Filmsane

There is a certain expectation when going to a The Rock movie. Among other things, you’re expected to be numbed by a mindless plot and dazzled by the charisma of the ex pro-wrestler turned actor. Oh there is a whole lot of CGI action scenes too, but what movie doesn’t have them nowadays?

Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) is Davis Okoye in Rampage. A former US Army Special Forces soldier that now works as a primatologist in a San Diego wildlife preserve. He’s befriended an albino gorilla called George at the preserve, but will soon find himself in a deadly rampage in Chicago. A debris of dangerous pathogen, developed by by Energyne has been scattered on US soil, and George along with an alligator and Grey wolf has been made bigger and meaner because of it. Oh and they’re on their way to Chicago to… you know what? Never mind…. It doesn’t matter anyway.

OK… here’s the thing. As much as it pains me to say, Rampage is fairly entertaining movie. Coupled with some solid and funny performances from The Rock and Jeffrey Dean Morgan (oh and some awesome CGI action scenes), you’ll be clapping like an 8-year old child at the movie theater. Well, at least my man did sitting right next to me.

However, the history has shown us that, Johnson and Morgan are not enough to save a movie. Why? Because the ability to follow the movie’s progression from A to Z is not a big stretch on your brain cells. Having to follow the movie from A to B to C to D (or god forbid understand it) up to a Z is the tricky part. In other words don’t ask for the details of the scientific/biological or any other reasoning in between. Rampage doesn’t provide them, so do expect to be bored to death for much of the movie’s length. In fact everything expect the last third of the film is a bad mix of terrible villains, sappy back-stories and ill-fated attempts (from the 4 screenwriters) to make Johnson a comedic God. Here’s a hint. They don’t work.

Oh the villains. Don’t think for a second that the giant gorilla/wolf and alligator are the only villains here. No, they are the decent villains. Sporadically, we’re left with Claire Wyden (Malin Akerman) and her dimwitted brother Bret (Jake Lacey) to show us how you should not do a baddie, even in a movie like Rampage. Frankly, the pair of them are annoying and silly, more than terrifying but I guess silly is the word that best describes the whole movie. Not just the siblings.

On the other hand there is one person that seems to be enjoying it. Being in the movie I mean. Jeffrey Dean Morgan is clearly relishing every second that he was in front of the camera and I’ll even forgive him for sporting that terrible southern accent. Oh yeah, i’ll look past it Jeffrey, don’t you worry.

But at last 30 minutes or so, you’ll get your money’s worth back. Trust me. If you’re not squeamish about animals fighting each other, or you don’t have a problem with senseless bomb dropping, chopper crashing and buildings falling down so loudly that your head is about to explode, then you’re in for a treat.

Rampage is everything what you expect a The Rock movie to be. Loud, mindless, dumb, but fun with corny and sometimes dated jokes and killer CGI fight/action scenes.