Tom Cruise; Rock God. Comparing Cruise to Bon Jovi or Jagger was never a position you would intend on finding yourself, but there is no denying his bold and daring take at breaking the "Tom Cruise Mould" is one that works on virtually every level. Stacee Jaxx may not look as rugged and washed up as the typical leading man of a rock and roll band, but he sure makes up for it in other ways. He sleeps, drinks and murmurs nonsense, and thing is for damned certain; he knows how to belt out a tune. Cruise, as it turns out, has a voice worthy of the role, and is undeniably the stand out performer of this adaptation of the Broadway musical of the same name.
Rock of Ages was always going to encounter several issues. It's eighties soundtrack undeniably has some belting tunes within it, but it doesn't have the connection with the audience that a collection of hits from one artist has. When Mamma Mia came out it drew huge attention to its Abba roots, as We Will Rock You does with Queen. There is no way a casual film-goer will know exactly what they're getting themselves in for in this case; there's no "name" to state exactly what sort of film this is. To call Rock of Ages a musical also doesn't connect the people with a passion for rock music with the people who typically like musicals. A broadway musical number doesn't often get mistaken for a Def Leppard track for example.
