Hollywood has always had a stained history with video game movie adaptations. Most, if not all, fail to capture the essence and spectacle of the original source material. Unfortunately, the newest kid on the block, Rampage, does not break that mold and ultimately becomes another victim to the video game movie curse.
Rampage, starring Dwayne Johnson, is an adaptation loosely based on the video game franchise of the same name. The plot revolves around a primatologist and former military operative named Davis Okoye who sets out to save his gorilla friend George, a rare albino specimen, after he becomes infected by a leaked pathogen from a science experiment gone wrong. As a result of exposure, George begins to mutate and grows to enormous heights. Problems escalate when a wolf in Wyoming and an alligator in the Everglades transform into giant monstrosities as well and begin a warpath towards Chicago, climaxing into a showdown reminiscent of most kaiju films. The three creatures featured in the film all resemble their respective game counterparts.
The action and destruction scenes are survivable within the context and scope of the film, but they are lacking in comparison to the gravitas, magnitude, and memorability factor of other recent kaiju films like 2013’s Pacific Rim and 2014’s Godzilla. In spite of this, it is enough to keep viewers visually engaged.
The story and characters work within the context of the film. The characters outside of Davis and Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s Harvey Russell are not developed beyond their character archetypes. Despite this, the actors do their best to give a believable performance. In addition, the story is unsurprisingly very basic and the writing in particular is one-note. The film has moments of “exposition dump,” often giving the audience information through long and drawn-out scenes of dialogue.
All in all, Rampage is action-fueled ride that offers some moments of humor and spectacle. However the film as a whole is bogged down by uninspired characters and a forgettable narrative. Despite its efforts, Rampage ends up becoming another video game adaptation that fails to live up to the games it is based on.
2 out of 4 Stars
