Rampage

An entertaining feet-up movie. The action looks unexpectedly good, especially Mr. Alligator was great. It’s true that, compared to Godzilla, this is a poor substitute, but George has his underdog face reflecting animal testing. The chemistry between the monkey and the Rock is excellent, as is their perverse humor. (04/13/2019)

An asylum monster flick with a monstrous budget, Rampage is a bit of technically perfect mind candy with high-quality 3D and beautiful monsters that we enjoy the fullest both in lush greenery and in the concrete jungle of Chicago. But to be really satisfying, this movie would need a more personalized director’s touch, whether conceptual (Cloverfield, Godzilla) or at least superficially visual (Michael Bay). Rampage has purely mechanical, sexless direction, wants to satisfy everyone, does not want to offend anyone and, unfortunately, doesn’t even try to be surprising. (04/11/2018)

Rampage works best on first viewing and especially in the cinema, for which this audiovisual orgy with oversized creatures was primarily created. In terms of screenwriting, the film has little to surprise, leaving the viewer to marvel at the bizarre visuals and the various abilities of the mutant giants, whose hobbies include destroying cities and devouring their inhabitants. I liked the casting of the swaggering The Rock, the likeable Naomie Harris and the cowboy Jeffrey Dean Morgan, though the villains seemed lacking in charisma. In the end, though, it's a satisfying hundred minutes in the cinema anyway (it doesn't work so well on a second viewing on a home PC), during which you can switch off your brain quite blithely and enjoy this monstrously monstrous piece of work. (09/29/2019)

Dwayne Johnson has a weaker moment this time. Financially the film is a success, but I didn't take away a great audience experience. I haven't played the old Rampage video game, so I can't compare, but it certainly would have been more interesting if it had enlarged the animals more at once and could have made for much more intense destruction. The finale is admittedly intense and the giant crocodile can command respect, but it left me pretty cold. There could have been more humour, and the only action scene worth mentioning is the finale and the wolf attack in the forest. It's watchable and doesn't look bad on screen, but I feel like I've grown out of it slightly. The final shot that made the whole cinema laugh was good though. 65% (04/18/2018)

An immature project that only made it to the big screen thanks to The Rock's narcissistic personality. But I don't want to blame him, his dedication to an otherwise totally imbecilic flick is the main ingredient that elevates the film into watchable mediocrity – and maybe also Morgan’s charisma and the beauty of Naomi Harris. Otherwise, it's just a bunch of overgrown monsters with dramaturgy from the early fifties and barely an interesting scene or catchphrase. Pointless. (04/12/2018)