Ok you guys, we need to talk. Most people love Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and that’s fine. He’s funny, he’s swole, he seems to be pretty nice, there’s nothing wrong with that. But does he keep getting these production opportunities because of those character traits… Or is it because he has 110 million followers on Instagram?
This is just my opinion, but he hasn’t made anything great since Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. That means Rampage was a waste of time and Skyscraper, while better than Rampage, still misses the mark. It’s loaded with suspense and has some fairly decent fight scenes. But the main draw is the building (hence the name). The film does a very good job of playing on people’s fear of heights and shows some incredible scenery.
Skyscraper is directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber and follows Will Sawyer (The Rock, because nobody calls him Dwayne Johnson) after he gets in an accident and retires from his duties as an FBI Hostage Team Leader. His new job as a safety inspector leads him to an opportunity to inspect The Pearl, the tallest skyscraper in the world, dwarfing both the Sears Tower and the Burj Khalifa. So as you can tell, this is not the same film where Anna Nicole Smith is a helicopter pilot stuck on top of an 86-story building (that’s a totally different skyscraper).
So aside from the fact your fear of heights will be tested throughout the movie, there are two cool things to note. One, how the heck are you Neve Campbell? I mean damn when was the last time I saw you in a movie? We’re talking Scream 4 back in 2011? I’ve always liked her so it was great to see her playing The Rock’s wife. But the coolest thing to see? They have these adorable twins in the movie and you can immediately see the talent oozing from them both. Georgia (McKenna Roberts) and Henry (Noah Cottrell) Sawyer are two to watch. McKenna has an extensive background in TV (including 54 episodes of Young and the Restless) but this is her first film, sure to propel her to the next level. Noah has one TV movie under his belt but Skyscraper is his first foray into big-budget acting as well. Remember their names, I’m calling it now.
I give Skyscraper a 7 out of 10. It’s predictable every step of the way and if you think a skyscraper into the clouds could stop the Brauma Bull you are dead wrong my friend. If you’re looking for a good reason to get out of the house then this will suffice. There’s a scene towards the end where I facepalmed so hard… Because The Rock tried… to act. It was just, simply, terrible. But it’s hard to hate him because outside of movies he gives you every reason in the world to love him. But we as film enthusiasts and moviegoers are going to have to face the inevitable: Is his massive social media following on its own enough to be affording him these opportunities?
-Jon J.