Review of Skyscraper (2018) by Denis G — 25 Jul 2018

As he scales the façade of a 3-mile-high tower in Hong Kong, protagonist Will Sawyer glances at the camera and mutters "this is stupid," an acknowledgement of his perilous predicament and perhaps also the preposterous film Dwayne Johnson can't save.

I wasted an evening on this dimwitted dreck for two reasons. I love skyscrapers -- and the fictional, state-of-the-art one at the center of the movie is a doozy -- and watching The Rock kick gluteus maximus on the big screen. Both elements are enough to make Rawson Marshall Thurber's asinine action escapade a passable way to spend 103 minutes.

Sure, the stunts defy gravity and logic. The script features more corn than a street cart in Mexico. The pernicious quagmire that sends Johnson airborne toward a flaming belfry seems unnecessary and not worth the effort the villains undertake. After seeing this, the plot of Snakes on a Plane, where gangsters try to silence a star witness by loading his air transportation with venomous serpents, seems rational by comparison.

Yet, Johnson's magnanimous persona is magnetic, and his likability covers many acting sins. His character is facile to cheer for, and the action sequences are enthralling beyond measure (Yo, why wasn't this given IMAX priority over the second Ant Man?). Also, someone needs to make the fictional Pearl happen. The supertall building, unlike most of the movie, is a wonder.