Tom Cruise Wins Rave Reviews For 'Rock Of Ages'

The reviews for '80s hair band musical Rock of Ages, in theaters today, have been somewhat middling, but nearly every critic seems to have reached a consensus on Tom Cruise's performance as rocker Stacee Jaxx. In short, Cruise is amazing. "Tom Cruise should have been a rock star," says CNN. "He owns Rock of Ages … from the very minute he appears."

Other reviews have expressed astonishment at Cruise's transformation from the action movie star we know from Top Gun and the Mission Impossible films into a heavy metal saint. "For all the out-there excess of the rock musical Rock of Ages — which completes its transition from hit Broadway musical to Hollywood film when it opens today — nothing is as astonishing as the transformation of ageless Boy Scout Cruise into his Jaxx persona," says USA Today.

While some critics have said the film, brought from the stage to the big screen by Hairspray director Adam Shankman, is lacking a certain wow factor, Cruise's scenes with co-star Malin Ackerman are priceless. "Tom Cruise, who possesses the voice of a metal god – who knew? — gives one of the most surprising, entertaining and captivating performances of his career," reports ABC News. "Cruise holds nothing back and it's a pleasure to watch. Kudos also to Malin Ackerman, who plays a Rolling Stone journalist tasked with neutering the rock legend. These two are outrageously watchable and possess an infectious chemistry that leaves us wanting more."

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