The Rock: The Evolution of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is a WWE-produced documentary that tracks the life and career of "the most electrifying man sports entertainment." Starting with the childhood of Johnson, who was born into professional wrestling--his father is the legendary Rocky Johnson, and his maternal grandfather was the equally legendary Peter Maivia--this nearly two hour doc covers material that should be familiar to fans of The Rock. That's to say that anyone who knows Johnson from his career as a wrestler, as opposed to those who just know him from the movies, won't be in for man surprises (if any at all), and if you already own any of the other WWE documentaries about The Rock, then you already have seen some of the stuff in this collection. At the same time, if you are a fan of Johnson, then this really is something of a must-have documentary, as it focuses as much on Johnson's life and career inside the ring as outside.

The problem with any of these WWE-produced documentaries is that they are never critical of World Wrestling Entertainment/Foundation, and at times come across as being little more than fluff pieces for the wrestlers being profiled, Vince McMahon and his empire. And let's face it, all of these docs are fluff pieces--this one is coming along just weeks before WrestleMania XXVIII, which is scheduled to have The Rock square off against John Cena. In fact, part of the documentary is a build-up to that match, which really drives home the fact that this is just another way of selling more WWE product. But that doesn't change the fact that this is an entertaining package of career highlights, including some of The Rock's most memorable moments. Covering most of Johnson's entire career with WWE, the documentary looks at his ever-evolving personality, and how the fans have reacted to him over the years. One of the things that has always made The Rock so interesting is the way he controls the audience. Whether he's in the role of a "face" or a "heel," he can move a crowd like few other wrestlers can.

The Rock: The Evolution of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is at its best when it focuses around the late 1990s into 2000, when The Rock was really coming into his own as a wrestler and a personality. Filling the void left behind after the injury of Stone Cold Steve Austin, Johnson skyrocketed to stardom. I would argue that the period between 1998 and 2000 was the best of Johnson's career, where he squared off in rivalries with Triple H, Mick Foley, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and many others. The Rock's relationship with Mick "Mankind" Foley--both as rival and partner--goes down as one of my all-time favorite pro wrestling partnerships/rivalries, and thankfully it is covered in this doc. But perhaps most important--at least for me--is the way Johnson worked the microphone. As entertaining as his matches were, Johnson was always at his best when he was on the microphone.

Video:
The Rock: The Evolution of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is a three-disc collection presented in full frame. There is some older, archival footage that is not of the best quality, but the overall picture quality is very good.

Audio:
The Rock: The Evolution of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is presented Dolby Digital in English. The audio levels are consistent, with a good mix.

Bonus Material:
In addition to the main documentary feature, there are two discs with bonus material featuring a collection of matches and various appearances, some of which remain classic moments in sports entertainment.

Disc 2 features: Survivor Series Elimination Match (11-17-96), The Rock vs. Triple H (5/25/98), Ladder Match for the Intercontinental Championship: The Rock vs. Triple H (8/30/98), Triple Threat Cage Match: The Rock vs. Mankind vs. Ken Shamrock (9/27/98), "I Quit" Match for the WWE Championship: The Rock vs. Mankind (1/24/99), No Holds Barred Match for the WWE Championship: The Rock vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin (4/25/99).

Disc 3 features: Triple Threat Match for the WWE Championship: The Rock vs. Kurt Angle vs. Triple H (8/27/00), World Tag Team Championship Match: The Rock and Undertaker vs. Edge and Christian (12/18/00) The Rock vs. "Nature Boy" Ric Flair (7/29/02), WWE Undisputed Championship Match: The Rock vs. Brock Lesnar (8/25/02), The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan (2/23/03), The Rock Returns to RAW (2/24/03), The Rock Concert II (4/21/03, The WrestleMania Guest Host (2/14/11), The People's WrestleMania (4/3/11).

Final Thoughts:
If you are a fan of The Rock's wrestling career you'll want to get The Rock: The Evolution of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. The documentary is very entertaining (even though it's a fluff piece), and the matches on the bonus discs are all great. If you only know Johnson from his films, and you're looking for insight into his acting career, this documentary will come up a bit short. Although it does get into some of his movies, this is first and foremost about Johnson as a wrestler.