It’s nice to know that people like making movies so as to celebrate the legacy of other notable works in cinema. In this case, with this year being the 30th anniversary of the all-time classic “Die Hard,” it makes sense that Dwayne Johnson would like to pay homage to one of the greatest, if not the greatest, film in the action genre. But it’s one thing to attempt to celebrate, and another to actually succeed as both a celebration and a film in itself, and for the most part, it doesn’t completely stick the landing.
Former FBI team leader Will Sawyer (Dwayne Johnson) moves with his wife Sarah (Neve Campbell) and their two children into the tallest building in the world, The Pearl, located in Hong Kong. However, when a group of terrorists begin to seize control of the building and set it ablaze, Will must rely on his wit, ingenuity, and experience if he is to save his family.
If you’ve seen the marketing for this movie, you know that no one is meant to take it seriously, and that strategy has worked numerous times in the past, most notably in the “Fast and Furious” franchise. Dwayne Johnson himself has been heavily featured in other notable “exciting and dumb films” such as 2014’s “San Andreas” and this year’s “Rampage.” However, whereas those films relished in their relative stupidity and had fun doing it, “Skyscraper” falls into the category of “taking itself too seriously.”
Much like any other film that relies on stupidity, “Skyscraper” features a multitude of heavy moments of exposition as well as cringe-worthy dialogue and writing. But unlike in previous films, this time around it felt as though the flaws in the writing were much more jarring and noticeable, probably because of how it doesn’t feel as though the film is having fun with its ludicrous storyline. The story feels tone deaf and doesn’t have any life to it. With the much more exposed issues at hand, it also becomes annoying when you have moments of lazy writing that shove in your face what are supposed to be important moments of foreshadowing, most of which deal with the climactic finale.
Where the film shines brightest is with the main cast and some of the action. Compared to previous works, this could be considered one of Dwayne Johnson’s heavier dramatic stories and he brings an admittedly compelling performance as Will Sawyer, showing he can do more than perform stunts and fight scenes. It’s also nice to see Neve Campbell return to the big screen after having gone off the radar in Hollywood, and it’s also nice to see her provide a great performance in a nontraditional female role in the action genre as Will Sawyer’s wife Sarah Sawyer since she’s given more to do, has an action sequence for herself, and isn’t your typical damsel in distress. If “Skyscraper” wants to pay homage to “Die Hard,” it should at least attempt to bring about a compelling and/or intimidating villain. Unfortunately, Roland Møller fails to provide any sort of charisma and spouts nothing but lifeless, empty threats.
Of course most of this movie doesn’t make sense whatsoever, and the action shows it, both in the positive and the negative. Some of the close-quarter fight scenes are energetic while some of the moments of survival can be riveting. It’s also admirable to see that the film also tries a bit of creativity given the fact that in this reality the laws of physics are practically nonexistent.
Overall, “Skyscraper” is a middling blockbuster tries to be something it shouldn’t. While it’s admirable for it to honor the legacy of a cinematic classic like “Die Hard,” the weight of its storytelling is too much and keeps it from reaching the heights of pure ludicrous entertainment. While the characters are charming and the action is really fun, it tries to take itself too seriously and doesn’t have fun with the incredibly simplistic premise. It’s not the worst movie I’ve seen this year, but it definitely could’ve had more fun with itself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9QePUT-Yt8&t=1s&w=585