release has been Kevin Michael Richardson’s choice for Barney Rubble’s voice, which doesn’t sound anything like the Fruity Pebbles commercials you’re probably intimately familiar with. WWE Studios president Michael Luisi explained this was a conscious choice, in order to channel the original voice of Barney as portrayed in the Flintstones pilot from 1960. Sort of a minor nitpick, but worth noting. You definitely get used to it by the end of the movie, and the laugh is the same. That’s the important part.
As far as wrestler performances, Mark Henry often steals the show as Marble Henry, a good-natured but very dumb bad guy. And for longtime wrestling fans, seeing John Cena as a squeaky-clean sycophant is pretty chuckle-worthy.
The weird thing about this movie is that, at least for now, it’s the swan song of CM Punk and Rey Mysterio. They appear as CM Punkrock and Rey Mysteriopal (see above, re: bad puns) and are big parts of the movie, especially Punk. This release came well after both wrestlers made their final appearances for the company, but it honestly lets them leave on a fairly high note. It also makes me wish that CM Punk and Mark Henry had been paired up as BFF baddies on WWE television, but c’est la vie.
If you need further convincing to check this out, be aware it’s the closest you’ll likely ever come to seeing the Undertaker wear a party sombrero on a beach.
What more could you ask for?
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