RAMPAGE (2018)
We just need to get enough lift to stay on top of the building as it falls. You know, just like riding an avalanche.
So this movie is helmed by SAN ANDREAS director Brad Peyton which explains why it’s so freaking well done. In this one, the Athena-1, a space station run by a gene manipulation company called "Energyne" gets jacked out by a giant mutant rat about the size of a dog. I guess not every evil company can have a name as cool as Umbrella Corp. Canisters of the toxin that lead to that mutation are scattered and fly through space landing on Earth. Because otherwise we probably wouldn't have a movie. They land in super convenient places where animals just happen upon them and become giant freaks of mutant nature. Except for the gorilla which for some reason has no special powers or traits like warthog tusks or the ability to fly. Of course, Dwayne Johnson is going to save the day as the character Davids Okoye who also just happens to have been a former US Army Special Forces soldier and also hates poachers. Which is awesome because everyone should. He ends up teaming up with a fired geneticist named Dr. Kate Caldwell (played by Naomie Harris, whose most famous role is probably as Moneypenny in the 007 series). Along the way, they also get help from Harvey Russell (played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan who is just really great playing dudes that suck at life and are extremely hate-able).
We end up with 3 big animals running around destroying everything they see and it’s pretty freakin great. The special effects in this movie are top-notch even though some of the things in the movie feel a bit over the top even for this movie. Like Davis being able to run after pretty much anything that happens to him in this movie. This movie is strong in the writing department even going into why the animals are bullet proof among other things. This thing is basically a kaiju movie, only it’s also a thunderous punch in the gut adrenaline-wise. It’s also a bit of a lesson in filming for these types of CGI creations, hopefully paving the way for a lot of LEGENDARY GODZILLA movies in the future to be shot in full daylight for fight scenes.
Where the movie I feel falls a bit flat is in some of the humor. There really isn’t much endearing about a gorilla giving vulgar gestures, and being an a-hole for either of the main characters isn’t new or exciting either. I did like the designs we got, but kind of wish they had played it a bit closer to the characters in the video game RAMPAGE, that the movie is based on.
Finally, I can’t get my head around Marley Shelton playing Dr. Kerry Atkins as the movie's “human” villain. It just feels off. Shelton was in both THE WATCHMEN and ROCK OF AGES. The rest of the cast just does what they do best and putting together this thing just really works in spite of the few points I made. The score and cinematography are also well done.
Overall I give RAMPAGE a 5 out of 7 for the few issues I pointed out. Having said that, the movie took more of a pounding critically than it deserved. Fortunately, the general public liked it, and with good reason. Box office wise this thing actually beat out GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS which was a superior film.
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