RAMPAGE
Mini Review
[14th of April, 2018]
[PG-13, 1hr 47min, Action, Adventure, Nostalgia, Pop culture, Science Fiction]
Comic book movies have their ups and downs before finally finding its feet on a solid ground in the recent few years and that's certainly not for the lack of trying by the multiple studios and countless projects. Trying to turn their attention to the next diverse tapestry to delve into, their efforts last year such as Assassin's Creed and Ghost in the Shell for example still couldn't find that perfect balance of a formula which could be used as a proven recipe for other projects to follow just like how Iron Man did for this recent superhero resurgence. With that being said, the most successful adaptations yet are those that based upon made-up games in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and Ready Player One, certainly because they are not bogged down by the contents of the game itself but rather can alter the 'source material' to fit the movie medium. This full feature adaptation of the classic coin operated machine, Rampage, had to choose the tone they need to go with, whether taking themselves full seriously or having a cheesy take that winks at the audiences every now and then. Suffice to say, they smartly choose the former that makes us care for the relationship between George and Davis.
That's what makes the viewing experience that much engaging and relatable instead of just mindless CGI violence and explosions (although there were a lot of that where they matter), giving us something to relate and in turns root for to in this premise of ridiculous gigantic proportion. Having to backwardly work the original premise of giant animals that come into the city and breaking down the buildings into the script that sounds at least feasible is one tricky monster to tame, pun intended. The film itself have to be campy and cheesy to adapt such storyline into the mix and that comes with its own movie tropes, for better or for worse. Having the best action star currently (Tom Cruise is still the all-time great though) in the industry, Dwayne 'the Rock' Johnson to lead such a bizarre concept is a stroke of genius as his endless charms and limitless charisma makes his relationship with his albino gorilla, George, believable and easy to care for as they have to go through this experiment that has gone wrong (or right). The action sequences that litter the runtime from the emergence of the three transformed animals to the eventual third act clash should be enough to warrant the admission price!
Watch it to be entertained with a well done typical melodrama that is sprinkled with tons of CGI action glory. After the recent Planet of the Apes trilogy, the improvement of the technology helps us to relate to George more, moreso than the less impressionable human side characters. Oh, Naomie Harris is great too as the female protagonist alongside, giving the villain a little more sting rather than just straight up typical over the top antagonists.
- IMDb - wiki -
P.S. There were a couple of Easter Eggs from the original game in the movie, with the coin-op machine clearly at the back of some scenes while the callback to the girl in the red dress is a smart addition especially for those in the know!
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