This summer blockbuster proves an enjoyable action throwback
The wrestling ring seems so long ago now for Dwayne Johnson. His career as an actor since those early days is burgeoning with efforts such as the Fast & the Furious series, Jumanji Welcome to the Jungle, and Central Intelligence, with Johnson slipping effortlessly between action and comedy, usually in the same film. 2018 has seen the big man go bigger, tackling action on a scale bigger than before. While Rampage was a underwhelming venture, Skyscraper feels like something of a action throwback despite its scale. It’s shades of Die Hard and The Towering Inferno, swirling around the charms of Johnson himself.
Synopsis:
Fueled with adrenaline and high impact verticality, Skyscraper is led by superstar Dwayne Johnson who plays former FBI Hostage Team leader, U.S. war veteran and amputee Will Sawyer. While on assignment in Hong Kong as an assessor for security in skyscrapers, he comes to find the tallest and safest building in the world suddenly ablaze, and he has been framed for it. Wanted and on the run, Will must find those responsible, clear his name and save his family who is trapped inside the building… above the fire line.
Another year, another disaster movie. Whether we’re in it for the heroics of the survivors or the wanton spectacle of devastation, it’s one of the bedrocks of the film industry. Carving out a niche as one of Hollywood’s go-to action men means it’s a necessity for Dwayne Johnson to indulge in such fare. We’ve already seen him tackle water in 2015’s San Andreas, and here he goes again. Shit goes wrong, and Johnson is stuck in the middle of it all trying to do the best for his family. Only it’s water not fire, and confined to a building rather than the West coast. A blaze starts in the world’s most advanced/tallest building while Johnson’s Will Sawyer is consulting on its security. Being blamed for the incident, he sets off into the structure not just to clear his name, but to rescue his family who are trapped inside, and once there discovering the fire is not the only threat to them all.
Despite Skyscraper being an original property, there’s little new here. But the familiarity of it all actually feels rather comforting. It’s an action throwback complete with cookie cutter bad guys and obvious foreshadowing of set-pieces. There are some ludicrously designed aspects of the titular skyscraper, clearly existing only for some equally ludicrous scenes later on. It’s colorful fare lacking real darkness, just a man being heroic. You know he’ll save the day, but it’s still entertaining.
The affable charms of Johnson are on display, and there’s no disputing he has this kind of role down pat. Despite him being larger than life, he still keeps the film grounded. A nice aspect of his character is that he lost a leg several years earlier, thus providing a rather positive depiction of a person with a disability on film. Equally encouraging is the use of Neve Campbell as his wife Sarah. Rather than a token role as a woman in need of rescue, she’s a former soldier and is just as capable as her husband of handling what goes down. It’s also a great reminder of the talents of Campbell. Writer/director Rawson Marshall Thurber is better known for his work on comedies such as Dodgeball and Central Intelligence, but he steps up to handle this action spectacle pretty well. The barebones structure is decent, and the family at the center of the film is very well planned and executed. But it does get a little too ambitious beyond this, rolling in multiple subplots and machinations to drive things along when a simple rescue or terrorist plot could have sufficed. In terms of direction, a firmer grasp of the action and more clarity and focus are needed. It’s often hard to keep track of what’s going on when things get busy. But the stunts and spectacle are certainly there; if you suspend your belief and go in expecting a big summer movie, you won’t leave disappointed.
The Package
The Blu-ray showcases a transfer that looks very clean, detail is sharp, and colors pop nicely. Contrasts and blacks are a little lackluster though, showing up more in scenes with heavy CGI. On balance, good, but unspectacular.
Skyscraper actually comes with a number of decent extras. The commentary with the director is probably the highlight, and it’s also commendable he recorded commentary for the included deleted scenes to provide context for their excision. There are also plenty of instances of Johnson clearly enjoying himself.
- Deleted Scenes with Commentary by Director Rawson Marshall Thurber — Go behind the scenes with Dwayne Johnson and the rest of the cast of Skyscraper.
- Extended Scenes with Commentary by Director Rawson Marshall Thurber
- Dwayne Johnson: Embodying a Hero — Go behind the scenes to see what it took for Dwayne Johnson to bring the intense character of Will Sawyer to life.
- Inspiration — Meet real life amputee and motivational speaker Jeff Glasbrenner, the inspiration for Dwayne Johnson’s role of Will Sawyer. See how Jeff’s consultations helped inform Dwayne’s character from day one.
- Opposing Forces — There’s no holding back as the women of Skyscraper get in on the action. Now, see first-hand what it took for Neve Campbell and Hannah Quinlivan to be fight ready.
- Friends No More — When Dwayne Johnson and Pablo Schreiber met face to face, they immediately knew what they were up against. Witness first-hand the making of the intense apartment fight between two former on-screen friends, Will and Ben.
- Kids in Action — In Skyscraper everyone gets in on the action, even the Sawyer children. Go on set with Noah Cottrell and McKenna Roberts to discover the moves behind their stunts.
- Pineapple Pitch — Hear first-hand from Dwayne Johnson how writer/director Rawson Marshall Thurber pitched him the idea of Skyscraper. It may be a little fruitier than you think.
- Feature Commentary by Director Rawson Marshall Thurber
- Digital copy of the film
The Bottom Line
With any kind of “disaster in a building” action film, you’ll know what to expect. Skyscraper delivers on that, but does what it does rather well. Action, entertainment, and plenty of thrills. An enjoyable summer blockbuster where the spectacle doesn’t overwhelm the charm and talents of its leads, Dwayne Johnson and Neve Campbell.
Skyscraper is available on 4K, 3D-Blu-ray, Blu-ray, and DVD, from October 9th, 2018.