Skyscraper (Blu-ray) [2018] [Region Free]

All is ok

Good all round movie

Let’s be clear about this – this is B movie preposterous hokum which borrows heavily from elsewhere. But you know what? It borrows some of the best elements, and.. it has Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson. So I loved it on a pure popcorn-leave-your-brain-at-home sort of a way! It’s plot surrounds Dwayne as an ex-special services/ hostage rescuer chap who has come to the end of his career, and has taken a job as a security consultant on the new tallest building in the world in Hong Kong. Alas, rum doings are afoot, and when the tower goes on fire, he is being set up to take the fall. That’s the least of his worries though, as his wife (Neve Campbell – nice to see you again) and two kids are stuck in the building, above the fire line – can he get in and save them?No prizes for guessing how things go – but its rollicking entertainment on the way, and manages through sheer force of charisma on Johnson’s part to overcome its ludicrosity to become almost believable – believable enough to have me puling my feet over the cinema chair biting my fingernails in suspense at some of the more vertiginous activities. It’s a mixture of 70’s Towering Inferno disaster movie, 80’s muscle-bound action hero against machine gun-toting bad guys, and 90’s Die-Hard style shenanigans. If the bad guys seem somewhat one-note, and nobody will win any Oscars, the most effective set pieces are the escaping from a burning building pieces, though the film sets itself up more as an action movie a la Die Hard. Special effects are mostly seamless though one leap of faith requires a leap of your imagination to match. Frankly the special effect here is Johnson himself, who I’m beginning to think can do just about anything. It’s not just Johnson that works here – I enjoyed seeing Neve Campbell in a role that gave her an opportunity to deal with some baddies to bruising effect. There was even a cheer in the cinema viewing I was in at one of her ‘moments’.I still have a smile on my face – I’m unlikely to rush out and buy the disc, but this would be an enjoyable guilty pleasure to catch on a plane or on TV.. but my recommendation is to leave the brain at home, head to the cinema and see this on the big screen for the full effect – and watch your smile turn into a grin as you polish off your popcorn. I’m not pretending it’s going to be a classic – but that won’t stop you enjoying it.

I liked this movie because Dwayne Johnson portrayed how much his loyalty to his family that he would do anything to save them and also got rid of the bad guys

Five Star for the movie, but this review is specifically for the 4K UHD version.If you've not seen the film, definitely pick it on Blu Ray. Its been described as a cross between Die Hard and The Towering Inferno, but I think that's unfair. Its not Die Hard - the gun fights are pretty few and far between. But what the director did was sell the threat - there is real tension watching the film. At the cinema, I was gripping the seat (I dont play well with heights), but others other commented how there was an incredible sense of danger.So why the 3 stars for this release?The colour is extremely poor even on my high-end HDR TV. There are multiple scenes where hair looks like its been drawn in like a cartoon.Other scenes show lots of grain - not in terms of "film grain", but what looks like poor-quality encoding. I wouldn't be surprised if this was actually an upscaled 2K movie.I think the Blu Ray is a genuinely better release - less artefacts to distract from what is really a thrilling movie.

Brilliant action movie.Dwayne Johnson and Neve Campbell make a great team and the children in the movie are a revelation.It is a meatier role than we usually see The Rock in as he plays a retired FBI agent injured in the line of duty and is an amputee.So he is not the unbeatable hero we expect.OK he is unbeatable.But flawed.The plot is basically Die Hard meets The Towering Inferno and while it is perhaps not as good as those two classics it comes close and of course has better special effects.There is even a nod to this with a Brice Willis gag in one of the deleted scenes.In effect he is a security adviser to the building of the biggest building in the world and of course it is taken over by criminals while is not there but his wife and kids are.The Rock to the rescue.Great action and special effects ensure a rollercoaster of a movie.Plenty of extras including deleted and extended scenes some of which I felt should have been left in to add a little gravitas.Probably the best Dwayne Johnson movie yet.

I watched this movie on my TV before buying this DVD it was well packed and it played fine

Bought on the 4k-Format - Superb visuals/picture quality -----ALSO -Purchased also on DVD for my teenage granddaughter to enjoy on her portable-playerFeel after reading some of the critics take on the film they were perhaps expecting to much and in many cases rubbished the film..........me ?......watched it with no real expectations and found it hugely entertaining.The film tells of how former F.B.I agent Will Sawyer (Dwayne Johnson) loses his leg during a rescue mission.Ten years later we find him working as a security adviser for Skyscrapers in Hong Kong one of which is the newly constructed purpose built 225 storey tower known as ''The Pearl''When a criminal gang set a fire on the 96th floor with the intent of stealing from the buildings owner Will becomes the number one suspect, however when he realises that his wife and two children are in the building on a floor above the fire he has to mount an unlikely rescue attempt, and becomes pursued by the Hong Kong police as he races toward the burning tower.The race is on, there will be many obstacles to overcome along the way including the heavily armed criminal gang.Though somewhat far-fetched the film is without question ~ pure entertainment ~ ....it's an edge of your seat thrill-ride, action-packed with stunning visual effects....................i'd say, if you are looking for an exciting watch ~ give it a go.