Skyscraper may be a Die Hard copy. But with Dwayne Johnson’s charm, it’s as fun and entertaining as any muscle-infused summer blockbuster.
Skyscraper makes no qualms that it’s Die Hard for the 21st century. Hell, it’s got things that were directly lifted from the ’80s actioner hit: an Asian CEO; foreign terrorists; two kids and a wife; a protagonist not dressed for the occasion; etc. However, it’s not really a rip-off because the screenplay and Dwayne Johnson figuratively wink at us enough that we know it’s a respectful homage.
When Die Hard was first released in 1987, it kicked off a whole new genre of action films. In pitch meetings, filmmakers preempted their ideas with “it’s Die Hard on a …” How do you think Cliffhanger was sold? It’s Die Hard on a mountain. Speed? It’s Die Hard on a bus. Paul Blart: Mall Cop? Okay, you get the idea.
Skyscraper is akin to a married couple renewing their vows. It’s the filmmakers reiterating their pact with audiences. They’re making a promise to us—the viewers—that summer movies are supposed to be ridiculous and fun. It’s the quintessential “remember when …” And, boy, does it deliver.
WARNING: Potential Spoilers Ahead
The film opens with Will Sawyer (Dwayne Johnson) going into action as a part of the FBI Hostage and Rescue Team. The mission goes awry when the hostage-taker, a father, performs a suicide bombing. Fast forward ten years and we see Will with a wife and two kids. He actually married the surgeon who saved his life. Oh, and by the way, he now wears a prosthesis on his left leg—the result of the suicide bombing.
Will and his family are living in the very Hong Kong skyscraper where Will is heading up security. We soon learn that his supposed best friend has set him up to be robbed. The plan was to get a security tablet (the brain of the skyscraper) into Will’s hands and then “steal” it from him. But Will’s not dumb. The second he received the tablet, he stowed it close to his body.
This little wrinkle in the villains’ plans, and the fact that his family returned from a trip earlier than planned, is what kicks off Will’s heroic exploits within the fictional tallest building in the world.
Granted, the script’s characterization of Will has a lot to do with this, but Johnson really sells the likable hero act. He has loss and he’s a bit self-defeating. However, when you throw in stakes in the form of a family, you get your typical summer blockbuster protagonist. You want him to win. And, like the in-movie observers, you want to cheer for the “artist formerly known as the Rock” whenever he pummels a bad guy or leaps from death-defying heights.
Oh, and since we’re on the topic of our hero’s feats, we can tie that into the subtitle of this review. If there ever was a smooth way to do product placement, Skyscraper has found the key. Will uses duck tape for everything—even scaling the skyscraper itself. In this movie, the MacGyver-level adhesive seems to be used more than guns. It’s hilarious and completely insane, but it works.
The supporting actors do their job well. Neve Campbell, as the doting wife and mother of his two children, convincingly plays a naval surgeon. And it’s this bit of background that also makes it believable when she too has to kick some ass. She’s got the smarts and the skills from her time in the military.
The main villain, Kores Botha (Roland Møller), hams it up as a modern-day Hans Gruber—straight down to the way he dies. Is it a villain you find compelling? Not at all. But it’s a villain you seriously want to punch in the face, which means the actor did his job right.
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Skyscraper definitely doesn’t break any new ground, but its nostalgia makes it novel enough to warrant a viewing in theaters. Dwayne Johnson pulls a great “John Spartan” (Demolition Man) here. What does that mean? Johnson gives us an ’80s hero—muscular and superhuman—in a 21st century setting. He’s showing us how it use to be done back in the day. Skyscraper is shameless fun because it doesn’t try and sell itself as anything else but ridiculous.
Skyscraper was released in the United States on July 13, 2018.
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