‘Big meets bigger’
Rampage is a 2018 American action monster film directed by Brad Peyton from a screenplay written by Ryan Engle, Carlton Cuse, Ryan J. Condal and Adam Sztykiel, loosely based on the 1980’s arcade video game of the same name by Midway Games.
The movie stars Dwayne Johnson, Naomie Harris, Malin Åkerman, Joe Manganiello, Jake Lacy, Marley Shelton, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan.
Plot:
Primatologist Davis Okoye, a man who keeps people at a distance, shares an unshakable bond with George, the extraordinarily intelligent, albino silverback gorilla who has been in his care since birth.
However, a rogue genetic experiment gone awry mutates this gentle ape into a raging creature of enormous size. To make matters worse, it’s soon discovered there are other similarly altered animals.
As these newly created alpha predators tear across North America, destroying everything in their path, Okoye teams with a discredited genetic engineer to secure an antidote, fighting his way through an ever-changing battlefield, not only to halt a global catastrophe but to save the fearsome creature that was once his friend…
Reviews:
” …between its top-notch visual effects and the indefatigable charisma of the only man who can dwarf not one but three giant mutated animals, Rampage provides so much destruction that audiences indisputably get their money’s worth, even if afterward they’ll probably feel as levelled as the cities on screen.” Todd Gilchrist, Bloody Disgusting
“Sure, it has a handful of script and logic issues, but overall Rampage delivers a gargantuan amount of fun and is perpetually saved by Johnson and his engaging and heartfelt relationship with his primate co-star, George (performed by Jason Liles via mo-cap), who somehow find an emotional core to an otherwise thinly plotted film.” Heather Wixson, Daily Dead
“It’s the narrative tissue in between that allows the movie magic to falter every now and then. However, when Johnson is doing that movie action star thing he does so well and giant animals are going enormous-mano-a-enormous-mano, there’s undeniably goofy fun to be had. You just have to be patient during the downtime.” Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com
” …fits squarely into Johnson’s established “brand” and could have easily been an original sci-fi film about The Rock battling giant monsters, had it dropped the references to the original games. Rampage doesn’t blend action, comedy, and heart as well as The Rock’s best tentpoles, but there’s good dunderheaded fun to be had here.” Sandy Schaefer, Screen Rant
Main cast and characters:
- Dwayne Johnson as Davis Okoye, a primatologist and head of an anti-poaching unit out of Rwanda.
- Naomie Harris as Doctor Kate Caldwell, a discredited genetic engineer who teams up with Okoye.
- Malin Åkerman as Claire Wyden, the villainess who infects a gorilla, alligator and wolf with a serum that will cause rapid growth and induced rage.
- Joe Manganiello as Burke, the leader of a private military group
- Jake Lacy
- Marley Shelton as a scientist and astronaut
- Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Agent Russell, a government agent with attitude who works for an agency called OGA.
- P. J. Byrne as a scientist
- Jack Quaid
- Matt Gerald
- Breanne Hill as Amy
- Urijah Faber
Filming locations:
Principal photography began on April 17, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois
