‘Skyscraper’: Dwayne Johnson Carries a Burning Tower, Not Much Else

Dwayne Johnson carries a skyscraper on his back and still cannot make “Skyscraper” feel like a movie worth remembering. The action picture, released in 2018, stars Johnson as Will Ford, a former FBI agent turned security expert who tries to save his family from a burning building in Shanghai. The film wants to be a tense, personal thriller. It mostly ends up being a loud, hollow exercise in spectacle.

Trailer, via Universal Pictures.

Will Ford’s Family

Johnson plays Will Ford, a man whose wife and children live in a luxury apartment in Shanghai. When a terrorist group takes over the Shanghai Pearl Tower and sets it on fire, Ford must get inside the building to save his family. The setup is simple and effective. It gives the film a reason to exist beyond Johnson’s presence.

The Burning Building

The Shanghai Pearl Tower is the heart of “Skyscraper.” It stands as a symbol of modern ambition and danger. The film spends real time showing its height, its glass walls, and its exposed steel skeleton. This is where the movie shows its best instincts, even if those instincts are mostly visual.

Johnson’s Climbs

Johnson has built his career on physical comedy and action. In “Skyscraper,” he gets to do both, climbing across broken floors and fighting his way through waves of attackers. His performance is committed and athletic. He sells the danger of the situation without ever fully rising above the material around him.

The Villains

The terrorists are a problem. They are faceless, interchangeable, and given no reason to exist beyond being obstacles. Their plan is vague, their motives are thin, and their threat feels less like a plot device and more like a wall for Johnson to climb. The film never bothers to make them human, and that lack of depth hurts the tension that should drive the second half.

The Plot’s Weak Spots

The story has a few major issues. First, the stakes keep shifting. The film promises a family rescue mission and spends too much time on set pieces that feel separate from the goal. Second, the resolution is rushed. The final act wraps up the conflict with a quick montage rather than a satisfying payoff. Third, the film leans heavily on coincidence to move the plot forward, which undercuts the tension it worked to build.

The Verdict

“Skyscraper” is not a bad movie. It is a Dwayne Johnson vehicle that treats him as a brand rather than an actor. The action is functional, the settings are impressive, and the emotional core is there, buried under layers of CGI and gunfire. It is a film that knows what it is and delivers exactly that, without ever reaching for something more.

The film’s score sits at 5.1 out of 10.

action movie · Dwayne Johnson · movie review · Shanghai · terrorist thriller