Rampage mini review and impressions

     After opening weekend Rampage was given praise after praise as one of, if not, the best video game movies in existence right now. That is a bold claim and while I can't say it is the best video game movie to ever come out, It is still a very enjoyable movie. When a video game movie comes out, it is inevitable that it is compared to the source material. So much stuff was changed for Rampage that it hardly resembles the base games save for a few details. On that regard I would happily say that it is a good movie, but not the best video game movie. Dawdling aside, there are plenty of things that make this movie great.
     The plot of this movie is just about as simple as the trailers portray and the movie is all the better because of it. Some scientists make a formula that causes sever aggression and mutations. The space station the experiment takes place crashes due to another creature going berserk and the containers with the formula scatter around the United States and cause severe mutations in three particular animals. George, a gorilla in the care of Davis Okoye (Dwayne Johnson), A wolf in the Midwestern United States who we come to know as Ralph, and a giant Alligator who we come to know as Lizzie. The three animals are lured to Chicago so the company who made the formula can get the samples they so desire. Shenanigans ensue as the monsters fight it out and wreck the city. Quick side note, I know technically it is said that Lizzie is a Crocodile but as a Florida boy I can't help but be confused by that  since the gators are in the everglades, where the container landed, and the crocs are mostly saltwater. Continuity be damned, I will keep calling Lizzie a gator!

     The huge down side to a plot this simple is it doesn't leave much room for character development. Really, aside from the villains, there are only three characters we are supposed to cling to. Davis Okoye (Dwayne Johnson), Dr. Kate Caldwell (Naomie Harris) and Harvey Russel (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) serve as the main characters. They are given very simple personalities and jokes, though I find Dr. Caldwell the most forgettable of the three. Granted, Harvey Russel chews the scenery whenever he is on screen. The point is you come to understand these characters very quickly and very early on. The movie knows what it is, and that is not a compelling character drama.
     The movie is meant to be a fun monster romp and that is exactly what it is. The movie does not try to be anything more than that. Because of this, the movie is far from perfect with very few shining moments, but even fewer groaning or just boring moments. The highlight of the movie is the climax. Nonstop monster-fueled destruction with enough pauses to move the story forward and get a laugh. I swear when the 3 creatures had their stand off in the movie I could hear the words "LETS GET READY TO RUMBLE!" playing in my head. This is the kind of tone the movie sets so yeah be sure to turn your brain off for this one. In fact, speaking of the monsters I do have some things to say about those.
     The CG effects in this movie are great. I can't say they are quite as good as some of the other monster movies as of late, but the quality is definitely up there. Each monster mutates in ways that you would expect that kind of creature to mutate...almost. George, being a terrestrial ape, gets huge muscelemass, regeneration and a very tough hide. Lizze, being an aquatic reptile, gets extremely thick armored scales, tusks, gills, and ravenous claws everywhere. Ralph, being a wolf gets a more nimble build, sharp fangs, porcupine spines ...and flaps to glide with. I know, in the movie they say mutations are unpredictable, but it is odd to see Ralph get all the weird stuff while George and Lizzie still look somewhat reasonable. It is a dumb thing, I know, but I feel like they should gone nuts with all 3 or none of them. Go big or go home so to speak.
     At the end of the day there are things that bug me and things that can be seen as flaws but I still cannot say that this was a bad movie. Above all else, this movie is fun. You cannot go in expecting a masterpiece or some sort of poignant message. This is the kind of movie where you go in, turn off your brain and have a good time. It provides an occasional laugh, some good action and nice pacing. Despite how different this movie is from the disjointed lore of the original rampage games, I can't help but say good job to the people who made this. I recommend this movie to anybody who likes action movies and/or monster movies.