Tag: Rampage

RAMPAGE – Review

A boneheaded orgy of computer-generated destruction, RAMPAGE delivers big fun movie monsters, but it’s about as underdeveloped as assembly-line filmmaking can get. Dwayne Johnson stars as Davis Okoye, a primatologist at the San Diego Animal Sanctuary. His best friend there is George, an albino gorilla who he saved as a pup after poachers slaughtered his family. A space station has fallen from the sky that contained vials of an experimental substance that rapidly evolves the DNA of whoever comes in contact with it, causing the host to increase in size and aggression. George, a wolf, and an alligator have inhaled the chemical and set out to destroy Chicago unless Davis and Dr. Kate Caldwell (Naomie Harris), a disgraced genetic scientist, can get there with an antidote in time.

RAMPAGE is not a movie so much as an amusement-park ride without the park, though there may be just enough amusement for audiences to have a good time. It’s a goofy-weird mishmash of some pretty swell CGI creatures and downright lousy screenwriting. The film works best when it focuses on the visuals, such as in an early forest showdown between the wolf and some heavily-armed soldiers, a scene that recalls the intensity of KONG SKULL ISLAND. With the destructive powers of the CGI gods at his disposal, director Brad Peyton (Johnson’s go-to green-screen guy, having served similar duty with SAN ANDREAS and JOURNEY 2: THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND) conjures up a couple of exciting set pieces, notably a wild one involving a battle between giant George and an armed team that takes place inside an out-of-control airplane hurtling toward the ground. The final thirty minutes is an epic-scale WWE-style monster rally that destroys much of downtown Chicago and is directed with the same sort of panache and disaster-porn glee we haven’t seen since PACIFIC RIM UPSRISING last month!

RAMPAGE is campy but never quite campy enough and far too artificial to ever drum up any real suspense or sense of awe, nor do we at any time fear for anyone’s safety. The special effects are state-of-the-art, but unfortunately there’s no way (as of yet) to computer-generate character development or sharp writing. Despite Dwayne Johnson’s undeniable charisma, he’s saddled with some real groaners here such as “Let’s kick some ass!”, “We gotta get that antidote!”, and my favorite: “I’m gonna choke you out so bad you’re gonna urinate yourself”. The best exchanges in the film are between Davis and George and the way they communicate, often in sign language, provide moments of wit and warmth (George, an obvious fan of the Korean giant monster classic A*P*E., flips the bird….twice!). A stronger supporting cast may have helped. Jeffrey Dean Morgan, one-note as Davis’ adversary-turned-ally, swaggers about with his pearl-handled pistol (which he never uses), portraying the same tiresome cocky cowboy he always does while Malin Ackerman and Jake Lacy play buffoonish cartoon villains even less threatening than Charlie Day in PACIFIC RIM UPSRISING. Despite its flaws, I still recommend RAMPAGE as fun, harmless escapism. You don’t get the impression that anyone really knocked themselves out trying to make a great movie, but it doesn’t, despite being based on a video game, reek of shameless cash-grabbing either. A big ol’ shrug of the shoulders and a tepid thumbs up is what RAMPAGE gets from me.

3 of 5 Stars

Win Passes To The Advance Screening Of RAMPAGE In St. Louis – Stars Dwayne Johnson

Primatologist Davis Okoye (Dwayne Johnson), a man who keeps people at a distance, shares an unshakable bond with George, the extraordinarily intelligent, silverback gorilla who has been in his care since birth. But a rogue genetic experiment gone awry mutates this gentle ape into a raging creature of enormous size. To make matters worse, it’s soon discovered there are other similarly altered animals. As these newly created alpha predators tear across North America, destroying everything in their path, Okoye teams with a discredited genetic engineer to secure an antidote, fighting his way through an ever-changing battlefield, not only to halt a global catastrophe but to save the fearsome creature that was once his friend.

Dwayne Johnson and director Brad Peyton (“San Andreas”) team up again in RAMPAGE which also stars, including Naomie Harris, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Joe Manganiello and Malin Akerman.  Music is composed by Andrew Lockington, who created the scores for “San Andreas” and “Journey 2: The Mysterious Island.”

RAMPAGE, from New Line Cinema, opens in theaters in 3D, 2D and IMAX 2D nationwide Friday, April 13, 2018.

Enter for the chance to win TWO (2) seats to the advance screening of RAMPAGE on Monday, April 9 at 7pm in the St. Louis area.

Answer the Following:

The film is based on the video game Rampage.  What is the title of the 2001 film/video game adaptation that Dwayne Johnson has starred in?

ENTER YOUR NAME, ANSWER AND EMAIL IN OUR COMMENTS SECTION BELOW.

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.

2. No purchase necessary. A pass does not guarantee a seat at a screening. Seating is on a first-come, first served basis. The theater is overbooked to assure a full house.

RATING: PG-13 for “sequences of violence, action and destruction, brief language, and crude gestures.”

Visit the official site: www.rampagethemovie.com

Fantastic Fest 2009: RAMPAGE Review

rampage

Matt’s Take:

I must confess, this is the first Uwe Boll film I’ve ever seen. And if he continues down this path, it may very well be the last.

RAMPAGE is a story about a douchebag kid who’s got a terrible job, is something of a loner, and has no prospects in life. He gets treated like crap at work, at restaurants, and his parents are sick of him living at home. He just can’t get a break… which is why he must go on a RAMPAGE, brutally murdering everyone who has insulted him and finally getting his justified revenge!! Hmm, now that film sounds kind of cool. It perhaps sounds like a Falling Down, but where Michael Douglass is the hero, right? In fact, even Uwe Boll himself compared Rampage to that version of Falling Down, which I must confess, got me very excited for the movie. I’d love to see that movie. Unfortunately RAMPAGE is not that movie.

RAMPAGE is instead the story about a completely unlikeable douchebag terrorist, who decides to kill random people for no reason. (OK, actually he does have a reason, but it’s so lame and unrealistic that it doesn’t count) And to add to that, he doesn’t even kill the people in cool ways! He kills people with machine guns. Machine guns with infinite ammo. This is not interesting. It’s not exciting. In no way is the “hero” ever in any danger whatsoever. Apparently in the Uwe Boll universe, you can blow up a Police Station and then basically never be bothered again by the Police. Hmmm… yeah, I guess if there was only one Police Station in the entire country that might work, right? But forget realism, at least this movie looks cool, doesn’t it?

NO. It doesn’t. This movie looks like it was shot by a cameraman who had Parkinson’s and they forgot to hire a focus puller. I’d say at least 90 percent of the movie was out of focus, even in shots where two actors were sitting motionless at a table!!! I mean, come on, is it too much to ask that we can actually see what the hell is going on? To add to this nonsense, random flash forwards are interjected into the film throughout. These bits add absolutely nothing to the film, except giving away the ending ten minutes in, and annoying the audience. The first half of this movie is so boring, it’s almost hard to comprehend, and sadly the action in the second half isn’t nearly interesting or exciting enough to make this film worthwhile.

Kent’s Take:

Is RAMPAGE a good film? Kinda. Is it a great film? NO FLIPPING WAY! But it is easily the best thing Uwe Boll has made and if you saw it, I doubt you’d guess he had anything to do with it. RAMPAGE is the basic story of a young man that’s just had enough with his mediocre life and how everyone just craps on him. His parents are kicking him out, he can’t even get a simple coffee order made correctly for him, and the disaster that happens at the local fast food joint really sets him over the top. He takes it upon him self to teach his crappy little town a lesson but suiting in a large armor plated battle suit and just blowing everyone in town away.

This is a violent movie with a lot of innocent people getting killed. In fact everyone in the movie is innocent except for the main character Bill played by Brenden Fletcher. Bill’s rampage on his town is enjoyable to watch, or at least it would be if you could see most of what was going on. The biggest problem I had with RAMPAGE is that it’s shot terribly. I enjoyed it’s ideas but I could barely see them half the time because of the terrible cinematography. Uwe Boll is able to shoot a good looking film. Tunnel Rats is decently well shot but here we get a grainy shaky movie that has a hard time focusing on any of it’s most important elements. Why this movie was shot on film and not on HD is beyond me. I think a very shiny glossy look would have been a great contrast to the brutal violence that takes place during Bill’s killing spree.
I can see how some people find this film unwatchable or bad, but I really do think it shows progress in Boll’s sense of direction. Most of the movie is improvised and it does show, especially in Linda Boyd’s performance as Bill’s mom. She stammers so much that it becomes very obvious she has no improvisation skills what so ever. I’ve never heard a movie have a character saying “um” so much. Another big issue with the film is literally the last 30 seconds. It’s a tag onto the film that explains some things that are totally unnecessary. Putting that in almost defeats everything that came before it, especially with the things that are revealed in the last act.

Overall, RAMPAGE should be seen, but by no means should you rush out and see it immediately. It has some solid moments, a lot of morbid, dark humor and a lead character that you’ll cheer on and then when it’s over you’ll hate yourself for it. It’s an interesting movie to be sure. I give Rampage 3 out of 5 stars.