Will Sawyer (Dwayne Johnson) is a former FBI agent who, after an incident during a rescue operation, remains disabled and lives with a prosthesis on one leg. Ten years after the event, he is already the owner of a skyscraper security testing company, has a loving wife and two children. Through the intermediary of a friend, he is hired by Asian billionaire Joao Long to test the security system of his new building. The Pearl is a miracle of engineering science with 225 floors with living quarters, offices, a park, and the most secure security system. What Will Sawyer does not know is that he is part of a conspiracy. Joao's enemies engage hired terrorist Corres Botta and his gang and they flood the 96th floor of the building. Their goal is to reach Joao, who closes in his penthouse at the top of the skyscraper. The unplanned event in this plan is Mrs. Sierre and the two children who find themselves in their apartment above the level of the fire and their only way is up. In the rest of the movie, Will has to find a way to enter the burning building and save his family.
Despite the many weaknesses, the "skyscraper" is not totally devoid of merit. One of its few strengths is its visual effects. In fact, they are the only thing that does not seem to be "caught up" to the narrative, and at times it is a pleasure to see how with the help of technology the imposing tall building, the flames, the shooting and the most impressive - the very pearl on top, optical illusions create the best hiding place. The other good thing at these hour and forty minutes, mostly performed with shot crackling, is Nev Campbell's acting play, played by Will's wife, Sarah Sawyer. Although her performance is far from what she's done in the 21st Years in the Scree, Campbell is one of the few actors in the film to do more than to speak and rely on the atmosphere to build the image. Immediately after her are the two children, but we see too little to forget about the rest of the composition. Dwayne Johnson does neither more nor less than what he has shown so far, and it is not particularly remarkable.
No matter how good the visual effects and Nev Campbell's game is, it can not hide the biggest weakness of the Nebostargaich. This is the scenario - in every aspect. History, dialogue, action development, link between parts, consistency and logic - there are no foundations of any good film. Even "cinema-like" justification can not be used. It could hardly be different when the story recalls some of the best movies in the genre at the first stage (baseline situation). The size in this case really does not matter because the Pearl rose to 10,000 meters, the similarities with "Die Hard" and "Hell under the Heaven" would still be the eyes of the viewer. A man is a hostage in a building and must save his family on the top of it. The building is in flames. In "Die Hard", however, we have Bruce Willis directed by John McCartney, and "Hell in the Sky" has an Academy Award nomination for Best Film ... and Paul Nieman, Steve McQueen, Fay Dunnaway, William Holden and Fred Aster. By the time the story overlaps with the above-mentioned titles, things are in balance, but from one moment on, the film begins to follow its course ... and then both Rousson's Marshal Turburne and his directing dies.
The original "knot" was obviously too difficult to "unravel" because the concealment is not simply impossible (it could be swallowed), it is illogical to the last second. On the other hand, any illogical effect may be on average 3 kicks, 10 bullets, 1 explosion and 1 detachment of Will's artificial prosthesis. All this robbed the last opportunity to immerse in the story. But at least we can see the miraculous power of the Chinese tape which is strong enough to keep the body of the Rock on the walls of the skyscraper ... and a revolutionary sprinkler system that works hours after the fire broke. Here are the limits that should not be overtaken even by such a film. The quality of each film is measured against the bar to which it is intended. In the case of the Skyscraper, however, it can not even reach that of the summer action that the viewer quickly forgets. Until now, the film has a revenue of nearly $ 70 million against a $ 125 million budget. The only reason to be seen is short-lived entertainment, but for this purpose there are far more valuable films in the same style that would give much more to the viewer.
