Cal Sylvia
Equinox Staff
“Rampage,” a blockbuster starring Dwayne Johnson, is more or less a run-of-the-mill popcorn flick. The story is fine, and the performances, while far from awardworthy, are passable, but the film, directed by Brad Peyton, is aware that it is action its audience wants to see.
What story the film does have is interesting enough to keep the audience invested until the action kicks in. In a scene reminiscent of Alfonso Cuaron’s “Gravity” (2013), an astronaut (Marley Shelton) saves three research capsules from a shuttle explosion. Her escape pod explodes, but the capsules survive the blast and land on Earth unharmed. Meanwhile, U.S. army veteran and animal rights defender Davis Okoye (Johnson), realizes that his best friend George, (whose motion capture is Jason Liles,) an albino gorilla, is growing in size and undergoing a change in personality. To cure George of his hostility, Davis must team up with Dr. Kate Caldwell (Naomie Harris), a former member of the company, run by cold corporate boss Claire Wyden (Malin Akerman), responsible for the mutation of George and two other animals.
The result is a tidal wave of action, from George resisting bullets as he fights a militia aboard a plane to Davis having to find a last-minute way to save himself, Kate and government agent Harvey Russell from a horrible crash, to the three animals fighting each other on the streets of Chicago. And of course, the movie wouldn’t be complete without its share of city wreckage, slow motion and explosions. There’s even a slapstick death along the way.
The film isn’t perfect. Dialogue includes clichéd lines such as “I need a drink.” The backstory of how Davis and George met needs more than the two minutes it’s given and should occur earlier in the film. None of the film’s characters offer emotional attachment.
Still, as check-your-brain-at-the-door entertainment, the good outweighs the bad. In addition to the thrill of the aforementioned action scenes, Akerman’s calm but stern performance fits the soulless menace of her character. After a building crumbles, grey smoke and the ruins of skyscrapers make for a powerful shot in an otherwise minimal-thought movie.
Yet the greatest triumph of the film is the original score by composer Andrew Lockington. Despite the lack of emotion emulated by the characters of the film, the score is strong in conveying the mood of the film throughout its runtime, whether that be a subtle softness during a calm scene, a melodic boom in a scene meant to be emotional or a nail-biting intensity in a fight scene. The music goes full throttle in the end battle scene and shifts to an emotionally gripping melody in its aftermath.
When all is said and done, “Rampage” is not a film that will be widely remembered in 50 years, 10 years or even five. Nevertheless, this film will satisfy anyone seeking a dose of action.
Cal Sylvia can be contacted at
csylvia@kscequinox.com
