At long last fans can finally watch Conor McGregor in all his glory in the recently released Road House. Essentially a 1989 remake of the original “Road House,” the movie brings a modern-day twist to a timeless classic. As such, let’s see how the fans and the critics have responded to the movie.
For the most part, a lot of the hype generated around the movie stems from Conor McGregor. A two-divisional champion in the UFC and one of the most renowned athletes on the planet, “The Notorious One” is one of the movie’s biggest selling points. Additionally, with McGregor also integrating his UFC roots into the movie, it has caught the attention of many MMA fans as well.
Previously, McGregor along with the cast and crew of the ‘Road House’ movie was shooting a segment, utilizing the crowd and the Octagon at UFC 285. As a result, the movie began picking up steam in the media with many excited to see how things would play out. Further, the trailer for the movie, had the fans swooning over McGregor’s performance as well.
Road House 2024: Audience and critic reviews
With that said, let’s take a look at how the movie was received among fans and critics. Ahead of the release, there has been a lot of promotional work done globally along with numerous premieres all around the world. Recently, the final and definitive premiere was held in New York, with the majority of the cast and crew in attendance.
For the most part, there have been a fair few mixed reviews about the movie. Whilst fans of the originals feel that it strays too far from the original, others feel that the modern reimagining is enough to set itself apart whilst paying homage to the original as well. As such, the movie does not take itself too seriously either and manages to maintain a high, action-packed pace.
Notably, there are some performances that shine above the rest. One highlight of the movie, as stated by many seems to be its well-choreographed fight sequences, something that McGregor personally worked on. Additionally, Doug Liman’s directing and screenplay by Anthony Bagarozzi and Charles Mondry are also worth commending.
How have fans reacted to Conor McGregor’s Hollywood debut?
Coming to the main reason why a lot of people are here, many will be eager to know how Conor McGregor got on in his Hollywood debut. Having taken home the highest amount for any debutant actor in Hollywood history, there were high hopes for the Irishman to deliver with his acting chops. Safe to say, Conor’s performance has received glowing reviews.
For the most part, the UFC fighter is easily one of the biggest talking points of the movie. Portraying the villainous mercenary Knox, there is a lot that can be said about him, without revealing his eventual fate. Displaying an over-the-top confidence paired with some brutal aggression, Conor McGregor is the perfect representation of a blockbuster flick baddie.
Get Conor McGregor in the F&F universe immediately. As screen debuts go, he does a great job in #Roadhouse but seeing him square up to Dom and the crew is where he needs to be. pic.twitter.com/udyY3nslgD
— Nick Staniforth (@nickstaniforth) March 21, 2024
Doug Liman’s ROAD HOUSE is a moderately fun brawl fest. Jake Gyllenhaal gives everything he’s got to the role, the physicality and all. Connor McGregor too is over the top as he should be. The film could be trimmed down by 20 minutes or so but that didn’t stop me from having fun pic.twitter.com/V07OX9sDp5
— JoshFilmz (@JustFilmz) March 21, 2024
McGregor, Magnussen, Pardo, and Castro were the memorable performances.
Billy is such a great bad guy.
JD and Arturo made fun choices that gave their “goons” some life.
Conor’s debut was fun, he could be a great popcorn action-flick character.
Jake was stiff.#Roadhouse
— dylan (@dylandayus) March 21, 2024
Conor McGregor is having the time of his fucking life in this film and even though he isn’t actually doing much besides swearing and acting crazy I’m loving him! And there’s still 28 min to go to unleash some disgustingly excessive brutality. Please. #RoadHouse
— Kawaii Mutton 🍜🚬 (@tron_applebaum) March 21, 2024
@TheNotoriousMMA Road House spinoff please! Too hilarious.
— Michael Chmielewski (@itsMikeSki) March 21, 2024
As it turns out, his performance as Knox was more than impressive, with many calling for a spinoff of the character. At the same time, fans have been clamoring for McGregor to potentially star in a Fast and Furious movie in the future. Seeing that Conor McGregor has already revealed more acting gigs in the pipeline, it will be interesting to see how his future performances stack up with the work he has done in Road House.