Skyscraper Review
"If you can't fix it with duct tape, you're not using enough duct tape."
-Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Skyscraper
Inspirational words from second-highest paid actor in the business right now, behind some old guy named "Clowney". Anyways, lets talk about Skyscraper! In this film, the Rock plays a skyscraper inspector who happens to be a veteran and a former FBI Hostage Rescue agent and only has one leg. I'm not gonna really explain the plot because, for the most part, you can tell what's going to happen from the poster. (Also, I'm sorry I haven't reviewed a blockbuster in a while. I been mainly doing documentaries and dramas, so I need to change it up a little.)
Okay, I'm aware that this movie has not had the best reception from critics. And as a critic, I should probably agree with them right?
Nah.
I know it's cliched, I know the physics don't make any sense, and I know it's no masterpiece. But that doesn't mean the movie can't be fun. And it is fun. I had blast watching this one! The film is in no way trying to win an Academy Award; it's supposed to be a crowd-pleasing action-thriller that wants nothing but to entertain the audience (and probably some money too).
One of the things I enjoyed about this was that the film is fairly self-aware in how ridiculous it is. At certain points after action sequences, something goofy will happen that contrasts the main tone of the movie. And these moments do work to relieve some of the tension: especially the running gag about duct tape. Don't worry, those who find an issue with that; the action is very well done. While the action isn't as good as films like Mission: Impossible or Bourne, it's still very entertaining to watch. None of the sequences felt slow or uninteresting. In fact, some scenes generate a surprising amount of tension and actually bring you to the edge of your seat. All of the action scenes worked for what the movie was trying to accomplish. The plot was okay, but not great. I could follow everything that was going on perfectly fine, but I thought there were some elements in plot that were kinda dumb. Like, was explaining all of those former careers that The Rock had necessary to show that he was going to save the day in the end? I don't think so. I did like that the plot had a fairly emotional anchor to it in terms of family relations, even if it wasn't executed to the fullest capacity. Fortunately, The Rock has a pretty great performance, which hasn't always been the case in the past. The rest of the cast was fine, too. The performances weren't anything exceptional, but they were at least passable. The dialogue wasn't bad at all; like I said, the film is somewhat self-aware, so some of the more goofy lines were clearly intentional. Finally, we must come to my biggest criticism about the film: the special effects. I don't know if this just my perception or not, but I thought they looked awful. It really made the film look fake at points. Normally, I wouldn't take this much issue, but the budget was over $100 million! How come it's always the super high-budget films that have the worst effects? Do the designers simply not care? I have no idea. Nevertheless, Skyscraper is a perfectly fine action thriller for those (like me) who are simply looking for just that.
SCORE: 7/10
I say check it out if you're interested. I wasn't disappointed and as long you're not looking for a masterpiece, you shouldn't be either.
Okay, I'm aware that this movie has not had the best reception from critics. And as a critic, I should probably agree with them right?
Nah.
I know it's cliched, I know the physics don't make any sense, and I know it's no masterpiece. But that doesn't mean the movie can't be fun. And it is fun. I had blast watching this one! The film is in no way trying to win an Academy Award; it's supposed to be a crowd-pleasing action-thriller that wants nothing but to entertain the audience (and probably some money too).
One of the things I enjoyed about this was that the film is fairly self-aware in how ridiculous it is. At certain points after action sequences, something goofy will happen that contrasts the main tone of the movie. And these moments do work to relieve some of the tension: especially the running gag about duct tape. Don't worry, those who find an issue with that; the action is very well done. While the action isn't as good as films like Mission: Impossible or Bourne, it's still very entertaining to watch. None of the sequences felt slow or uninteresting. In fact, some scenes generate a surprising amount of tension and actually bring you to the edge of your seat. All of the action scenes worked for what the movie was trying to accomplish. The plot was okay, but not great. I could follow everything that was going on perfectly fine, but I thought there were some elements in plot that were kinda dumb. Like, was explaining all of those former careers that The Rock had necessary to show that he was going to save the day in the end? I don't think so. I did like that the plot had a fairly emotional anchor to it in terms of family relations, even if it wasn't executed to the fullest capacity. Fortunately, The Rock has a pretty great performance, which hasn't always been the case in the past. The rest of the cast was fine, too. The performances weren't anything exceptional, but they were at least passable. The dialogue wasn't bad at all; like I said, the film is somewhat self-aware, so some of the more goofy lines were clearly intentional. Finally, we must come to my biggest criticism about the film: the special effects. I don't know if this just my perception or not, but I thought they looked awful. It really made the film look fake at points. Normally, I wouldn't take this much issue, but the budget was over $100 million! How come it's always the super high-budget films that have the worst effects? Do the designers simply not care? I have no idea. Nevertheless, Skyscraper is a perfectly fine action thriller for those (like me) who are simply looking for just that.
SCORE: 7/10
I say check it out if you're interested. I wasn't disappointed and as long you're not looking for a masterpiece, you shouldn't be either.
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