Primatologist Davis (Dwayne Johnson) shares an unshakable bond with George, the extraordinarily intelligent silverback gorilla who has been in his care since he was young. When a greed-fueled corporation's genetic experiment goes awry, George and other animals across the country are mutated into aggressive supercreatures who destroy everything in their path. In this adrenaline-filled ride, Davis tries to find an antidote, not only to halt a global catastrophe but also to save the fearsome creature who was once his friend. When three different animals become infected with a dangerous pathogen, a primatologist and a geneticist team up to stop them from destroying Chicago. It's possible that I misread the trailers m, but it seemed like this film would be more self aware about how dumb it is and would do something fun with it, so I was actually really excited for this movie. Those elements are sort of there, but for the most part it's played completely straight, so that was quite disappointing, especially since the premise is so ridiculous. <br/><br/>The best part about it is obviously The Rock, as well as his best friend George. Their relationship really helps this movie, but unfortunately they're separated for a majority of it. Jeffrey Dean Morgan reprises his role of Neegan from The Walking Dead, but he is fun to watch when he's on screen. T<br/><br/>he monsters destroying the city is pretty cool but it's only like the last 20 minutes of the film. That's a common complaint about giant monster movies, there's not enough monster action, and I get the argument that there needs to be humans to follower else the monster stuff becomes monotonous, but there really was t enough here and the human stuff for the most part was really bland and uninteresting.<br/><br/>The worst of it was Malin Ackerman who plays the villain of this movie. First I'll say that the writing of this movie is not great, but the villain dialogue is the worst of it. Then Malin Ackerman didn't do anything with it, she looked like whoever she was talking to had the script staples to their face and she's just reading it.<br/><br/>The last thing I would like to point out is this movie is shockingly violent and scary. Not like genuine horror but there are several jump scares that I wasn't expecting. And this movie does not shy away from showing you all of the people being killed by these monsters. It's not graphic but it can be quite uncomfortable. Not something you would expect from a movie about giant animals with The Rock doing one liners.<br/><br/>Overall I was pretty disappointed with this movie, but I wouldn't say it was bad. There is quite a bit of fun to be had with this movie but I would say wait until it hits Redbox or some streaming service before checking it out. Does this review contain spoilers? Yeah, lots of them!<br/><br/>What can you expect of a movie whose premises are ca. 7 feet super hero that can recover from 9mm wounds on the abdomen and keep running like nothing happened? A guy that is an animal trainer but can handle all kinds of military helos, beat a pair of MP's that are as huge as him, monsters that can withstand .50 cal Gatling gun fire, cannon fire, can leap 30 feet in the air, destroy buildings and yet be killed by a well placed spike in the eye? A G man that carries a 1911 Colt in the belt and violates every rule in the book while at the same time make himself obeyed by 3 or 4 star generals? Chemical vials that can survive an atmospheric reentry and not be cooked into oblivion? Gorillas that sign-talk, have a sense of humor, laugh and make jokes? <br/><br/>The most redeeming trait of this lampoon is that the bad guys and the monsters get it in the end, virtually splashing gore and tripes on you too. Serves you fine! ;-D<br/><br/>This film not only really takes the audience for stupids, but tells them to their faces and still manages to let you out of the theater grinning.<br/><br/>Expect nothing but action and laughs plus gore, gore and more revolting gore every five minutes… and you'll get your money worth.<br/><br/>I cannot honestly recommend it but if you are dragged to the theater by your kids or grandchildren you can certainly find worse ways to dump a couple of hours. Just don't expect anything but dumb fun all the way. Per usual, Johnson is the key cog of a movie built for his physical presence, but it's the relationship between Davis and George that fuels the plot, even when everything around them gets convoluted and haphazard.
Jandap replied
364 weeks ago