x
Breaking News
More () »

Rampage is big and dumb, Isle of Dogs is witty and dry

Do you like big monsters movies or quirky stop animation films? Well, this week you're in luck!

Rampage is the latest big action movie starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and it’s just as big and dumb as the rest of them. In this movie, he plays Davis Okoye who takes care of a rare albino gorilla named George.

A rogue genetic experiment causes the gentle ape to mutate into a raging, gigantic creature. George isn’t the only animal affected, there’s a mutated wolf and a mutated alligator. This is all the fault of a greedy corporation who was testing banned science to gain a profit and things get worse when the organization tries to cover their tracks bringing the rampaging creatures into the heart of Chicago.

Meanwhile, Davis teams up with a discredited genetic engineer to secure an antidote to save a city and the fearsome creature that was once his friend.

So, yeah, Rampage is a big dumb movie but it’s also kind of fun. It walks a very thin line between being a good movie and a bad one with moments of both that cancel each other out. Let’s start with the obvious – The Rock as a primatologist. He’s six feet and five inches of walking muscle and it must be impossible for him to spend the necessary hours in gym to maintain the physique and the amount of time studying apes. Of course, then we learn that he wasn’t always a primatologist. He was Army Special Forces and then worked for the UN to stop poachers. That’s where he found George as a baby and became his caretaker.

Second, the human villains are incompetent and unaware and their motivations are stupid and unclear. Malin Akerman’s Claire Wyden at least comes across as a decent corporate villain but Jake Lacy’s Brett Wyden (they’re brother and sister, I think) is a waste of his talents in this film. He’s the comic relief villain and serves little to the plot.

Third, it never ceases to amaze me in movies like this, that there must be someone in charge of the military who completely dismisses the knowledge of the experts. It’s the “we’re going to blast this thing back to hell” mentality.

There’s a scene in which the arcade game “Rampage” is out of focus in the background which makes me wonder if the film is self-aware that’s based on a video game or if the villains were inspired by the video game. It’s only seen in the background and it’s never mentioned in the film.

The fun of Rampage is found when the gigantic creatures are on-screen. That’s when the entertainment factor kicks in, otherwise it’s a fluffy kids’ movie about a guy trying to save his ape friend. Yet even when the creatures are destroying Chicago, the movie still borders on bad and good.

I honestly can’t decide if I liked it or not.

Isle of Dogs is the latest film from director Wes Anderson. If you’ve seen a Wes Anderson film, you know that the storylines are simple and eclectic with humor that is dry and witty. If you haven’t seen a Wes Anderson film, well, you really should.

Isle of Dogs is a stop-motion-animated film in which an outbreak of canine flu in Japan leads to all dogs being quarantined to trash island off the coast of Japan. A 12-year old boy goes to the island to rescue his dog Spots and gets help from a misfit pack of dogs who have also been exiled. Back on the mainland, a group of dog lovers work to expose a government conspiracy against dogs. The vice cast includes Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Liev Schrieber, Scarlett Johansson, Tilda Swinton, Bob Balaban, Greta Gerwig, Yoko Ono, and Koyu Rankin.

I loved this movie, of course I like most of Wes Anderson’s films. He manages to find a way to make each of his movies feel unique while maintaining his eclectic style. Isle of Dogs maintains his symmetry in cinematography and his way of storytelling. No one makes a movie like he does.

Don’t be confused by the stop-motion animation, this is not a movie made for kids. They might the way it looks but there are some adult moments and the humor is very dry. Also, most of the human dialogue is in Japanese, except when translated through an electronic device or an interpreter. The dogs’ barks have also been translated into English.

Also new in theaters this week…

You can guess from the title that in Blumhouse’s Truth or Dare, A harmless game of "Truth or Dare" among friends turns deadly when someone--or something--begins to punish those who tell a lie--or refuse the dare.

Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero tells the incredible true story of a stray dog who became a hero of the First World War. For his keen instincts and fierce loyalty, Stubby is still recognized today as the most decorated canine in American history and the first promoted to the rank of Sergeant in the U.S. Army.

In Beirut - caught in the crossfires of civil war, CIA operatives (Rosamund Pike, Dean Norris) must send a former U.S. diplomat (Jon Hamm) to negotiate for the life of a friend he left behind.

Before You Leave, Check This Out