Skyscraper – Film Review

You’d be forgiven if you thought Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has had a movie at the cinemas continuously for months with Jumanji, Rampage and now Skyscraper being released back-to-back. But I am telling you, Skyscraper is the best one yet.

In Skyscraper, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson plays Will Sawyer, a former FBI agent and amputee who takes on a new project of being security assessor of ‘The Pearl’. ‘The Pearl’ is a newly established skyscraper built in the harbour of Hong Kong and is stated to be the tallest in the world. With the lower half of the building being a shopping mall and the upper half being residential apartments, as ‘The Pearl’ is still shiny and new, Sawyer’s family have been offered to live within the building as part of his contract and are the first family to live at ‘The Pearl’. For Sawyer, everything seems to be on the way up, that is until he discovers his family are suddenly stuck in a tall blazing inferno and that he is being framed for it.

I honestly believe this is one of Dwayne Johnson’s best films yet. Every minute, every second of the film is used cleverly and sufficiently. Skyscraper has a great plot, wonderful acting, and everything that you see is necessary. Apart from Dwayne Johnson being charismatic and his character feeling real and relatable, the rest of the cast are equally great, with all characters showing development that naturally grows with the story. It was great seeing former teen flick queen Neve Campbell on-screen again as wife Sarah Sawyer, former combat medic. Although her character is portrayed as a nurturing mother-of-two, she is no damsel in distress. Instead what we get is an ass-kicking, capable, courageous and strong woman.

Chin Han as the building creator Zhao Long Ji is shown as rich, powerful but humble and determined. Even though his creation and hard work is on fire, he never cracks under pressure. I also loved Byron Mann as Inspector Wu. Even though Inspector Wu had found many clues that seemed to point the finger to our framed main character, Wu never assumes and continues to put puzzle pieces together as events unfold. In comparison to most Hollywood films where the American investigator is happy with his evidence and wants to catch the person they’ve already made up in their mind is guilty, Skyscraper’s character Inspector Wu is smart and refreshing.

I thought this film was exciting, intense, anxiety inducing and brilliant. Not only is the film full of action sequences, but the cinematography, pyrotechnics and special effects are also so impressive. Shots where the camera pans down from the skyscraper to the sea of smaller buildings below caused my acrophobia to kick in. If you’re afraid of heights like I am, you’ll still enjoy this film, but it would be more of an intense rollercoaster experience for you than for someone who isn’t.

What I loved most about Skyscraper was how international and diverse the film is. We have a character who has had to replan his whole life after a disaster 10 years ago that has made him an amputee and has steered his life in an entirely new direction. Now part of an interracial couple with a bilingual wife and multiracial children, the film is brave by setting the scene where Asia has surpassed the rest of the world with their financial dominance and technological advancement.

When our main character Will Sawyer is struggling and is doing his best to save his family throughout the film, we are not only seeing our favourite action hero doing what he does best but are also seeing a character who despite being an amputee is neither hindered nor discouraged by his disability. He continues to fight, showing depth to the character’s physical and mental strength. In comparison to his former FBI colleague, Skyscraper displays that the only disability in life is a bad attitude.

Skyscraper is the perfect combination of visually impressive, smart, funny and exciting. I can definitely see this film being an inspiration to those who need it. And If Skyscraper were a person, I’d date them. But Skyscraper is a film, so instead you should definitely go see it. I really want to see it again in IMAX. – even though I’m scared of heights. And for me, that’s saying a lot.