Stars: 3.5/5
“Rampage” turned out to be just another “King Kong” movie, but it shockingly still has its charms. A movie that not only includes a giant gorilla, but also a giant wolf and crocodile is bound to peak people’s interest. Add Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to the equation, and there’s a high budget blockbuster movie worth giving a chance.
Johnson stars alongside the giant albino gorilla George. Johnson’s character, Davis Okoye, is the main care provider for George after saving him as an infant from poachers. For that reason, George grew up a happy, normal gorilla until he is exposed to a pathogen that crash lands in his habitat. George mutates and grows substantially overnight, leaving Okoye to frantically look for a cure.
The people responsible for the pathogen try to “fix” what they did by luring in George and the mutated wolf that was also exposed to the pathogen. The mutated crocodile was a surprise for everyone.
Something to commend the movie producers on is how realistic the animals looked after they were mutated. Something that was hard to understand was how the wolf mutated and was able to fly, and the crocodile completely morphed into a prehistoric creature while George just became a really large and strong gorilla.
The plan to lure these giant animals into the center of a city full of people is something that went completely over my head. It may just be me, but that sounds like the worst idea ever. The sensor they used to lure the animals in also caused them to become incredibly aggressive in trying to reach it.
The film turns out to feel like a huge video game. By the end, it turns into Okoye and George against the giant crocodile, but like most video games, any form of plot was extremely weak and played out. The woman who helps Okoye, Dr. Kate Caldwell, plays a confusing role in the action film. At first, she is the person who will find the cure, but then she can’t cure him. Her role continues to change, and she seems like a really big plot hole.
The saving grace of the movie was George and Okoye’s relationship. There is a clear love between the two of them, and they are also the main source of humor. George was also incredibly relatable. He seemed almost human in some of his mannerisms. The big joke and plot twist at the end is probably the best part of the film. It almost makes you forget that you sat through a film similar many you have seen before — almost.
“Rampage” is entertaining and interesting, but it lacks depth. It’s worth the casual movie night, but it felt like another movie that Johnson can make money off of. There was the tiniest implication that the film was supposed to point out the negative effects people can have on the animals and the environment, as well as the effects that illegal poaching can have on animals. If they focused a little more on that, the film may have hit a little harder.
