‘Skyscraper’ offers high-rise thrills, The Rock’s shoulders

The action-movie superstar deftly carries this fun summer blockbuster.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson hangs on by his fingertips in “Skyscraper.” (Universal Pictures)

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson hangs on by his fingertips in “Skyscraper.” (Universal Pictures)

Dwayne Johnson is near the top of a 240-floor Hong Kong skyscraper (currently on fire), and he’s rushing to find a super-secret control panel that will let him enter an impenetrable room that might save his life. Oh, his daughter’s being held captive, too.

Searching for a solution, he realizes the control panel is hidden behind giant turbine blades, which can only be accessed by rappelling down the side of the building and then jumping between the moving rotor blades. As this information dawns on him, he pauses for a moment. “Behind the turbines,” he mutters. “Oh come on, man.”

By the way: He only has one leg. He was injured in a raid during his time as an FBI agent.

Johnson knows this situation is ridiculous. We know it’s ridiculous. He knows we know it’s ridiculous.

Then he goes ahead and does it.

This sequence is typical of why “Skyscraper” is so much fun. The movie has such a cheerful sense of its own absurdity, while not for a moment undercutting its legitimate thrills, that it succeeds almost completely at the summer-blockbuster game.

And it’s all on the mighty shoulders of Dwayne Johnson, aka The Rock, aka the most popular actor in international cinema. With his instant audience rapport and sleeve-bursting physicality, Johnson carries the film with the ease of a born movie star.

How’d he get up there? The billionaire owner (nifty turn by Chin Han) of the building has hired security-expert Johnson to inspect the joint before its opening. Which is why the tower is uninhabited … except for Johnson’s wife (Neve Campbell) and two kids.

Bad guys arrive, with a sinister motive. I couldn’t really explain what it is, but this kind of thing never matters anyway. Suffice it to say they want to burn the place for reasons of their own.

So Johnson is caught between a towering inferno and dying hard, as he scrambles to liberate the family. This involves a satisfying nonstop series of death-defying leaps and hand-to-hand fights.

It being 2018, Campbell’s character, a medical doctor, gets to do her share of cliff-hanging and butt-kicking. All very cleverly executed, too.

Without question, writer-director Rawson Marshall Thurber (who did “Central Intelligence” with Johnson) borrows liberally from previous action movies. I enjoyed the revival of Patrick Swayze’s self-surgery scene from “Road House,” for example. I mean some things are evergreen, people.

But give Thurber all credit for moving “Skyscraper” along at breakneck pace, and for showcasing the particular skills of his star. Summer moviemaking so often sinks under the weight of its hardware and expectations. This one rises high.

“Skyscraper” (3 stars)

Fire breaks out at a 240-floor Hong Kong building; can Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson save his family inside? Stupid question, but the series of death-defying jumps and cliffhangers that ensue are enough fun to qualify this as an almost completely successful summer blockbuster — carried on the shoulders of the world’s biggest movie star. With Neve Campbell.

Rating: PG-13, for violence

Opening: Alderwood, Alderwood Mall, Cinebarre Mountlake Terrace, Everett Stadium, Galaxy Monroe, Marysville, Stanwood Cinemas, Meridian, Oak Tree, Pacific Place, Seattle 10, Thornton Place, Woodinville, Cascade Mall, Oak Harbor Plaza

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

What’s Up columnist Andrea Brown with a selection of black and white glossy promotional photos on Wednesday, June 18, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Free celeb photos! Dig into The Herald’s Hollywood time capsule

John Wayne, Travolta, Golden Girls and hundreds more B&W glossies are up for grabs at August pop-up.

Rodney Ho / Atlanta Journal-Constitution / Tribune News Service
The Barenaked Ladies play Chateau Ste. Michelle in Woodinville on Friday.
Coming events in Snohomish County

Send calendar submissions for print and online to features@heraldnet.com. To ensure your… Continue reading

Edmonds announces summer concert lineup

The Edmonds Arts Commission is hosting 20 shows from July 8 to Aug. 24, featuring a range of music styles from across the Puget Sound region.

Big Bend Photo Provided By Ford Media
2025 Ford Bronco Sport Big Bend Increases Off-Road Capability

Mountain Loop Highway Was No Match For Bronco

Cascadia College Earth and Environmental Sciences Professor Midori Sakura looks in the surrounding trees for wildlife at the North Creek Wetlands on Wednesday, June 4, 2025 in Bothell, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Cascadia College ecology students teach about the importance of wetlands

To wrap up the term, students took family and friends on a guided tour of the North Creek wetlands.

Mustang Convertible Photo Provided By Ford Media Center
Ford’s 2024 Ford Mustang Convertible Revives The Past

Iconic Sports Car Re-Introduced To Wow Masses

Kim Crane talks about a handful of origami items on display inside her showroom on Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, in Snohomish, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Crease is the word: Origami fans flock to online paper store

Kim’s Crane in Snohomish has been supplying paper crafters with paper, books and kits since 1995.

The 2025 Nissan Murano midsize SUV has two rows of seats and a five-passenger capacity. (Photo provided by Nissan)
2025 Nissan Murano is a whole new machine

A total redesign introduces the fourth generation of this elegant midsize SUV.

A woman flips through a book at the Good Cheer Thrift Store in Langley. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Pop some tags at Good Cheer Thrift Store in Langley

$20 buys an outfit, a unicycle — or a little Macklemore magic. Sales support the food bank.

The Mukilteo Boulevard Homer on Monday, May 12, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘Homer Hedge’: A Simpsons meme takes root in Everett — D’oh!

Homer has been lurking in the bushes on West Mukilteo Boulevard since 2023. Stop by for a selfie.

Sarah and Cole Rinehardt, owners of In The Shadow Brewing, on Wednesday, March 12, 2025 in Arlington, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
In The Shadow Brewing: From backyard brews to downtown cheers

Everything seems to have fallen into place at the new taproom location in downtown Arlington

Bar manager Faith Britton pours a beer for a customer at the Madison Avenue Pub in Everett. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Burgers, brews and blues: Madison Avenue Pub has it all

Enjoy half-price burgers on Tuesday, prime rib specials and live music at the Everett mainstay.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.