By Jonathan Klotz
| Published
For years, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was the top-grossing star in Hollywood. Between his outings as Hobbs in the Fast and Furious franchise, multiple Jumanji films, and resetting the hierarchy of power in the DC Universe as Black Adam, it’s easy to forget that he’s turned even forgotten IP into hits. 2018’s Rampage brought to life the classic 1986 Midway arcade game where you control a rampaging giant monster tearing down buildings, fighting the military, and the other monsters. Every knew what to except when the movie was announced, and it’s been a consistent streaming success for HBO Max ever since.
Everyone Loves Giant Monsters
Rampage stars Dwayne Johnson as Davis, a primatologist and former U.S. special forces soldier, working with George, a rescued ape when the release of canisters of an experimental pathogen turns him into a giant ape. Two more canisters happen to land in the Everglades and Wyoming, transforming a crocodile and a wolf into giant monsters as well. It’s a twist on the video game which turned normal humans into the gigantic monsters, though the names they’re given, Lizzie and Ralph, remain the same. Also Ralph, the wolf, is able to shoot quills from his back and tail, which is very un-wolflike.
Distracting from the whole reason you’re watching Rampage in the first place is the remaining human characters, including Naomie Harris as a geneticist, the underrated Malin Akerman as an evil CEO, while Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Joe Manganiello, and Jack Quaid all show up. Godzilla Minus One is the only kaiju film to do the human side of the story justice, and Rampage is no exception. It’s worth it for the giant monster slugfest and George’s problem-solving may not be elegant but he gets the job done.
The Rise Of Video Game Movies
When Rampage hit theaters it earned over $420 million worldwide, making it comparable to Johnson’s other hits of the time, including Black Adam. The adaptation of a 30-year-old game that had fallen out of the public consciousness didn’t matter. Johnson was his usual charming self and the focus on the three monsters turned it into a crowd pleasing hit.
Ironically, Warner Bros never set out to purposely make a Rampage movie. The rights to one came over when they bought Midway in 2009, and well, they already had the rights, at that point why not look into taking advantage of an IP that likely wouldn’t sell too many video games? Rampage Puzzle Attack for the Gameboy Advance was the latest release at the time of the movie, and it came out in 2001. Rampage is a staple of classic arcade compilations, but as with most of Midway’s 80s hits, it’s a relic of a bygone era.
Today video game adaptations are taking over Hollywood. Super Mario Galaxy was a disappointment, but even then it pulled in over $400 million and Nintendo is going full steam ahead with a Legend of Zelda film. Even Sonic the Hedgehog has a trilogy to his name, showing how the world’s changed since Rampage’s 2018 debut. With video games hotter than superheroes, and the film’s continued streaming success, could Rampage: World Tour happen someday?
Rampage is streaming on HBO Max.
