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| The Sky is the limit. (actual tagline of this movie) |
Summary:
Dwayne The Rock Johnson's family is stuck in a state-of-the-art skyscraper that has been set on fire. He decides to save them. That's all you need to know.Pros:
A Video Game Starring Dwayne The Rock Johnson: I told you I have a theory about why this movie is so divisive, and I've decided not to bury the lead and get right to it. Critics think they are reviewing a movie. And they aren't. They are reviewing a video game being played by Dwayne The Rock Johnson (and, no, I don't put "the Rock" in quotes, because it is a part of the man's name, now: it is no mere nickname). Dwayne The Rock Johnson scales a hundred-story-tall crane, leaps from it to a broken-open window in the titular skyscraper, and, at various times, uses duct tape to crawl, like a muscle-bloated spider, across the outside of that building. These sequences feel less like a film, and more like a video game set up. As long as you firmly check your disbelief at the door, you are going to have fun watching Dwayne The Rock Johnson play this game.A Husband and Wife: I like Dwayne The Rock Johnson (yes, I will continue to spell out his entire name, every time) and Neve Campbell's relationship in this movie. Firstly, they are age-appropriate together: the filmmakers decided not to pair him with some twenty-something super model. Neve Campbell is a beautiful woman, but she is also believable as a wife and mother. For the record, Dwayne The Rock Johnson is 46 years old, and Campbell is 44. I looked it up. Neve Campbell is smart, level-headed in the face of disaster, and knows how to kick ass when she needs to. They are a power couple, and criminals should do their damndest to NEVER separate them or put their children in jeopardy EVER again: it won't end well. Also, Campbell spends the film in jeans and a t-shirt: I like that the filmmakers never needlessly sexed her up. You know what else is great? She doesn't wait around for her husband to save her: she takes her kids, and gets moving, and even takes out a bad guy or two. Her character is not content to be a princess in a literal tower waiting for a hero to come and save her. THAT is cool, too.
Simple, Straightforward Actioner: Rawson Marshall Thurber, who wrote and directed this film, has crafted a straightforward action film. I like that. It doesn't need a high concept or ballet-like action to be fun. Just, ya know, put Dwayne The Rock Johnson's kids in danger and set him loose.
Not a Disability: Dwayne The Rock Johnson's character is missing a leg: the result of a hostage negotiation gone wrong, detailed in the opening sequence. But the film never treats him like someone with a disability, and that is fresh. The producers worked with Jeff Glasbrenner, a Paralympian who has a prosthetic leg, to make Dwayne The Rock Johnson's performance more authentic. And if you are skeptical about the man's credentials, Glasbrenner was the first American amputee to scale Mt. Everest in 2016. BAD ASS. The movie never treats the character like someone who CAN'T do something: I think this is an important message for people. People with prosthetic limbs can be action heroes too, goddammit.
Doesn't Overstay Its Welcome: At 104 minutes, Skyscraper is a relatively short movie, and definitely won't waste your time.
Pretty: I really liked how Thurber used lighting in this movie. Specifically, how he uses the flickering orange fire as under-light the entire time. This casts everyone immediately in a dramatic fashion, contrasting the red-orange highlights with pools of shadow, and it looks cool, to boot.
Stupid Fun: Like I said, this movie is a good time. It is absolutely unbelievable for anyone else to do the things that Dwayne The Rock Johnson does in this movie, or most of his movies, but, somehow, he gets away with it. He had made absurdity his calling card. My wife burst out laughing after he scaled the crane, and looked entirely nonplussed. And she was right to do so: he CLIMBED a HUNDRED STORY CRANE, AND THEN DID A PULL UP TO GET HIMSELF ON THE PLATFORM. To which I responded, "He's The Rock, duh." I think that says just about everything you need to know.
Cons:
Shaky Action: Thurber tends to do the shaky-cam thing with his fight scenes, and some of their power is lost in the same-ey-ness that technique creates.Everyone Else Might As Well Be Cardboard: The heart of the film is Dwayne The Rock Johnson, his wife, and his kids. Everyone else is just kind of... there. Which is fine for me, but you might be bothered by it.
Straddles the Line of Disbelief: The movie is choosey about when it decides to follow the laws of physics. Example: A helicopter, getting too close to the hot flame, starts to lose altitude and has to back away. But then, like, Dwayne The Rock Johnson scales a hundred-plus story crane by climbing it. With his arms. And legs. And then Superman leaps from the crane to the building. Like... that isn't possible. At all. It'd be one thing if the film committed to being as absurd as something like The Fast and The Furious, or Crank, but it doesn't. I like my Dwayne The Rock Johnson movies rooted firmly in absurdity.
In Conclusion:
I liked this movie. I didn't spend much time watching it, and I didn't have to think about it too hard. I just had some good ole' fashioned fun.Should You Watch It?
Maybe: it's a fun Summer action movie. I wouldn't consider this necessary viewing, but, if you are strapped for something to do with your afternoon, you could do far worse than spending it in a burning building with Dwayne The Rock Johnson.Miscellany:
- This is Rawson Marshall Thurber's first non-comedy movie, and his second movie with Dwayne The Rock Johnson.
- Producers brought in real-life architect Adrian Smith, the man behind Dubai's Burj Khalifa, as a consultant during the development of the film.
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