Film
Dwayne Johnson and his Rampage co-stars.
Dwayne Johnson and his Rampage co-stars.

Rampage

by / Apr. 10, 2018 6pm EST

If you have fond memories of watching ridiculous Japanese monster movies like Frankenstein Conquers the World on Channel 29’s Sci-Fi Theater in the 1970s, there’s a good chance you’ll have a great time watching Rampage, the latest vehicle to allow Dwayne Johnson to flex his muscles and charm in the face of preposterous situations. This reasonably family-friendly giant monster mash (based on a video game) successfully copies the old Toho Studios formula right down to a pair of terribly dull human villains. For reasons unimportant to detail, a friendly albino gorilla a la Son of Kong, a not-so-friendly wolf, and a ferocious alligator transform into giant monsters bound for Chicago, and only The Rock can save the day. Jeffrey Dean Morgan is delightful as a southern fried military type, and the film wisely eschews the gravitas of the last three Godzilla films, which all skimped on the monster action, in favor of humor. I won’t call it a good film by any means, just wildly entertaining.  A surprisingly grisly opening sequence aboard a space station, a few jump scares, and one creature’s penchant for obscene hand gestures may make parents wish they hadn’t brought kids under 10.

 

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