Rampage

An oversized gorilla, a wolf and a crocodile meet in Chicago and totally destroy it. Sounds good, right? But before that happens, you're in for a bunch of uninteresting characters, not-very-functional humour and a hackneyed plot. Oh, and the final battle could have been better, too, with a fun color palette and some ideas. In the context of dumb and loud action movies, Rampage is inoffensively average. But if you don't watch it, probably nothing will happen at all. (26/07/2018)

An immature project that only made it to the big screen thanks to The Rock's narcissistic personality. But I don't want to blame him, his dedication to an otherwise totally imbecilic flick is the main ingredient that elevates the film into watchable mediocrity – and maybe also Morgan’s charisma and the beauty of Naomi Harris. Otherwise, it's just a bunch of overgrown monsters with dramaturgy from the early fifties and barely an interesting scene or catchphrase. Pointless. (12/04/2018)

San Andreas didn’t really impress me; I wasn’t blown away by it. But with Rampage, I told myself that this disaster film by Brad Peyton could easily surpass it and become a perfect escapist movie. Well, it didn’t. The film provides some relaxation, but it has its flaws. The idea itself is quite outlandish, but considering it’s based on an 80s video game, it shouldn’t be overly criticized. One thing that must be praised is the CGI. It’s one of the best effects-driven films of the past decade, and my eyes enjoyed every single shot. In terms of acting, Dwayne Johnson holds his own, though he has had better roles in his career. I was surprised by Jeffrey Dean Morgan's Texas accent, and Joe Manganiello, as the special forces commander, was quite muscular, though his role was limited. I liked the scenes with the giant wolf in the forest; the creators presented it convincingly with a slight horror touch, as well as the scenes with George and the giant crocodile, and their battle. The action is filmed mostly during the day, so you can fully enjoy the destruction of Chicago. It’s a silly film where I’d recommend not thinking too much, just having fun. I give it 68%. (27/06/2018)

An entertaining feet-up movie. The action looks unexpectedly good, especially Mr. Alligator was great. It’s true that, compared to Godzilla, this is a poor substitute, but George has his underdog face reflecting animal testing. The chemistry between the monkey and the Rock is excellent, as is their perverse humor. (13/04/2019)

I've seen two Brad Peyton movies with Dwayne Johnson, both of which were stupid and didn't entertain me much. This one is also dumb, but I enjoyed it a bit more. It ticked along and was really all about monsters getting mauled and the main characters surviving, all as spectacularly and heroically as possible. From that perspective, I enjoyed watching Rampage much more than this year's Godzilla: King of the Monsters, although it's no gem either. But whatever. (06/07/2019)