Rampage was one of the earliest video games I played, I think I actually played it first on an arcade machine. But beyond that little memory, I have no attachment to the franchise. When I saw that there was a movie about it, first thing I thought was surprise as it has been a long time since the game was popular (although it makes sense as it is about the same time frame as Voltron and He-Man).
Second, I saw The Rock was in it and he seems perfect for this type of role. Honestly, I expected this movie to be just like Pacific Rim with a mix of Jumanji – that was pretty close, although it skewed more on the Pacific Rim side. The script is what you would expect of a b-movie, although I feel as though big budget scripts in general are a lot better these days. Also, The Rock can say any cheesy line and make it sound real.
Like most summer blockbusters, it is a light affair that has a bunch of destruction. They do climb and bust down a building like in the game, but I wouldn’t say they level a building. Unlike all the troops, the hero has supreme luck and a supernatural ability to stay alive against caricature villains and the beasts.
At the end of the day, Rampage didn’t need its source material, I think it is an interesting story on its own (reminiscent of The Host). I would give it 3 out of 5 but wouldn’t expect a sequel.
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