Director: Brad Peyton
Writer: Ryan Engle
Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Naomie Harris, Malin Ackerman and Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Davis Okoye is a gentle animal loving Primatologist who finds himself battling government forces in an attempt to save his best friend George an Albino Gorilla he adopted. A failed genetic experiment causes George to mutate into an aggressive 30-foot beast. Ordinary means are unable to contain George as he and several other altered beasts wreak havoc on Downtown Chicago. To save his friend and the innocent people of Chicago, Davis must join forces with the most heinous beast of all, man.
Loosely based on the 80’s arcade game Rampage is an action film with a solid cast and non-stop thrills. The film’s connection to the game is limited, with just a few tongues in cheek references. The game takes off from the perspective of the animal, with a goal of destroying cities. The movie is from the human perspective trying desperately to stop the destruction. Much like gameplay, the puny human’s attempts get more elaborate as the animals get bigger and stronger. In one scene, the continuously growing gorilla is sedated and confined to a cage. He wakes up and naturally all hell breaks loose. Soldiers try desperately to shoot George into submission only to have their little bullets ignored and their bodies are thrown around like discarded banana peels. The massive beasts in the film are CGI masterpieces that are awesomely terrifying. The spectacle of a 30-foot wolf leaping across a canyon to destroy a helicopter and devour the pilot is more than worth the price of admission. Though the animals are impressive in CGI the human element is way off the mark. In several of the stunts, Davis the man and his CGI counterpart are easily distinguishable. CGI Davis looks and moves exactly like an avatar. While this didn’t completely ruin the film for us, it did leave a crack in the fourth wall that was hard to ignore.
In addition to the special effects, the casting was a major factor in our enjoyment of the film. Dwayne Johnson does what he always does and lays the smack down in every scene. We should honestly be sick of his save everyone hero act, and yet we aren’t. His stunts, one-liners and overall fearlessness are always entertaining. Hollywood keeps writing films that seem tailor-made for Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Every character he has ever played hides a heart of gold beneath a tattooed chest. His role in Rampage is no exception, Davis Okoye is an animal loving ex-soldier forced to take on Big Brother and a greedy corporation to save his best friend. In a world plagued with villains, Davis is the hero we all need. As expected, Dwayne Johnson delivers an impeccable performance in a role that only he could play.
Our villain is the usually comedic, Malin Ackerman as the stone cold Claire Wyden who will stop at nothing to retrieve her research. This is a welcome departure for the actress who often plays good-natured souls. Wyden is a monster of a person who cares more about profits than people. From the start, she is cold and calculating. Before she is even visible on screen her voice is heard forcing a scientist on a failing spaceship to retrieve her research before she’ll open the escape hatch. Her greed and persistence know no bounds as she is willing to ruin whole cities in her efforts to capture and control the beasts.
Lastly, representing the U.S.A. is Jeffrey Dean Morgan a government agent hell-bent on stopping the overgrown animals by the book. He reminds us of a young Tommy Lee Jones with his Southern Drawl and easy demeanor. He may not partake in much of the action but he does provide some with and humor to the film. All in All start to finish Rampage is a fun, exciting film worth checking out. At the very least it is a welcome distraction while we wait for the next big thing. Rampage opens this Friday, April 13th.