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Rampage: Friend or Foe

Being the old man that I am, I grew up playing Rampage in arcades, Commodore 64 and NES. Later on, there was also a few other adaptations like the more popular one from the Nintendo 64. This movie I was kinda' afraid for as not only is it a video game adaption movie, but it's based on a game that doesn't really have a story behind it.

For those of you that are not familiar with the game, three creatures, George the ape, Ralph the wolf and Lizzy the lizard, grow to gigantic proportions and destroy city after city. That was basically the premise being Rampage until the Nintendo 64 version where they introduced the creature's backstories and the main villain. The movie seemed based loosely (very) on this version of the game, understandably.

I went into the movie expecting a simple blow 'em up, destroy the monster kind of movie, but was pleasantly surprised by what I saw. More and more I found myself thinking about the characters involved, feeling for the animals and being sucked into the cinescape. The movie, by the end, was a combination of a monster movie and a disaster movie.
The Rock is perfect for this type of movie. His performance is reminiscent of Arnold Schwarzenegger or Sylvester Stallone in their action movies of the 80's and '90s. If you are a serious person, don't see this movie. It's a silly idea of course. If you watch with an open mind, and love old-school type action flicks, this is definitely for you.

There is a ton of fitting comedy mixed with great action and even a little suspense at times. Those with young children, I took my three to see it and they all loved the movie. Be warned, there's a tiny bit of swearing and a few more grown-up moments for sure, but nothing that kids probably haven't seen or heard on YouTube.

Overall, the action was great, the story was ok and the chemistry between the leads was weak, but I'd still tell people to watch the movie. If you want a really fun, nest alias feeling type of action flick to eat popcorn to and forget about the days' problems, this is it.
On a side note, I really have to say that the movie did a great job of giving the creatures personalities of their own, especially George the ape. There were two separate moments where I even teared up in regards to what was happening to George. To make me care about a character that isn't even human, well done. Although the chemistry between The Rock and his counterpart was extremely flimsy at best, The Rock's apparent connection to George the Ape was amazingly well done. Easily believable that the two of them have spent years building trust. Hats off to that.

Overall score: 7 out of 10 stars

Pros:
- Monster and disaster movie in one!
- Great "real-world" premise
- Awesome effects
- Great action sequences
Cons:
- Poor (human) main character chemistry
- Weak story
- Predictable ending

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