Dwayne Johnson is a man on a mission. The world's biggest action star is in a competition with himself to see if he can make the silliest, dumbest, most flat-out bonkers film in cinematic history. Granted, not every movie in the oeuvre of The Rock is part of this competition. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle was a wonderfully made slice of blockbuster fun, while R-rated Baywatch was, well, just unbelievably terrible. But after dipping his toes into the arena with 2015's San Andreas, Johnson has fully committed to the craft of pure movie madness this year. April's Rampage featured epic monster smackdowns, ridiculous carnage, and a maddening script, adding up to what may be the most enjoyable slice of unadulterated dumb fun of 2018. I didn't think Skyscraper, an old-school action vehicle that recycles plenty of elements we've seen before, could top a movie with a giant ape and the destruction of an entire city.
I was wrong.
Skyscraper is not as overtly stupid as Johnson's last outing, but it's still one of the most preposterous films in recent memory. The Rock is a figure of superhuman strength, and Will Sawyer's life is never once in question during this entire movie. He jumps off a crane, tumbles along the outside of a building, and even gets his head smashed into a TV at one point, three things that no normal human being could survive. It's ludicrous, and the film only kinda seems to recognize it. And in its use of the Die Hard template, Skyscraper also features a plot that feels both half-baked and brutally predictable, a European villain (of course) with no depth or real motivation, and an overabundance of CGI.
But despite its eye-roll-worthy insanity, Johnson's latest retro action flick is a genuine delight from start to finish. It's an economical and efficient event movie, equipped with explosive thrills and devoid of even the slightest amount of fat. Skyscraper has a no-frills quality to it that I admire, and even as it basically betrays the core idea behind this kind of Die Hard rip-off, it's still loads of fun to watch. The film begins with little exposition, as we're introduced to Sawyer during the middle of a hostage situation. He's a soldier and a professional in the area of diffusing high-pressure situations, but this time is different. A bomb goes off during the raid, causing Will to lose his part of his left leg.
While in the hospital, Will meets an army nurse named Sarah (Neve Campbell). Cut to ten years later and the two have started a family together, raising two wonderful kids (McKenna Roberts and Noah Cottrell). Will works as a security expert, and he has been brought in by an old war buddy (Pablo Schreiber) to examine the structure of a giant Hong Kong building known as The Pearl. Built by genius Zhao Long Ji (Chin Han), this is the tallest skyscraper in the world, meant to symbolize the immense potential of humanity at its finest. Will gives his stamp of approval to the building, but of course, things quickly go wrong. A group of terrorists, led by the formidable Kores Botha (Roland Moller), have stormed the building and set a massive fire, trapping Will's family inside. But here's the catch- Will Sawyer has been framed for the crime. With the world's largest building under siege, it's up to this everyman to clear his name and save the day.
I noted this film's similarities to Die Hard earlier, but it's worth emphasizing just how far this deviates from the core formula of that classic film. It's like The Rock and the filmmakers watched John McTiernan's action masterclass without actually understanding it, cherry-picking elements that they liked and discarding anything that didn't fit in with their vision. Simply put, Will Sawyer is no John McClane. He's not an average cop with only his wits to assist him- he's virtually indestructible. It's not surprising if you've ever seen an action movie with Dwayne Johnson, but it's still inherently funny to watch the actor hold onto a rope and slam into ten different windows. Unlike something like Die Hard or Speed, Skyscraper is impossible to take seriously. And that's not a bad thing! Some have knocked this particular Rock vehicle for being too grim and humorless, which isn't exactly true. It may not be constantly recognizing its own idiocy, but this is far from a self-serious picture.
The Rock worked with writer/director Rawson Marshall Thurber on 2016's mediocre spy comedy Central Intelligence, and they'll collaborate again on 2020's big-budget Red Notice. I wasn't a fun of their first collaboration, but this is slowly turning into a fruitful partnership. Thurber made his name directing raunchy flicks like Dodgeball and We're the Millers, so it's sort of surprising to see him shift to such an obvious blockbuster mode. The filmmaker proves to be a steady and crucial voice, choreographing the action with precision and grace. Thurber clearly has a deep knowledge of the mechanics of the genre, establishing the geography of the setpieces and relying on simple characterizations to tell this story.
Skyscraper moves like a freight train, hurtling itself from one hail of gunfire to the next, without losing an ounce of its heart-pounding appeal along the way. Thurber is a crafty and smart director, understanding the necessity of a rapid pace and propulsive momentum. Without Thurber and cinematographer Robert Elswit behind the camera, I have a feeling this could have ended up being a much more generic, lackluster mess.
Compact and relentless at 102 minutes, Skyscraper is pretty much the pinnacle of action simplicity. Of course, this comes with more than a few drawbacks. Looking for an actual character arc for Will Sawyer? Yeah, I wouldn't hold your breath. Hoping to learn much of anything about Will's wife or children? Seriously, don't count on it. A fan of interesting antagonists and smart villainous plans? This is not gonna be the movie for you.
But as pure spectacle, Skyscraper works in an unexpected, seriously enjoyable way. It is a blunt and skillful delivery system for big and bombastic thrills, a dopey and comically nonsensical blockbuster that slowly reveals itself to be a bona fide blast.
Empty and stupid and a whole lot of fun- it's the ultimate Dwayne Johnson vehicle.
THE FINAL GRADE: B (7.4/10)
Images: Universal/IMDb
I was wrong.
Skyscraper is not as overtly stupid as Johnson's last outing, but it's still one of the most preposterous films in recent memory. The Rock is a figure of superhuman strength, and Will Sawyer's life is never once in question during this entire movie. He jumps off a crane, tumbles along the outside of a building, and even gets his head smashed into a TV at one point, three things that no normal human being could survive. It's ludicrous, and the film only kinda seems to recognize it. And in its use of the Die Hard template, Skyscraper also features a plot that feels both half-baked and brutally predictable, a European villain (of course) with no depth or real motivation, and an overabundance of CGI.
But despite its eye-roll-worthy insanity, Johnson's latest retro action flick is a genuine delight from start to finish. It's an economical and efficient event movie, equipped with explosive thrills and devoid of even the slightest amount of fat. Skyscraper has a no-frills quality to it that I admire, and even as it basically betrays the core idea behind this kind of Die Hard rip-off, it's still loads of fun to watch. The film begins with little exposition, as we're introduced to Sawyer during the middle of a hostage situation. He's a soldier and a professional in the area of diffusing high-pressure situations, but this time is different. A bomb goes off during the raid, causing Will to lose his part of his left leg.
While in the hospital, Will meets an army nurse named Sarah (Neve Campbell). Cut to ten years later and the two have started a family together, raising two wonderful kids (McKenna Roberts and Noah Cottrell). Will works as a security expert, and he has been brought in by an old war buddy (Pablo Schreiber) to examine the structure of a giant Hong Kong building known as The Pearl. Built by genius Zhao Long Ji (Chin Han), this is the tallest skyscraper in the world, meant to symbolize the immense potential of humanity at its finest. Will gives his stamp of approval to the building, but of course, things quickly go wrong. A group of terrorists, led by the formidable Kores Botha (Roland Moller), have stormed the building and set a massive fire, trapping Will's family inside. But here's the catch- Will Sawyer has been framed for the crime. With the world's largest building under siege, it's up to this everyman to clear his name and save the day.
I noted this film's similarities to Die Hard earlier, but it's worth emphasizing just how far this deviates from the core formula of that classic film. It's like The Rock and the filmmakers watched John McTiernan's action masterclass without actually understanding it, cherry-picking elements that they liked and discarding anything that didn't fit in with their vision. Simply put, Will Sawyer is no John McClane. He's not an average cop with only his wits to assist him- he's virtually indestructible. It's not surprising if you've ever seen an action movie with Dwayne Johnson, but it's still inherently funny to watch the actor hold onto a rope and slam into ten different windows. Unlike something like Die Hard or Speed, Skyscraper is impossible to take seriously. And that's not a bad thing! Some have knocked this particular Rock vehicle for being too grim and humorless, which isn't exactly true. It may not be constantly recognizing its own idiocy, but this is far from a self-serious picture.
The Rock worked with writer/director Rawson Marshall Thurber on 2016's mediocre spy comedy Central Intelligence, and they'll collaborate again on 2020's big-budget Red Notice. I wasn't a fun of their first collaboration, but this is slowly turning into a fruitful partnership. Thurber made his name directing raunchy flicks like Dodgeball and We're the Millers, so it's sort of surprising to see him shift to such an obvious blockbuster mode. The filmmaker proves to be a steady and crucial voice, choreographing the action with precision and grace. Thurber clearly has a deep knowledge of the mechanics of the genre, establishing the geography of the setpieces and relying on simple characterizations to tell this story.
Skyscraper moves like a freight train, hurtling itself from one hail of gunfire to the next, without losing an ounce of its heart-pounding appeal along the way. Thurber is a crafty and smart director, understanding the necessity of a rapid pace and propulsive momentum. Without Thurber and cinematographer Robert Elswit behind the camera, I have a feeling this could have ended up being a much more generic, lackluster mess.
Compact and relentless at 102 minutes, Skyscraper is pretty much the pinnacle of action simplicity. Of course, this comes with more than a few drawbacks. Looking for an actual character arc for Will Sawyer? Yeah, I wouldn't hold your breath. Hoping to learn much of anything about Will's wife or children? Seriously, don't count on it. A fan of interesting antagonists and smart villainous plans? This is not gonna be the movie for you.
But as pure spectacle, Skyscraper works in an unexpected, seriously enjoyable way. It is a blunt and skillful delivery system for big and bombastic thrills, a dopey and comically nonsensical blockbuster that slowly reveals itself to be a bona fide blast.
Empty and stupid and a whole lot of fun- it's the ultimate Dwayne Johnson vehicle.
THE FINAL GRADE: B (7.4/10)
Images: Universal/IMDb
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