Dwayne Johnson, Neve Campbell, Chin Han, Roland Møller, Noah Taylor, Byron Mann, Pablo Schreiber, McKenna Roberts, Noah Cottrell, Hannah Quinlivan, Adrian Holmes, Elfina Luk, Kevin Rankin, Gretal Montgomery, Jett Klyne, Kayden Magnuson, Byron Lawson, Jason William Day, Ryan Handley, Sean Kohnke
Curator Review
Verdict
A serviceable, fast-moving disaster-action vehicle with a strong central star persona, but it plays things very safe and rarely becomes as outrageous or inventive as its premise promises. If you want a clean, family-in-peril action thriller with big-scale spectacle, it can work; if you want the kind of gleefully over-the-top chaos the setup suggests, it’s likely to feel thin.
Best for
Dwayne Johnson fans
lightweight disaster-action fans
viewers who like straightforward hero-dad stories
people in the mood for a breezy, undemanding thriller
Skip if
you want smartly engineered action set pieces
you dislike formulaic studio blockbusters
you’re hoping for a genuinely tense or surprising thriller
you prefer action movies with sharper humor or stronger villainy
Overview
Skyscraper is built around a premise that practically begs for delirious escalation, but the movie mostly settles for competence. It gives Dwayne Johnson exactly the kind of protective, physically imposing family man role he can play in his sleep, and he carries the film with ease. The action is clear, the stakes are simple, and the pacing keeps it moving.
Worth noting
What it lacks is the sense of invention that would turn a high-concept setup into a memorable ride. The film keeps reaching for familiar beats from better action movies, then sanding off the edges until everything feels a little too polished and a little too predictable. Even the spectacle, while polished, rarely becomes truly thrilling.
Bottom line
As a piece of late-2010s studio action, it’s watchable and occasionally fun, especially if you’re receptive to Johnson’s earnest heroism. But it lands closer to disposable than essential, the kind of movie that delivers exactly what it promises and not much more.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Patrick Willems (2★) · 1063 likes
It's becoming increasingly clear that the Rock's movie philosophy is "what if those movies you liked in the 80s and 90s but boring"
BeHaind (2★) · 874 likes
Neulich im Hauptquartier der SevenBucks Production. Der selbsternannte "hardest working man in show business" betritt den Raum, am Tisch sitzt bereits seine Armada von in jahrelanger Vetternwirtschaft zusammengekarrten Produzenten und Regisseuren.
Produzent A: "Hey D, du...es lief jetzt schon seit etwa 3 Wochen kein neuer Film mit dir in den Kinos. Wir müssen da schnell was machen - die Fans entwickeln sonst noch The Rock-Entzug."
Dwayne: "Ja klar, aber macht bitte schnell. Ich muss bis 14 Uhr noch die neue… more
Eli Hayes (2★) · 695 likes
the kind of movie that has the gall to show the Rock wielding a sword in the midst of a shootout on the rooftop of "the tallest building on Earth," but then take said sword away from him before he's able to slice & dice a couple bad guys. what the Rock really needs to do is star in a film called Skyscraper Sword Battles, in which every building in the world is a skyscraper and he must leap from skyscraper… more the kind of movie that has the gall to show the Rock wielding a sword in the midst of a shootout on the rooftop of "the tallest building on Earth," but then take said sword away from him before he's able to slice & dice a couple bad guys. what the Rock really needs to do is star in a film called Skyscraper Sword Battles, in which every building in the world is a skyscraper and he must leap from skyscraper… more
matt lynch (2.5★) · 381 likes
Exactly as stupid as you'd expect but not nearly as elaborately absurd as you'd hope. Hits all the beats in the most perfunctory way possible. Adequate.