2018 Film Review: Skyscraper (2018)

Directed by: Rawson Marshall Thurber
Written by: Rawson Marshall Thurber
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Neve Campbell, Roland Moller
IMDb Link

Die Hard this ain't, but the derivative Skyscraper offers up a serviceable emotional foundation and keeps the action centred around it.

Years after suffering an amputation due to a hostage situation gone horribly wrong, Will Sawyer (Johnson) has managed to move forward with his life through his family, and is now up for the chance to be head of security for "The Pearl", the new tallest building in the world. A set-up separates Sawyer from his wife and kids, them stuck half way up the Pearl as it's set ablaze and him on the run from both terrorists and the police, with only getting back to his family on his mind.

The basis is generic, but the film spends enough time on it to make the family bonds somewhat emotionally resonant. It helps that the film emphasises Sawyer's disability in his actions, both as complication and as potential strength. The reason that any of this works is because care is taken to show just how much of a herculean effort it all is, and how often Sawyer reminds us of why he does it; it's cheesy and defies all physics and is self-serious often to its detriment, but even when it's at its most unrealistic it's 'believable' for how insurmountable it all seems and how set on saving his family Sawyer is and how hard he works despite the crippling nature of his wounds. It's just the right mixture of decent performances, characterisation, story and action to make the whole thing watchable.

That's assuming you don't mind everything else. Nothing about the movie is outright terrible, but it has just as often poor as it is solid. The action fluctuates from tight, tense and clear to completely incomprehensible: a well-shot action sequence with a decent take on the hall of mirrors set-up takes place alongside a shootout and fight scene that's almost painful to watch. The family gets decent set-up but then has very little to do: having them move around gives the illusion of doing more than sitting tight and Sarah Sawyer (Campbell) does assist with something in the last act, but a lot of it gets caught up in the film's need for the government to do something useful without intervening on the main plot. Villain turns are broadcast from the moment they're met but motivations are vague and amount to little, which is disappointing given who some of them are. None of the weaker stuff in this film is especially egregious, just as none of the good stuff in this film is particularly spectacular, so it all ends up being a very middling (if somewhat entertaining) affair. 

The Short Version: Skyscraper doesn't do anything great or terrible, content to play within the bounds of the genre and bank on Johnson's star power and the family dynamic for its appeal. It's pleasantly mediocre.

Rating: 5/10

Published July 13th, 2018