Skyscraper Movie Review

By: Lynn Barker

In Skyscraper, one time war vet and FBI Hostage Rescue Team leader Will Sawyer (Dwayne Johnson) is an amputee now assessing security for skyscraper buildings. When his family becomes trapped in the world’s tallest and supposedly safest building during a fire, Will has to save them. Doesn’t help that bad guys have framed him for starting the blaze.

On the street, Will realizes the building is on fireCourtesy of Universal Studios

Sad Past

Ten years ago, Will Sawyer was trying to get a distraught dad holding his family hostage to give up when the man freaked and blew everyone up, including Will and some of his men. Will survived but ended up with a prosthetic leg.

Will and friend Ben meet with Pearl ownerCourtesy of Universal Studios

Now

Will and family, ex-Navy combat surgeon Sarah (Neve Campbell), tween daughter Georgia (McKenna Roberts) and young son Henry (Noah Cottrell) are in Hong Kong where Will is approving security for the new tallest building in the world, The Pearl. For the time being, the family is living on upper floors that will one day be residential when completed. Will’s friend and ex rescue teammate Ben (Pablo Schreiber) got him the job. Will approves the building’s safe systems and is taken by Ben to an offsite control room to finish his assessment.

Sarah learns about the fireCourtesy of Universal Studios

Betrayal

Ben is secretly working for baddies who plan to set the building on fire. He needs to secure a tablet keyed only to Will’s I.D. Building systems can be controlled by using it. Plans to get it fail so Ben and Will end up fighting over it. Will has to run. He learns that his family, supposed to be out for the day, has actually returned to their suite in the building. Bad guy operatives light a big fire and their cohorts enter the offsite control room and shut all the firefighting systems down. Sarah and her kids are trapped above the fire! The building owner doesn’t want to leave his penthouse high above.

Owner of The Pearl stays in his posh penthouseCourtesy of Universal Studios

The Big Climb

Someone has framed Will for setting the fire and police are looking for Will. He makes his way to the building and with every entrance locked, starts climbing the outside of the structure using a big crane and several creative maneuvers. Meanwhile, the owner gets something like a jump drive out of his safe and is about to leave from the roof in a helicopter when chief baddie Botha (Roland Moller) and thugs shoot everything up. Botha wants the drive and its mystery contents.

Baddie Botha threatens to throw Georgia off the roofCourtesy of Universal Studios

Inside the Building

Once inside, Will locates his family and devises a way to get Sarah and son down and out but he is separated from daughter Georgia who is grabbed by Botha who plans to throw her off the roof. By now, Will has gotten his hands on the coveted drive and Botha will do a trade; daughter for the drive. Will, the worse now for wear, has to team up with the owner to get the drive back and also rescue his daughter before the fire reaches the roof.

Will tries to protect his daughterCourtesy of Universal Studios

Outcome?

Will Sarah make it to the ground and be able to somehow help her husband and daughter? Can Will get his daughter to safety? Will the fire consume the whole building? What exactly is on this drive that everyone wants so badly?

Daughter Georgia is separated from the familyCourtesy of Universal Studios

Wrapping Up

You’ll have to check your brain at the door and not expect any logical plot points to enjoy Skyscraper. Yes, we’ve got a cool-looking, obviously CGI building with many floors that houses an impressive gigantic atrium complete with waterfall etc. but the building is powered by wind and two ginormous moving turbines that look like egg beater attachments on a kitchen mixer.

Sarah and kids try to cross a burning bridgeCourtesy of Universal Studios

Unbelievable action sequences reign supreme throughout topped off with Dwayne holding up a large walking bridge all by himself while his wife and child cross over. Hey, he’s strong but he isn’t supposed to have super powers. Vertigo sufferers should stay home. One thing you learn is to bring duct tape to a disaster. It can obviously fix just about anything.

Will with duct-taped hand, climbs the buildingCourtesy of Universal Studios

I was pleased to see Neve Campbell on the big screen again (she’s been doing TV) and that wife Sarah is bright, knows a few martial arts moves and can handle herself. She also performs some work on the ground that makes her instrumental in saving her family. She’s not just the helpless wife in jeopardy. Also on the plus side, Dwayne is finally a hero that isn’t in top physical shape. He has to deal with a prosthesis leg (which comes in handy at times) and can’t always win a fight but, of course, this doesn’t hold him back long. If you just enjoy The Rock doing crazy physical action, Skyscraper is entertaining but why not combine this with a “rock-solid” plot?  We can go three stars.

Skyscraper Movie Rating: 

Courtesy of Universal Studios

See Skyscraper in theaters Friday, July 13^th!

Have Your Say

Have the trailers for this film intrigued you? Are you afraid of heights? Are you a big Dwayne Johnson fan no matter what? Tell us all about it by commenting below.