Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson may still be young in his Hollywood career, where he is the major headliner of a block buster, but I’m now afraid for him. The biggest thing I noticed while watching Rampage was not the huge CGI animals, but how one-dimensional Johnson’s performance was. The majority of us love Bruce Willis in Die Hard because of his clever one liners, and that seems to be where The Rock is headed. Don’t get me wrong, I laughed at everything he said or did because it was so over the top. When he is carrying a gun, his larger than life figure makes him stand out above and beyond any action hero of any generation. He may not always have the best story behind him, but when there is ass to be kicked, he gets the job done. I was happy that Chicago got destroyed and the writers stayed away from New York and Los Angeles. I dislike heights, so when all the action is happening on top of the Willis Tower, I had to close my eyes a few times. Critics and audiences hate Transformers because of the action sequences where too much happens and the same could be said about Rampage. George fights a giant wolf and alligator, destroying hundreds of skyscrapers in the process, and you wouldn’t have a clue of what is actually going on in the dust or debris. This movie is rated PG 13 but there are a handful of adult slang thrown around and we can all understand the sexual sign language they use. Rampage didn’t change the game and used CGI animation to tell a story like so many other before it. This movie is just the ultimate definition of a popcorn munching blockbuster. 7/10
Ten Stars or Less 