Dwayne Johnson is a bonafide movie star, for that there is no question and further proof of that arrives with the Blu-Ray, DVD and digital release of Skyscraper.
The film’s pitch is essentially Die Hard in a building. Wait, you say… didn’t that Bruce Willis iconic film considered by many to be one of the best action movies in history take place in a building? Why yes, yes it did. But, what makes Skyscraper so interested is they don’t run away from that fact. All involved run right into it and the result is a pretty enjoyable action flick whose stakes are high, action is electric and that charismatic action hero at its center captures the audience’s compassion to its fullest.
Johnson is Will Sawyer, who is in Hong Kong with his family for a job interview to run security for what will be the world’s tallest building when it opens. It is essentially the size of a city, albeit straight up to the sky. Things are going swimmingly for the Sawyer clan on this day. While Sarah (Neve Campbell) takes the kids to the zoo to witness the world-famous pandas, Will reconnects with a former FBI agent buddy who recommended him for the job to tour the facility, meet the building’s billionaire visionary and then offer his assessment to the establishment’s security readiness and risks.
Before long, the building is taken over by nefarious folks and our thrills commence. Will happens to be offsite inspecting the building’s remote security office and sees the Pearl (the building’s moniker) ablaze in the higher floors. Thank goodness his family is away… or are they? Turns out one of the Sawyer kids got sick and yes, they are home and yes, they are in danger. Will is in a race against time to get back to the building, somehow get in to the skyscraper and get to his family while simultaneously foiling the plot behind the terror that sparked the blaze and bring justice to all those involved.
Just an ordinary day if you’re Dwayne Johnson, no?
Johnson’s cinematic charm and writer-director Rawson Marshall Thurber’s script does just enough that one can forget that we are watching Die Hard in a building. There is the draw of the family aspect. There is the fact that Johnson’s Will lost part of his leg during a hostage negotiation back when he was with the FBI. The audience embraces not only Will, but his entire family and thus their fate becomes our fate—how ever far fetched their situational drama becomes over the course of Skyscraper.
It’s nice to see Campbell back on the back screen. The Scream sensation does great work in Johnson’s latest action pic and is not simply a wife or girlfriend sidekick to our hero. She gets in on the action as well! Also, an actioner is only as good as its villain and the baddie in Skyscraper is decent enough that this whole story basically works as a whole.
For more on the film itself, check out our theatrical Skyscraper review.
The bonus features have over 30 minutes of newly released content, between deleted scenes that are truly fascinating (but also easily seen why they landed on the cutting room floor) and extended scenes that made the cut.
Dwayne Johnson: Embodying a Hero goes behind the scenes and gives us a first-hand account of what it is that makes The Rock so special as a movie star—dare we say, “Brand.” Hearing him wax poetic about tackling Will and wanting to do justice to a character with a disability is heartwarming to say the least.
Speaking of that, Inspiration chronicles the real-life amputee that inspired Johnson’s characterization of Will. Motivational speaker Jeff Glasbrenner is introduced, and it becomes clear immediately how the man helped shape the character we see in Skyscraper.
Opposing Forces is a fantastic bonus featurette as it shines a bright spotlight on the women of the film and what it took to get Neve Campbell and Hannah Quinlivan ready to battle. It’s also quite inspiring.
Speaking of action, two featurettes look at a pair of different angles on the thrilling scene front. First, Friends No More chronicles Johnson and Pablo Schreiber (who plays Will’s old FBI buddy Ben) and their clutch face-off that sends our story from friendly to fierce. It’s a fascinating look at the apartment fight scene and when the two actors met each other, they immediately know that this particular moment in the film would be one to remember. Secondly, Kids in Action shows the viewer how the Sawyer kids—Noah Cottrell and McKenna Roberts—learned their moves to execute stunts that are wildly beyond their years.
Pineapple Pitch is a rather fruity look at how Thurber first pitched the idea of the film to Johnson. It’s rather hilarious.
Lastly, given that this is the rare action film with an enormous budget with a larger-than-life star, that comes from a writer-director, turning on the Feature Commentary for a second viewing could not be recommended enough. Sure, he wanders sometimes, but one can forgive the man who crafted this enjoyable thrill ride.
Film Grade: B+
Bonus Features: B