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Review: Rampage

RAMPAGE

It’s safe to assume that most people who want to see Rampage aren’t interested in it because it’s (loosely) based on an arcade game from the 1980’s. Since it wasn’t as popular as some of the other games back then and these types of movies don’t have a great track record, people’s hopes shouldn’t to high anyway. Those are probably a couple of the reasons behind making sure someone like Dwayne Johnson is involved. Maybe he can be able to attract an audience even if all of the signs are pointing in the opposite direction.

Starring as Davis Okoye, Dwayne Johnson plays a character who has taken on the career of a primatologist after resigning as a special forces agent. In his current profession, he’s formed a strong bond with George, a rare albino gorilla he’s taken care of since birth. Up until this point, the bond has been special, but that is put to the test once a genetic experiment gone wrong changes George and other animals into enormous creatures that threaten to cause a global catastrophe if not somehow contained.

Rampage does what people who want to see it would want it to do. With movies like this, you want a crazy and preposterous adventure due to chaos that’s been caused by huge monsters capable of destroying anything in their paths. In that sense, they are able to deliver more often than not. And if that’s all you’re going for, you could be more than satisfied with what you end up with.

I guess there are also those people who might be going to see this so they can watch Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in his element. For people going for that reason, you get that to some extent. Of course, he’s not really engaging in any real fisticuffs in this one, but he’s still the same action hero that many love seeing on the big screen.

Based on those features, some viewers will undoubtedly have a fun time at the theater. And with that in mind, that might actually be the only thing that matters with movies like Rampage. You’re not getting one of the greatest movies of all-time, but you’re being offered a chance to be entertained in a way that may be considered as mindless fun to plenty of people.

If you’re expecting much else, you could be in for a disappointing experience. For myself, I didn’t mind the action or the over the top characters who found their way into the screen. However, some of it doesn’t work as well as it could have. And in an age when you get movies like Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (also starring Dwayne Johnson), it’s difficult to say that you can’t expect more from movies.

While the action helps in making this a solid experience, Rampage could have benefited from less talking and more doing. This is the biggest reason why the movie doesn’t reach a higher level. As I said, we’re here for the action and the adventure. Give us enough to build a story and let the important factors take care of the rest. If that happened, you’re looking at a flick that I could recommend a lot more.

Although there was too much exposition, I did come away with appreciating the fact that they tried to make this believable as they possibly could. Since this is complete fantasy, I wouldn’t have held it against them had they decided to turn this into something absolutely insane. Instead, they took the time to build a backstory that sounds at least slightly plausible in the world they created.

As it turns out, it’s hard to hate Rampage. It’s not something that I’m able to love, but I can’t trash it since it essentially delivers some decent moments that will likely receive a pleasant response from a significant amount of its viewers. In that sense, there’s enough here to provide people with what they’re looking for. If you’re looking for some of what I described, you might want to head to your local theater to see for yourself.

Rating: PG-13

Director: Brad Peyton

Cast:
Dwayne Johnson
Naomie Harris
Malin Akerman
Jake Lacy
Joe Manganiello
Jeffrey Dean Morgan
P.J. Byrne
Marley Shelton
Breanne Hill
Jack Quaid

Film Length: 107 minutes

Release Date: April 13, 2018

Distributor: New Line Cinema

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