Rating of
1/4
Toothless DIE HARD rip-off w/o any creativity.
Indyfreak - wrote on 05/22/19
Dwayne Johnson is one of the most likable and reliable action stars working today in Hollywood. However strange or silly his movies became, you were willing to suspend your disbelief because he's just that charismatic. It's a useful tool to hide the otherwise craven cynicism of film studios.
Unfortunately SKYSCRAPER is the first Dwayne Johnson movie in a long time that felt so completely unoriginal that not even Johnson could cover it up. Not only is it one of the most brazen rip-offs I saw in years but it's remarkably boring and unimaginative. You think the Chinese location shooting and the bizarre architecture would set it apart from earlier DIE-HARD ripoffs but it doesn't. It's only meant to serve literally as a background detail.
Instead of money, this time the villains are after a flash drive (tantalizing?) and there is also a double-cross subplot that needlessly complicates an already brain-dead plot.
Neve Campbell plays his wife for some reason-maybe to remind people she's still alive. I cannot fault Dwayne Johnson for trying to remain employed and he's not terrible in the lead but even he seemed on autopilot. And that's a shame.
