Keep It Reel:' Skyscraper'

By Marc Woodfork

Dwayne Johnson returns to the big screen in "Skyscraper." Johnson plays a war veteran who now works as a threat assessment and security advisor for the biggest and best hotels in the world. He finds himself in China working a job that he thinks will catapult his burgeoning company into the limelight. Everything seems on the up and up and he gives the all-clear for the management to open the hotel to visitors. Soon after his green light is given, he finds that he has unknowingly been set up and framed for a crime that is taking place inside.

Furthermore, his family are trapped inside the hotel, as a massive fire erupts. Early on the film, you realize you are watching the Bruce Willis "Die hard" movie from the eighties. The producers don't hide the imitation, in fact they fully admit that this is a homage to that film and other disaster films like "Towering Inferno."  With that being said, going into the film knowing that, then it makes "Skyscraper" tolerable.

There isn't much to say about the film. It's exactly what you would expect.  Lots of poor dialogue, sub-par script, plenty of action and fight scenes from Dwayne Johnson. Do not go into this movie expecting to see a better, bigger budget "Die Hard." This falls well short of that film. With all that being said, I liked it for what it is. I didn't have any grand expectations.  It's the Rock saving his family and kicking ass in the process. Exactly what we want to see in the middle of summer. The film is a slow burn to begin with, but once it gets going, it's fun.  Certainly not Johnson's best work, but for his legions of fans, he gives them exactly what they want.