[Review] Skyscraper

From the moment Skyscraper's promo poster surfaced of The Rock amid an impossible jump into a burning building, we knew we were in for something insane. Is this movie ridiculous? Yes. Is the plot a lot like Die Hard? Yes. But does it have just enough elements to keep us entertained? Yes it does.

The Rock plays a former FBI Agent who lost one of his legs in an explosion. Now, he resides with his wife (Neve Campbell) and twins in a Hong Kong skyscraper called "The Pearl." It's not only the tallest building in the world, but it's also the most technologically advanced. What could go wrong? Well, eventually a syndicate of criminals infiltrate the place and set fire to the floor where The Rock's family is. From there, The Rock must rise to desperately lofty measures to rescue them.

Aside from all the glaring leaps in logic and inconsistencies, Skyscraper is a movie that you really just have to roll with, and even then, it can be difficult. A problem from the get-go is that it's never quite clear what the motivation or goal of the villains are. We see them engaging in all these elaborate plans, but why? What exactly are they trying to accomplish, and how are the benefitting from it? Of course, it's further revealed that money is the mission, but even so, a lot of these scenes feel haphazard and convoluted.

As for the good stuff, The Rock is in this movie. And the film has much more of a futuristic bend than the trailers hinted at, which gives the story a sleek uniqueness, while making for some really cool visuals -- from an elevator ride through the building's ultra-modern and oasis-like interior, to a tour of a huge spherical room of immersive and transformative HD images. The film delivers some major thrills with its vertigo-inducing scenery. They always tell you not to look down when you're high up, and thing definitely looks down. We also get to see The Rock spear someone through a glass table, toss enemies like apple cores, engage in death-defying spectacle, and make the big jump -- which has become something of an iconic meme. Another commendable aspect of Skyscraper is that The Rock's family isn't relegated to just waiting in the wings. They have a lot to do and they're constantly on the move. Neve Campbell's character gets to kick some butt herself, and she also plays a big role in getting the family out safely.

So, as long as you can put up with Skyscraper's imperfections, you'll find some rewards near the top.

( 7/10 )

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