Synopsis
Three animals become infected with an engineered pathogen that causes their DNA to mutate. Bigger, faster, stronger, there might be no stopping their path of destruction.
Review
This was a very close call for my most watched film last year, I think it came in 3rd behind The Meg (obviously) and Infinity War. Action... animals... Dwayne Johnson... sold! Of course it was near the top.
Energyne have been performing research on their space station that was a little too dubious for them to be doing on Earth. A research subject has escaped and the little fella is causing a big problem and the station is about to go critical. The last crew member wants out but ground control are blocking her way. If she doesn't leave with the research then she isn't leaving at all. Risking her life to retrieve three canisters she's finally on her way back to Earth in the shuttle, but the last attack on the shuttle before it left has weakened its hull and as it makes its reentry it disintegrates.
The world below is unaware of the danger the debris represents but they'll find out after the canisters impact the ground. The three canisters make it safely back to the ground but are now leaking the pathogen, each one infects an animal and starts causing massive changes in their systems. In an effort to control their research Energyne's Claire Wyden sets off her contingency plan which makes everything much, much worse.
The more I read about this film the more I want to play the game, though I suspect that I won't be able to create an experience quite like the film. That's no comment on the game, it's entirely on my ability to play it.
"Moderate violence, threat, brief gory images, rude gestures." Reading the BBFC rating seems perfectly logical until that last bit. I've never seen "rude gestures" specifically listed before but I guess it warrants inclusion when it's on such a grand scale. I'm totally a big kid though and it amused me every time.
I have to wonder at this point if it's written into Johnson's contracts that at some point he has to turn back to the camera and have one of his (probably) patented intense looks that come with an ever so slightly too long pause. It's literally his first scene in this, though minus the eyebrow action. Johnson is high on the list of cinema draws for me, he does action well, and comedy, Rampage also has the odd moment of drama thrown in. He's a consistent actor and I don't think there's been a film of his that I've seen that didn't entertain me on some level (yes, even Skyscraper). Rampage give him lots of opportunities to do what he's good at and it's a treat watching him interact with George throughout.
The rest of the cast is okay, though some characters left me puzzled and I wasn't convinced that their roles/acting really matched up with who the characters were. This could just be me expecting stereotypical portrayals though. They were still enjoyable to watch but wouldn't have been what I was expecting.
I did love seeing Joe Manganiello and Will Yun Lee in there, though their appearances were far too fleeting. We also get to see Jack Quaid as Connor who was one of the leads in Amazon's The Boys... still can't believe I didn't recognise him when I watched the series.
I really enjoyed the opening to the film. We're in the midst of the crisis and Dr Atkins is keen to get out as soon as she can. In the short sequence you really get a handle on Claire Wyden's character and what she'll stand for throughout the film. It's also clear what threat those canisters hold inside them, though initially there's no clear idea of what will happen... unless you saw a trailer.
Time isn't the easiest concept to follow in the film, particularly when we start travelling with the creatures across the country. You get swept along with everything but thinking about it afterwards causes my brain to ache a bit.
The effects are pretty good. George and the gorillas in the animal sanctuary certainly don't look wrong, and when they scale George up he still looks believable... as believable as a mutated giant albino gorilla can be. Lizzie and Ralph don't quite hold the same quality as George does but this is in part down to the fact that they're slightly more fantasy. Their mutations include extra pieces of anatomy from different creatures whereas George has just acquired features that aren't external.
Rampage is an exciting watch and one that I can put on anytime. Despite some acting issues this is still one of my go to films. No brain cells required.
What you should do
Watch this if you want to see every human in a film upstaged by a giant gorilla.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
A gorilla to flip off all the annoying people I encounter... is that too extreme?
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