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Skyscraper (2018) - Movie Review

3 starsAmputees attack!

If you are reading this then you are probably wondering if Dwayne Johnson’s new action flick is as yet another brainless actioneer.  Skyscraper is EXACTLY that.  Dumb.  Stupid.  Shameless. The movie, defying gravity and logic time and time again, is also entertaining.  This is a summer flick that is barely kept afloat by its energy; its illogical action scenes; and the endless charisma of its star as duct tape becomes his best bud. 

Just don’t expect to laugh all that much; Hong Kong native Byron Mann is pretty much unused here.  A missed opportunity for some much-needed levity, if you ask me, because this one takes itself a bit too seriously.

 

"This summer B-movie is a knock-off, sure, but it isn’t forgetful (because even if you hate it, you will remember it) and, in a summer where movies are being dropped from memories left and right, surely that means something, right?"


For those complaining about how mindless it is, well, yeah BUT look at how insanely high this flick takes the level of stupidity to!  Seriously.  This is a movie for the handicapped hero in us all as one former FBI agent (Johnson) finds himself battling terrorists in the tallest and “safest” building in Hong Kong.  His family – Neve Campbell as his wife, McKenna Roberts as his daughter, and Noah Cottrell as his son – is just above the fire line and, as he is the building’s security chief, this amputee finds himself framed for the seize.  But, when you consider his background, you already know Will is not just going to sit back and watch his life and his loves go up in flames.   {googleads}

Directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber (who also directed Johnson in Central Intelligence), Skyscraper is what happens when Die Hard takes place in The Towering Inferno.  This one operates like any other dumb B-movie.  It is fast-paced, completely bonkers, and keeps the audience engaged with plenty of death-defying moments where all laws of physics and gravity get abused. 

Don’t care for Johnson?  Then you won’t care for this flick.  Avoid it.  Fans of his will be pleased, though.  This one is just too silly to ignore and, because the appeal of its star is almost effortless, Skyscraper, in spite of its ridiculousness, will certainly have its fans.

Even if you did like it better when it was released as Die Hard, the flick manages to (barely) work.  Skyscraper is not as gritty, retains more of a family appeal, and is just a dumb ride through a building as a man with one good leg chases after a bunch of terrorists with foreign accents.  It’s stupid.  It is also fun.  And maybe that’s because Johnson is so freakin’ appealing as a man with a hunch about just how safe the building he’s living in actually is.  The actor has come a long way since The Scorpion King and it shows here.

Skyscraper (2018) - Movie Review

Prosthetic legs can be limiting.  Attached to the hulking mass that is The Rock, though, they become something else entirely.  Springboards, I guess, because, in one spectacular display of agility, Johnson jumps from, dives into, and scales several building floors in order to protect his family and his job.  You could say that he risks life and limb (again)!  And it is all to make us cheer.

Skyscraper has no depth.  And that’s a damn good thing.  It doesn’t profess to teach audiences anything except how to not take things so seriously at the SINema this summer.  It’s a light summer offering that dares to actually entertain.  The building, striking high into the Hong Kong sky, is called The Pearl and, as Johnson pulls himself and dangles far off the ground with solely a rope wrapped haphazardly around him, you will soon discover why: priceless goofiness that asks us only to leave our brains in the car.

This summer B-movie is a knock-off, sure, but it isn’t forgetful (because even if you hate it, you will remember it) and, in a summer where movies are being dropped from memories left and right, surely that means something, right?  

Skyscraper is indeed dizzying.

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Skyscraper (2018) - Movie Review

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sequences of gun violence and action, and for brief strong language.
Runtime:
112 mins
Director
: Rawson Marshall Thurber
Writer:
Rawson Marshall Thurber
Cast:
Dwayne Johnson, Neve Campbell, Pablo Schreiber
Genre
: Action | Drama
Tagline:
Don't Look Down.
Memorable Movie Quote: "We thought this floor was empty."
Theatrical Distributor:
Universal Pictures
Official Site: www.skyscrapermovie.com/
Release Date:
July 13, 2018
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
No details available.
Synopsis: FBI Hostage Rescue Team leader and U.S. war veteran Will Sawyer now assesses security for skyscrapers. On assignment in Hong Kong he finds the tallest, safest building in the world suddenly ablaze, and he's been framed for it. A wanted man on the run, Will must find those responsible, clear his name and somehow rescue his family who are trapped inside the building...above the fire line.

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Skyscraper (2018) - Movie Review

Blu-ray

Blu-ray Details:

Home Video Distributor: Universal Studios
Available on Blu-ray - October 9, 2018
Screen Formats: 2.40:1
Subtitles: English SDH; French; Spanish
Audio: English: English: Dolby Atmos; English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit); French: Dolby Digital Plus 7.1; Spanish: Dolby Digital Plus 7.1
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; Two-disc set (1 BD-50, 1 DVD); Digital copy; Movies Anywhere; DVD copy
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A

The AVC encoded 1080p transfer from Universal is presented here with an aspect ratio of 2.40:1. The film is expertly shot and the color saturation provides minute detail puncturing, replicated here in great moments of detail, textures in the environment, and atmospheres on the surface. The mood is sharpened throughout the feature by the solid black levels. Fortunately, even costume threads are visible in this fine presentation. The transfer handles all the happenings expertly. Blacks are deep and colors, as mentioned early, are varied and supple. The look of the film on disc dramatically expands the color palette and contrast range and uses dynamic metadata to automatically optimize the picture for every screen, frame by frame. Also, the Dolby Atmos soundtrack has been remixed specifically for the home theater environment to place and move audio anywhere in the room, including overhead.

Supplements:

Commentary:

Rawson Marshall Thurber’s commentary is more entertaining than the majority of the special features. 

Special Features:

With only one deleted scene which you must see, the supplemental material is disappointing in that it is so damn simple.  Everything is gloss.  Nothing really talks about making the movie.

• Deleted Scenes w/ Optional Director Commentary (12 min)

• Extended Scenes w Optional Director Commentary (10 min)

• Dwayne Johnson: Embodying A Hero (4 min)

• Inspiration (4 min)

• Opposing Forces (3 min)

• Friends No More (4 min)

• Kids In Action (3 min)

• Pineapple Pitch (2 min)

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Skyscraper (2018) - Movie Review

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