Skyscraper

weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Will Sawyer is a security consultant hired to check on the safety specs of the world's tallest building which is on the verge of opening it's doors in Hong Kong. Him and his family are the first inhabitants of the building, his job is going to set him up for life and it's all a world away from his traumatic past as a hostage rescuer in the FBI. What can possibly go wrong?? Well quite a lot as it happens.

Skyscraper is a stupid film. It's filled with glaring, maddening plot holes, moments of intense silliness that will make your eyeballs spin in your head and the kind of plot twists that Ray Charles would see coming from a mile away. It hasn't an original idea in it's head, it very much wears it's influences on it's sleeve and it isn't a patch on any of the bigger and better films it "homages". It's the kind of film I should have hated. So why didn't I. Why is it so entertaining?? Why?

Because it's big dumb fun. The world is a crappy place at the moment and big dumb fun is always welcome. When a film entertains me I'm willing to over look a lot of flaws, and yes, there's a lot of flaws here but fuck it. It made me smile, it made me lean forward in my chair when crazy shit was happening and it made me dizzy during it's many vertiginous action scenes. It was a laugh. It does it's job as a summer blockbuster. It's the very definition of a high concept action film. Dwayne Johnson in a burning skyscraper. Sure what else could you need? Johnson is the reason it works of course. The world's busiest actor ™ once again gives his all in a role that makes the most of his physicality. The crane scene from the trailer that's been much scoffed at in the run up to the film's release works because of him and doesn't seem quite as stupid when seen in context. He's the kind of star who can pull off outlandish moments like this. Anyone else might have an audience rolling in the aisles but he'll keep you rapt. He also manages to inject a touch of sincerity into the film especially in the scenes with his family. He doesn't get credit for it but he's not a bad actor at all.

He isn't the only person deserving praise though. Neve Campbell makes a welcome appearance and this is probably her best showing since Scream 2. She plays Will's wife Sarah and despite what her first scene will make you think she's no damsel in distress. Her role is quite refreshing actually and pretty progressive for a movie like this. Hopefully she makes a comeback off the back of this. No more Scream films though. The rest of the cast doesn't fare too well. Pablo Schreiber is wasted in a buddy role and Noah Taylor plays a very odd part that could have been lifted out of the story without anybody noticing at all. Ng Chin Han as the creator of the building gets very little to do apart from hide in his penthouse panic room and Roland Møller as the euro trash head baddie is as bland as a bowl of porridge.

Euro trash.....euro trash baddies in a skyscraper. Hmmm. Sounds familiar doesn't it. Die Hard of course. There's a lot of Die Hard in the DNA of this film. A lot of The Towering Inferno too. It's all very obvious but then we get nice nods to Orson Welles movies and Bruce Lee's most famous film as well. Updated with 8k technology of course but still. It all makes for a fun stew. Happily the film knows it's limitations too. It winks at the camera at times and whilst not exactly reveling in it's preposterousness, it at least doesn't take itself too seriously. One moment of Johnson patching himself up with duct tape and extolling it's virtues is a pointedly self aware nod at the audience.

If you think you are going to hate this then you probably will. But for anyone looking for a brainless bit of fun, well here you go, and at 100 minutes long it's a rare blockbuster that doesn't overstay it's welcome. You'll have a laugh. You'll be entertained but you'll have forgotten everybody's name the following day. It's a grand bit of escapism that you shouldn't think about too much.