#REVIEW: “SKYSCRAPER”

Review by Justin Waldman for Mr. Will Wong

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is back and this time around, he means business! Writer/Director Rawson Marshall Thurber does his best 80s homage as he channels Die Hard for the modern viewer, minus some of its comedic elements. Throw in The Rock and no matter what, you have a sure-fire hit on your hands.

Terrorist and drug cartel trafficker Kores Botha (Rolland Moller) has a bone to pick with billionaire tycoon Zhao Long Ji (Chin Han) and will do anything to satisfy his bosses, including setting fire to the world’s largest building, The Pearl. However, before opening the residential half of The Pearl, based on the recommendation of Ben (Pablo Schreiber), Zhao hires Will Sawyer (Dwayne Johnson) to be an independent third-party inspector, to verifying public safety and its insurability.

Will brings his family along for the journey as he now has to live in Hong Kong for six months and tagging along are his wife Sarah (Neve Campbell) and kids who enjoy their time in Hong Kong. On the final day, the last step in the inspection process, Bores breaks into The Pearl, setting his plan of destruction in motion, while Sarah and the kids unfortunately return home. As Bores’ plan begins, Will realizes he can’t stop the fire and that his family is now stuck in literally, a towering inferno.

Skyscraper works as an over-the-top CGI-heavy Action-Comedy because the Movie is completely self-aware what it is. Johnson is here to steal the show and that he does, operating at 200%, bringing his fanbase the fun they’ve come to love him for. Moller channels his inner Alan Rickman/Hans Gruber to some success, while Schreiber and Chin  meet expectations.

Skyscraper quite literally is a cranked-up level 11 on a scale-of-ten blast.  The final action scene is will have you cheering from the edge of your seats!

Universal Pictures Canada release SKYSCRAPER Friday, July 13, 2018.