RAMPAGE Lets Loose!

Jeri Jacquin

In theatres this Friday from director Brad Peyton and New Line Cinema is a story about a man, his friend and saving a city from RAMPAGE.

Up in space, an explosion of an experimental station sends debris falling from the sky including canisters that the Chicago based Energyn company wants back. Claire (Malin Akerman) and Brett Wyden (Jake Lacy) are siblings who want to make sure no one else gets their hands on it.

Primatologist Davis Okoye (Dwayne Johnson) works with animals at a sanctuary and his best friend is an albino gorilla named George. Speaking to one another through sign language, they have a connection of friendship and humor.

Later that night George finds the canister as it opens shooting a mist into his face. The next morning Davis and his team discover that George is not only acting peculiar but has grown in size. Wanting to know what has happened to his friend, Davis meets Dr. Kate Caldwell (Naomie Harris), a geneticist who tells him what has happened.

Showing up to take George is OGA-man Harvey Russell (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) who knows everything about Davis and Kate. Russell shares with them that George isn’t the only creature on the loose – there is another! The one thing the OGA doesn’t know is that the Wyden siblings have set off a signal calling to both creatures.

Now Davis, Kate and Russell are racing against time to save George before the military makes there move. Plus – there is one other large thing they need to take care of as well.

Johnson as Davis comes on strong and keeps it going from beginning to end. Of course he is charming, funny and has one-liners that absolutely work giving his character a fun edge. That could be considered odd since he is fighting big creatures but hey, you have to enjoy it a little bit or why else save the world with your friend George.

Harris as Kate has her own bone to pick with the Wyden siblings and at the same time wants to help Davis understand what is happening. Knowing things are out of control means jumping right in or perhaps more like jumping right out of things falling all around them.

Morgan as Russell grabs his swagger and quickly learns to believe what he is told by Davis. During the screening, the moment Morgan came on the screen the audience went buck wild. Of course the word ‘oh wow, it’s Negan’ was heard loud and clear but this character is the opposite of the bat-toting psycho. Instead, Russell is in it to help Davis and Kate because missiles aren’t friendly and downtown Chicago doesn’t need anymore renovating than necessary.

Akerman as Claire owns a company that obviously doesn’t care one wit about the human race. She also doesn’t care about ‘liquidating’ anyone that gets in her way. Cold and calculated doesn’t even begin to cover it and brother Brett played by Lacey is just along for the ride leaving sister Claire to do all the dirty work.

Other cast include Joe Manganiello as Burke, Marley Shelton as Dr. Atkins, P.J. Byrne as Nelson, Demetrius Grosse as Col. Blake, Jack Quaid as Connor, Breanne Hill as Amy and Will Yun Lee as Agent Park.

RAMPAGE is pretty much everything you’d think – it’s predictable, a bit hokey, unbelievable with the usual destruction of a major city (this time Chicago) and yet I didn’t care not one little bit. Instead I absolutely had a good time reveling in all those points because hey, it’s Dwayne Johnson and that’s all anyone needs to know.

George is cute and very funny and actually makes a pretty awesome partner for Johnson. I mean if you are going to play opposite The Rock, you better bring some muscle of your own. If you are looking for the bigger picture of the film it’s that George and Davis know the true meaning of friendship and don’t mind kicking a little creature butt to prove it.

This is a big-tub-of-popcorn-share-with-the-family-no-brainer-fun-adventure-action film that the whole family can see. It’s nice to just let a movie be exactly what it is, a movie that gives us all a chance to forget where we are, cheer on the big guy (either one works) and walk away feeling like a good time was had by all.

In the end – big meets bigger!