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Rampage

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Dwayne Johnson in Rampage. (Warner Bros)
Dwayne Johnson in Rampage. (Warner Bros)

What it's about:

Primatologist Davis Okoye, a man who keeps people at a distance, shares an unshakeable bond with George, the extraordinarily intelligent, silverback gorilla who has been in his care since birth. But, a rogue genetic experiment gone awry mutates this gentle ape into a raging creature of enormous size. To make matters worse, it’s soon discovered there are other similarly altered animals.

As these newly created alpha predators tear across North America, destroying everything in their path, Okoye teams with a discredited genetic engineer to secure an antidote, fighting his way through an ever-changing battlefield—not only to halt a global catastrophe, but to save the fearsome creature that was once his friend.

What we thought:

If you’re hoping for some social commentary about humans, animals and science like Planet of the Apes, Rampage is not that movie. 

It’s a mindless 3D action film with giant-sized monsters, lots of destruction and the US military who, as usual, think guns can solve every crisis.

The film is loosely based on the 1980s video game where gigantic monsters try to survive against the onslaught of military forces. You progress to the next round when a city is reduced to rubble.

The film certainly gets that right, but where things fall apart is the convoluted plots that were brought in to create a story. ‘Cause you know movies kinda need a storyline of some sort. 

The main issues I had with the plot are the laughable bad guys, Claire Wyden (Malin Akerman) and Brett Wynden (Jake Lacy). A pair of big wig corporate siblings who are, wait for it, motivated by money. (So cliché.)

And then there’s Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s, government agent/cowboy character that I just didn’t get. 

Rampage also feels a lot like San Andreas which is not surprising as Dwayne Johnson reunited with the same director, Brad Peyton. 

Johnson’s character is very much the same, too, just this time he is ex-military who, of course, is equipped to fly helicopters and able to handle every weapon he comes across. 

It is really hard to fault Johnson when he is clearly having so much fun but he gets lost in the rumble in this one as the CGI gorilla George (Jason Liles) steals the show. 

While it’s terribly cliché Rampage has enough action, suspense and some comedy to keep you entertained – which is exactly what you’d expect from this type of movie. 

You’ll certainly have a good laugh afterwards at just how cheesy it is. 


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