Skyscraper

My childhood was filled with a lot of action movie classics. Growing up in the 80´s was a golden time for action films. There are of course so many titles i could easily mention, but one of my all time favourites is without a doubt the 1987 movie Predator. Holy shit, this is a kick ass action film on every level. This is also one of my personal favourite Arnold Schwarzenegger films, since he made his character Dutch perfect for this kind of film. You might think it sounds very cheesy, having a plot about soldiers being in a jungle, fighting an unknown alien. But the film works really well, both as an action film, but also blending in science fiction elements. Director John McTiernan made a timeless classic with Predator, and he really knew how to deliver stone hard action scenes, just the way we like it. I have to say there are some really classic dialogue scenes as well, and the cast of this film feels like a perfect fit. if you have not seen Predator for some reason, you should know it is a sin not to see it. It´s right in there in the Ten Commandments where it says :- You shall see Predator to experience eternal happiness. Speaking of director John McTiernan, just one year later after Predator, he released another timeless action classic known as Die Hard. This is perhaps the best film that Bruce Willis have ever made. Die Hard is one of those action films, i always want to see during Christmas Eve, because what would be Christmas without having Bruce Willis killing German terrorists in a tall office building ? I know, this is the perfect Christmas holiday celebration we all should experience every year. Die Hard did not only look good, from an action film perspective, but this film also have some strong characters included. Especially the main villain known as Hans Gruber, played wonderful by legendary actor Alan Rickman. Of course the main character known as NYPD Officer John McClaine is one of those iconic characters that Bruce Willis managed to make so good, you never get tired of watching him in the first movie. The sequels were alright, at least up until Die Hard 4.0. The latest one did not even feel like a Die Hard movie, it was just Bruce Willis kicking ass. Since Bruce is getting older, he is no longer in the same shape he used to be, so now days other action stars have taken his place. One of them is of course former wrestling legend Dayne " The Rock " Johnson who have had a lot of successful films in Hollywood. Just look at how well Jumanji did last year, taking in over 960 Million dollars at the box office numbers. Dwayne will most likely continue his career in Hollywood, especially in action films. I got a chance to see his new film Skyscraper in cinema, to see if he could still deliver as an action star. Is Skyscraper a must see for Dwayne fans, or a waste of your precious time ?

Marine war veteran and retired FBI Hostage Rescue Team leader Will Sawyer ( Dwayne Johnson ) works with security in the " The Pearl ", the tallest skyscraper in Hong Kong. This modern skyscraper have the latest technology, thanks to the creator known as Chinese financier and entrepreneur Zhao Long Ji ( Chin Han ). Zhao trusts that everything will work as planned with security expert Will, as they go through the most important details. Will´s wife Sarah Sawyer ( Neve Campbell ) have just enjoyed a day out in Hong Kong with their children Georgia Sawyer ( McKenna Roberts ) and Henry Sawyer ( Noah Cottrell ). They bump into a man called Kores Botha ( Roland Möller ), who pretends to be a technician. But the truth is that he is planning to take over the building with his team of terrorists. As the terrorist group begin their mission, Sarah and the kids are trapped in the skyscraper. Will have no other option, but to get into the building and get his family out, even if it could cost him his life.

If you are expecting to see Dwayne Johnson doing a completely different movie with Skyscraper, where he is breaking new grounds, don´t get your hopes too high. This is a pure action film, made to look like another Dwayne Johnson feast. You get explosions, guns, and everything else you would expect from a film that feels like it could have been made in the 90´s. Now, if you hate combinations like this, i can tell you right now that you won´t have any fun with Skyscraper. This is the kind of film that most likely will be appreciated by people who grew up during the 80´s and 90´s, and enjoyed pure action films that don´t rely on intelligence. This is that kind of action film where it wont matter what degree you have from school, this is a film made to just deliver big action scenes and don´t care about the plot. The plot of this film is very simple, so you won´t have any problem knowing what the story is about. So how does Skyscraper function compared to similar films in the past ? If you just want to see Dwayne Johnson kick ass, jump, climb, and use dialogue that were designed for a film like this, them you might actually enjoy Skyscraper for what this is. Dwayne is actually the biggest reason why you watch Skyscraper. His screen presence matches a film like this, where it is all about delivering an action film that is made for a popcorn evening in the cinema. So what about the other characters ? Actor Hannah Quinlivan as the tough bad girl Xia is exactly what this film need, a strong female character who may not have a lot of dialogue, but knows how to kill. Danish actor Rolland Möller who plays the evil character Kores Botha, may not deliver as much as i would have liked, still he gives a performance that works for the moment. So do i have any issues with this film ? Actor Neve Campbell is also here, even if i would have liked to see her more tough. I can´t say i really care about the story, because there is no plot really. So basically all that matters is what happens during the action scenes, and thankfully that is the part that makes this film fun. Director Rawson Marshall Thurber have directed some good comedies in the past, especially We´re The Millers released in 2013. Skyscraper is definitely a complete different genre for him, but i feel he handle the action genre with good care. He clearly have a passion for the classic Die Hard, that is not hard to figure out since you can feel there are similar ideas to that film in Skyscraper. But that´s ok, if you just want an action film, Skyscraper will probably make you pleased for the moment. If you want to see a pure action film in cinema, give Skyscraper a chance. This is the kind of film you want to see on a big screen, with all the ingredients from classic action films and bad dialogue included. Dwayne in a skyscraper kicking ass is a fun time, you should even try this one Fifty Shades Of Grey fans, you might be surprised. 

Rating: DDD