Skyscraper
âSkyscraperâ is a cacophonous blockbuster, in the Die Hard wannabe (plus obligatory 3D and pricey special effects) mold, the likes of which youâve probably seen (or perhaps avoided) many times over. Dwayne Johnson plays Will Sawyer, a former FBI Hostage Rescue Team leader currently on assignment in China with his family, in his new job as skyscraper safety assessor. Itâs no spoiler to say that this skyscraper, a tech-laden, phallic monstrosity, doesnât turn out to be so safe, and the film quickly turns into an occasionally tense but mostly predictable tale of a man taking risks to save his family from explosions, devious suits and terrorists. Johnson is obviously a bankable star, and his charisma lightens up a few moments, as when he makes creative use of his characterâs prosthetic leg to save himself, and has a satisfied reaction.
For the most part, though, touches of humanity are largely absent. Sawyerâs two children are cute, but theyâre pretty much pawns in the action scheme here, and we know Johnson will serve a big heroic ending. Sawyerâs wife, Sarah, is largely depicted as a woman in perilâwhich is a shame, given that sheâs played by Neve Campbell, who brought such shrewdness to roles in âScreamâ and âWild Thingsâ back in the â90s. Campbell is given a couple moments to shine (as when she shows she knows Chinese, to the surprise of the officers helping her), but theyâre few and far between. The most egregious moment in âSkyscraperâ just might come during a fight scene s