It’s as silly as one would expect but it’s also an undeniably giddy pleasure and, coupled with another heart-pumping, vertigo-inducing action sequence, this is where the film works best. Which brings us to the much-memed crane jump. But this is soon forgotten and the shift to all-out action figure stunting is all too sudden, Sawyer’s anxiety fading instantly despite being faced with a series of genuinely impossible missions. He’s nervous, vulnerable and, when he’s initially thrown into action, unsure on his feet. While his heroic physique is hard to downplay, Johnson does a solid job in the initial scenes of convincing us that he’s not the day-saver we would expect. Neve Campbell and Dwayne Johnson: ‘Right from the opening scene, we’re locked into familiar, box-ticking territory.’ Photograph: Kimberley French/AP Every detail in the first act is a clumsily dropped breadcrumb to be used later on: a joke about Campbell’s character being terrible with technology, a kid’s asthma, a hi-tech tourist attraction high in the building … it’s all screenwriting 101. While it’s a far cry from actual representation for amputees on-screen (Johnson is able-bodied, after all), it’s a small step in the right direction.Įlsewhere, the script fails to make any real inroads towards that much-touted originality. The film kicks off with our hero experiencing some standard character-building trauma (as seen in Cliffhanger, Hostage, Along Came a Spider, etc), though in a somewhat unique touch it leaves our hero without a leg. Right from the opening scene, we’re locked into familiar, box-ticking territory. Even Universal has referenced this in the marketing, with posters mimicking both Die Hard and The Towering Inferno. But using the word original in the same sentence as Skyscraper feels ill-fitting, given that it’s such a shameless regurgitation of so many other films. Even Johnson himself sub-tweeted this, selling it as some sort of scrappy underdog. SKYSCRAPER opens in theaters everywhere this Friday, July 13th, 2018.Early tracking has suggested that Skyscraper will become the year’s biggest original hit, given that it’s a rare film with a $100m-plus budget that isn’t a sequel, a reboot, a remake or based on a TV show, a comic, a video game, a tweet or a discarded piece of food. I shouldn’t be shocked, The Rock has yet to make a movie I didn’t enjoy. SKYSCRAPER was better than I thought it was going to be going. Beyond the F-word, I don’t think any of this should come as a surprise with the type of movie SKYSCRAPER is. There are swear words including the F-word, Sh-word and a few others throughout the film. It’s rated PG-13, because there is no shortage of violence or strong language. I don’t think I’d take a younger child mainly because they’d probably be bored. I took my tween son (10) and he enjoyed it. The only part I didn’t like, but that I can only assume was meant to add to the suspense, was that the why all this was happening didn’t come to light until close to the end. Showing that there is life after a devastating tragedy is inspiring and I loved that. While some of the scenes were not quite believable, they did them justice. The Rock did an incredible job portraying an amputee. It was so intense and suspenseful at times I was covering my eyes and peeking between my fingers. The audience was oohing and ahhing one moment and fist pumping the next. I’m not even sure if action is the right word to use when describing SKYSCRAPER. Saying it was action packed is an understatement. The first scene put me on the edge of my seat and that is where I stayed the entire film. A wanted man on the run, Will must find those responsible, clear his name and somehow rescue his family who is trapped inside the building…above the fire line. On assignment in China he finds the tallest, safest building in the world suddenly ablaze, and he’s been framed for it. war veteran who now assesses security for skyscrapers. Synopsis:ĭwayne Johnson plays Will Sawyer, a former FBI Hostage Rescue Team leader and U.S. I was intrigued by the war veteran amputee story line, since that is definitely not something that Hollywood would normally take on. But honestly, I figured it was just going to be another action film that didn’t live up to my hopes. I wasn’t sure what to expect from Skyscraper beyond some crazy stunts, brawny men (ahem, The Rock), and some intense moments. I’ve gathered my thoughts, picked my jaw up off the floor and am sharing it all with you! Check out my spoiler free review.įull Disclosure: I was invited to a media screening and received free admission to the film. Last night, I got the opportunity to screen the newest Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson film – SKYSCRAPER.
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