Cert: 12A Runtime: 107 mins Director: Brad Peyton Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Naomie Harris, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Demetrius Grosse, P.J.Byrne and Joe Manganiello
He’s not just a friend….he’s family!
No bad review or Rotten Tomato score will stop a Dwayne Johnson movie ever making mega $$$. Rampage is his latest film, and I for one was actually looking forward to this one. If you are a frequent reader, you will know I enjoy giant monster movies! Rampage came across as a good one, but is it really? What is it all about you ask? Primatologist Davis Okoye (Dwayne Johnson), a man who keeps people at a distance, shares an unshakable 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.
We go in to watch Rampage for an action packed movie, we kind of get that but it’s no future guilty pleasure movie. Brad Peyton’s San Andreas was a lot of cheesy/action packed fun, but Rampage over goes more cheese and less action. There are a lot of heavy stupid dialogue scenes, any avid cinema goer will cipher each situation before the characters solve it. What is surprising is that the BBFC gave it a 12 A rating, for a ‘family’ orientated film there is a lot of swearing, gore and death. Normally you don’t see creatures killing civilians, for me it didn’t bother me but I can imagine it will get some form of backlash. Peyton is a very good action film-maker, his use of CGI is executed very well. The overall design of the creatures was very unique and different. Dwayne Johnson was his usual superstar self, charming and witty. His chemistry with George was very sweet and you do care for them. But Jeffrey Dean Morgan steals the show for me, he was a bad-ass and hilarious. Rampage is a slow build up with morsels of action, but the third act saves it! Rampage really could have been a lot better, if Brad Peyton would of stayed with the San Andreas formula it would have been another guilty pleasure for me.