Not full of gravitas, but fun
Published Apr 19, 2018 08:07 am
MOVIE REVIEW:
Fresh from his trip through the jungle In "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle," Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson returns, this time as a primatologist running around the concrete jungle of Chicago in 'Rampage." Based on the classic video game of the 1980’s, the film is about Johnson’s character, Dr. Davis. Okoye, caretaker to George the albino Gorrilla. When an experiment goes wrong, George turns gigantic and aggressive. Along with a similarly mutated wolf and crocodile, they go on a, ahem, rampage across the states, culminating in the city of Chicago.
Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson in 'Rampage'
If the plot seems a bit thin to you, dear reader, then you’re not alone. To be fair the source material is kooky and dated, (In the game the lizard and wolf were named Lizzie and Ralph, after all) and the concept as a film didn’t really have much to stand on, so I don’t envy the scriptwriters job in trying to flesh out something paper thin to begin with.
But with the Rock in the film as well as Jeffery Dean Morgan, of "Watchmen" and "Walking Dead" fame, as well as impressive set pieces of mindless destruction, "Rampage" gets to hold its own among video-games turned movies.
The dialogue is generic but Morgan’s cowboy flair makes up for it by providing interest as well as some comedy. The Rock has hit the point in his career that, while he may not be winning any Oscars soon, he’s name on the marquee undeniably pulls people in, and this is no exception. And he can do this, mainly because he delivers a particular brand of action, and lately, mixed in with some fun. Not necessarily life-changing or full of gravitas, but fun.
A scene from 'Rampage'
Like the "Fast and the Furious" franchise, "Rampage" is a movie that asks you to sit back and take it for what it is, a movie aiming to grab the simplest, most basic part of your brain and showing you what the kid in you loves to see: stuff blowing up, and giant monsters doing the fandango in a major population centre.
Its been called dumb fun, and while that’s debatable, in it’s excellent computer-generated destruction and the Rock’s back and forth with George the Gorilla who always seems to win their buddy-buddy exchanges, it certainly is fun.
Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson in 'Rampage'
If the plot seems a bit thin to you, dear reader, then you’re not alone. To be fair the source material is kooky and dated, (In the game the lizard and wolf were named Lizzie and Ralph, after all) and the concept as a film didn’t really have much to stand on, so I don’t envy the scriptwriters job in trying to flesh out something paper thin to begin with.
But with the Rock in the film as well as Jeffery Dean Morgan, of "Watchmen" and "Walking Dead" fame, as well as impressive set pieces of mindless destruction, "Rampage" gets to hold its own among video-games turned movies.
The dialogue is generic but Morgan’s cowboy flair makes up for it by providing interest as well as some comedy. The Rock has hit the point in his career that, while he may not be winning any Oscars soon, he’s name on the marquee undeniably pulls people in, and this is no exception. And he can do this, mainly because he delivers a particular brand of action, and lately, mixed in with some fun. Not necessarily life-changing or full of gravitas, but fun.
A scene from 'Rampage'
Like the "Fast and the Furious" franchise, "Rampage" is a movie that asks you to sit back and take it for what it is, a movie aiming to grab the simplest, most basic part of your brain and showing you what the kid in you loves to see: stuff blowing up, and giant monsters doing the fandango in a major population centre.
Its been called dumb fun, and while that’s debatable, in it’s excellent computer-generated destruction and the Rock’s back and forth with George the Gorilla who always seems to win their buddy-buddy exchanges, it certainly is fun.