There is some humor to be found in the fact that the main contender to battle "A Quiet Place" in the box office is one of the loudest, most action-packed movies in recent memory. "Rampage" is a goofy adaptation of the goofy 80's arcade game of the same name, and anyone who expects to be anything more than that will be sorely disappointed. For those not expecting anything more than a giant monster romp, you will not be disappointed.
Dwayne Johnson is Davis Okoye, a primatologist whose sole focus is George, a rare albino gorilla. Okoye is everything the camera needs him to be; anti-poaching activist, action hero, helicopter pilot, ex-soldier, and so on. He comes across as a guy with a lot of information blacked out in his dossier.
He also has a knack for having loads of charisma in one scene and re-adopting the "tough guy who keeps people at arm's length" persona the next. But most importantly, he is an animal lover. His buddy George, who he saved from poachers, is a normally gentle giant who goes into a rage when chemical containers from test sites in space conveniently crash on U.S. soil and miss the ocean entirely.
George is one of three animals to interact with the three crash sites, and the chemicals cause them all to grow to the size of small buildings. The government steps in, attempting to corral the monsters while Okoye vows to keep George safe. Unfortunately, these beasts are running loose through the countryside and cities, and these chemicals have caused them to go on a... Rampage. It's a rampage.
The trailers for "Rampage" set a confusing tone. It was unclear whether this film was going to take itself seriously or poke fun at itself. This confusion transfers to the film and is one of the glaring problems. Scenes of gratuitous violence are followed by oddly placed attempts at comic relief.
Any other side characters, and there are too many of them, are little more than placeholders who were written to play second-fiddle to 'The Rock.' Jeffery Dean Morgan briefly stands out as Harvey Russell, a government agent type who doubles as a quirky southerner. It's the three monsters who take center stage and keep it that way.
Fans of the video game have expressed disappointment at the changes made to the monsters themselves, a giant gorilla, a Godzilla-like creature, and a giant wolf-man named George, Lizzie, and Ralph, respectively. The changes made to these monsters' origins and appearances are smart and work for a film format.
Lizzie is changed to a giant alligator, rather than a blatant Godzilla rip-off, and Ralph is simply changed into a traditional four-legged wolf. The aforementioned Lizzie steals the show, kept as a hidden threat for the majority of the movie. The giant monster destruction and fights on display are exciting and well shot, and everything else in the film is clearly an excuse to have this action on screen. The arc of the film follows the monsters, not the people.
Don't think about it too much. Try and turn your brain off for a while. I use the term "dumb fun" affectionately because this kind of movie was specifically made for me. If giant monsters are your thing too, it's impossible not to enjoy the film. Just don't expect a masterpiece.
