Movie Review: Skyscraper (2018)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Fun, mindless action flick

Cons: Nothing super original

The Bottom Line:

Action in tower

Predictable story but

Plenty of stunts, fun

“What’s the Plan?” “Got Any Duct Tape?”

I was intrigued by Skyscraper when I started seeing ads for it last year, but not quite enough to get me into the theater to see it.  (There were just too many movies I wanted to see in the theater this summer.)  I finally caught it now that it is out on Blu-Ray.  It's a typical action flick, but it's fun.

Will Sawyer (Dwayne Johnson) used to be a member of a SWAT team until one bad call left several people dead, him injured, and his judgement in question - at least by himself.  Now, he makes his living as a security consultant, and his newest client is Jhao Long Ji (Chin Han), who is finishing up a 200 plus story skyscraper in Hong Kong.  Will, his wife Sarah (Neve Campbell), and their two kids have traveled there for his big presentation.

However, it's after the presentation that things start to go wrong.  Criminals want something that Jhao has, and they are willing to destroy the skyscraper to get it.  With Sarah and his kids trapped in the building, Will needs to figure out a way to rescue them.  Does he have what it takes to overcome overwhelming odds and save the day?

Now, let's be perfectly honest - this is an action movie pure and simple.  There are few true surprises as the movie unfolds; in fact, it is obvious that the early parts of the film are setting up things to be paid off later.  But that doesn't really matter because when the action starts, it is a thrill ride.  We go from one harrowing moment to another as Will fights to save his family.

Of course, it does help that I have a fear of heights.  That helped make some of the scenes extra harrowing for me.

Overall, the movie holds together pretty well.  Yes, there are some things I'm sure aren't realistic, but I bought them while watching the movie.  For one thing, it doesn't give you time to think.  For another, the internal logic of the movie holds together, or at least it did while I was watching it.

The biggest thing in an action movie is the stunts.  They are wonderful.  And the special effects that held everything together worked well, too.

And the acting was good as well.  There was nothing award worthy here, but the actors all pulled me into the movie.

One thing I really enjoyed was Will's relationship with his family.  It is obvious that he truly loves them any time they are on screen together, and that bond is what drives his actions in the film.  It was actually refreshing not to have the typical sub-plot where there are issues and he realizes how much he loves them when the danger starts.  Sarah is just as much in love with her family, and she contributes to keeping everyone safe.  This is definitely Dwayne Johnson's movie, so he gets the biggest moments, but there are a couple of scenes that call on Neve Campbell's character to stand up, and she does an admirable job as well.

Skyscraper is a fun action movie.  It's lightweight fun, but since that is all it sets out to be, that's just fine.  And when you are in the mood for something like that, I definitely recommend it.