REVIEW: “Rampage” is generic and unbelievable, but entertaining

By Claire Bachand,
BlueDevilHUB.com Staff–

“Rampage” is currently the highest rated video game movie on Rotten Tomatoes, with an 81 percent audience score and 50 percent critic score. Based off of an 1986 arcade game called “Rampage,” where players control giant monsters and attempt to destroy cities while surviving extensive military attacks, “Rampage” the movie follows this storyline as a giant gorilla, wolf and alligator attempt to reduce Chicago to rubble despite the U.S. military’s best efforts.

The first and last 20 minutes of “Rampage” are worth watching for the sign language humor between George—an albino gorilla―and primatologist Davis Okuye (Dwayne Johnson). The other hour and 15 minutes of “Rampage” are full of predictable action and destruction, accompanied by an underwhelming soundtrack.

Ultimately, “Rampage” is comparable to your run of the mill monster movie—it is a “King Kong” want-to-be with very little originality.

Like “Jurassic World,” “Rampage,” directed by Brad Peyton, is utterly unbelievable and unnecessarily violent—following the generic and unrealistic storyline of science experiment gone wrong.

After George is exposed to a pathogen which falls from space, the likeable, sign language fluent gorilla grows to an unheard-of size, becomes aggressive and proceeds to destroy Chicago with the help of a giant wolf and alligator. Sounds believable, right?

Even ignoring the countless scientific impossibilities in the movie, the very actions of the characters in “Rampage” are ridiculous.

At one point, Okuye and scientist Kate Caldwell (Naomi Harris) are arrested for no apparent reason. Later, Claire Wyden (Malin Akerman), with no explained motive, attempts to stop Caldwell and Okuye from curing the monsters.

However, if you can get past its somewhat absurd plot, “Rampage” is still enjoyable.

Like most of Johnsons’ movies, it is by no means a high quality film, but George and his splashes of humor are just unique enough to keep the movie entertaining

Even if you hate action and destruction, you will most likely still love George. His humor and humanity, paired with his bromance with Okuye, make him an appealing character and give you a reason to watch “Rampage” to its end. As a whole, “Rampage” is a step-up for video game movies overall.