There is no denying the likability and charisma of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. At this point, he has become a bit of a reliable presence in just about anything he appears in. There have been many references to Arnold Schwarzenegger over the years in terms of his career trajectory and on some level, I get those comparisons. They’re both larger than life personalities who have thrived in the action genre and both come from backgrounds that didn’t necessarily mean they’d transition to the world of acting. Schwarzenegger was Mr. Olympia before breaking out in Hollywood while Dwayne Johnson began in the world of wrestling as “The Rock” in the WWF (now WWE).
The key difference between the performers, for me, is that Johnson has yet to find his Terminator. Schwarzenegger took on that iconic persona in 1984 when he was 37. Johnson is now 45 and while he has made some entertaining films, I would argue that he hasn’t made something that will be remembered with extreme fondness years down the line. There is a sameness to a lot of the projects he has picked and I guess you can’t argue with his choices because they have mostly been very successful. This is a performer who has found the pulse of social media and has used it to his advantage to connect with his fans and get their butts in the seats. I guess if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it but if he wishes to star in a film that could become a classic, he might need to make some different choices. Schwarzenegger can claim several classics under his belt (Predator, Total Recall, Terminator 2: Judgment Day & True Lies to name a few) but can Johnson say any of his films will reach that iconic status?
Johnson’s sameness in regards to his projects continues with Rampage, based on the popular arcade game from the 1980s. It’s honestly a perfect vehicle for the actor because it’s a loud, CGI infused action film with yet another likable turn from the performer. The problem is, it all seems too familiar. Take his character from this and switch him out with his character in San Andreas and there really is no difference. Rampage isn’t a bad film, hell it might be one of the better video game adaptations but that could be very loose praise considering its competition, but it’s a lazy one. The film owes more to monster movies of the past rather than its video game roots and on that level, it’s a familiar imitation. The film has moments of entertainment but it certainly doesn’t leave a lasting mark.
Since the arcade game didn’t have a narrative (you played as one of three monsters and destroyed large buildings) one had to be crafted to translate it to film. When we first meet George, the giant Kong-like creature that dominates most of the marketing material for the film, he isn’t the giant that will soon threaten the city. He is in the care of his misanthrope keeper, primate specialist and poacher killer Davis Okoye (Johnson) and is seven feet tall and weighs 500 pounds. George, unfortunately, has an unfortunate close encounter with the remnants of an exploded space station that contain a weaponized DNA splicer and suddenly he’s growing out of control while showing signs of uncontrolled aggression. He’s not the only one – also affected are a wolf in the Wyoming wilds and an alligator in the Everglades. News reports lead Dr. Kate Caldwell (Naomie Harris) to Davis’ San Diego locale. She’s the scientist who developed the formula that has resulted in the animals’ mutation. She claims it was misused by her former boss, Evil CEO (TM) Claire Wyden (Malin Akerman), who now intends to sell it on the black market to the highest bidder. She also suggests there may be an antidote. Around that time, George goes berserk and has to be tranquilized. Enter alphabet Agent Russell (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), who relishes chewing on his lines and decides that taking George on a plane would be a good idea. This, of course, leads to the sequences of destruction that most audiences have paid to see.
You would expect a film like this to have its tongue placed firmly in cheek but it actually takes itself a bit too seriously. The film is not content on mindless fun and even though I should respect director Brad Peyton for striving for more, the overall premise is so silly that it needed to play things more on the flippant side. There are moments of isolated humor but there isn’t enough. There is one moment near the end of the film where we are solemnly shown clips of survivors who owe their lives to our would-be hero but they honestly feel like they should be in another film. Most of Rampage’s first half is devoted to explanation and that exposition serves two purposes: exposing the silliness of the premise and threatening to put viewers to sleep. In fact, things don’t get really interesting until the 90-minute mark and by that point, we only have 15 minutes before the film ends.
What film needed was a bit of a wink and nudge approach. This served Johnson’s last film, Jumanji: Welcome to The Jungle, really well. That film worked because it toyed with conventions and poked fun of them. Sure, Johnson was an action star but inside him was a nerdy and frightened high school student so that led to fun scenes of Johnson using vulnerability as a comedic tool. He plays things mostly straight here and while he’s not bad since he never really is, it isn’t much different from some of his other action roles. Naomie Harris is on deck and the talented actress is mostly wasted in a thankless role. The part probably serves the purpose for her to be seen in a potential international hit but other than that, it’s a part she could do in her sleep. The only performers who have seemed to have gotten the memo to have a bit of fun are Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Malin Akerman. They chew scenery and act like cartoon characters come to life and they appear to be having the most fun. Maybe the whole production should’ve followed suit.
The last 15 minutes is suitably entertaining in terms of showing solid monster destruction. The problem with it all is that it comes a bit too late. The A-level special effects are grand but the film should’ve had more fun with its B-movie roots. This isn’t going to be a hiccup for The Rock since the film opened up at number one and scored $148 million worldwide in one weekend but at what point will his schtick get a tad old and he’ll need to search for something a bit meatier to bite into? That point is getting closer and closer to me, no matter how charming the guy is.
