In case you haven’t noticed, The Rock is one of the busiest actors working in Hollywood today. Not only did he have Rampage come out in April but he also has his hit HBO show, “Ballers” premiering in August. In addition, he is currently filming Jungle Cruise for Disney and has the Fast & Furious spin-off after that. However, he also has an “original concept film” called Skyscraper that he made alongside his Central Intelligence collaborator, Rawson Marshall Thurber. Is Skyscraper just another Dwayne Johnson film or is it the special film that he’s making it out to be?
Unfortunately, Skyscraper isn’t the original concept film that The Rock is making it out to be. On the other hand, the film is an excellent 90s summer blockbuster throwback film. It’s big, loud, and most importantly, entertaining.
Skyscraper follows Will Sawyer, a U.S. war veteran lost one of his legs after an incident with a target. Now, Sawyer assesses the security of skyscrapers for companies. On an assignment in Hong Kong, Sawyer finds himself a target of the police and the terrorists who set ablaze the “world’s tallest and safest building in the world.” In order to save his family, he must defy the odds and find those responsible for the towering inferno.
When The Rock first announced Skyscraper, he touted it as an original concept film. Unfortunately, he’s only partially right. No, it’s not the Die Hard remake that you think it is. But it is a mixture of a lot of films. Essentially Skyscraper is a mix of Die Hard, Towering Inferno, and Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol. If you’ve seen any of these films then you’ll probably recognize a lot of the same story elements in Skyscraper. Luckily this mixture of films works out really well for the film. Not only is everything coherent but the film is a lot of fun too.
It’s the kind of brainless action fun that you expect from a Michael Bay film or a 90s summer blockbuster film. Meaning there’s a lot of great action sequences in this film. It’s big, brash, and loud—everything that you would want from a traditional summer blockbuster film. However, the film also has a mystery that is surprisingly unpredictable. The reasoning behind the villains’ plan to destroy the building is something you won’t expect at all. At the same time, it’s also a little far-fetched. Credit to Rawson Marshall Thurber for at least trying to be original here.
Nevertheless, the film also has a lot of heart. Believe it or not, the family aspect isn’t as cheesy at all. It’s the cause of a lot of unbelievable scenes but that doesn’t make it any less heartwarming.
But, as you might expect, the film has its fair share of utterly ridiculous moments. As a result, you’re going to have to suspend disbelief as you’re watching the film. If you’re the type of person that likes realism in films then this film isn’t for you.
Not to mention, the villains in the film are a little bland. They’re one dimensional and lack any personality whatsoever. In fact, unless you’re The Rock or Chin Han, then their character is one-dimensional too. Nevertheless, the characters do have their time to shine in the film. The good guys—family included—aren’t useless at all. They’re all strong-willed characters that have at least one shining moment in the film.
Despite all that, this is still a Rock-centric film. This is the first time, in a long time, that we’ve seen The Rock in such a vulnerable role. This is something that we probably haven’t seen since his Attitude era days in the WWE. It’s not because he has a disability but it’s part of the reason. The Rock goes through the ringer and actually looks genuinely hurt. He’s not a total badass that pain doesn’t affect him. He gets hurt and shows it.
Chin Han also gets a chance to show his action side in this film. He gets to join in on a few firefights which is something we haven’t really seen from him before. At the same time, he basically gives the same performance as you’ve seen in other films. He’s very monotonous and very serious. Neve Campbell brings a strong female presence to the screen. She isn’t just a helpless wife in this film, she gets in on the action as well. As for the large diverse cast, they all have such small roles in the film. But once again, this is a Rock-centric film.
Overall, Skyscraper is a big, dumb, and fun film. It’s definitely a throwback to the traditional summer blockbuster films of the 90s. Unlike those films, however, the film has a good amount of heart. The film isn’t the best but it’s still quite entertaining.
Rating: 3/5 atoms
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