“Skyscraper” is Solidly Escapist, But Goes Nowhere Further
Jul 20, 2018 • Macky Macarayan
The skyscraper itself is a marvel
The real centerpiece of the film is the fictional towering skyscraper, situated in the middle of Hong Kong. The architecture is something to behold: steel and glass combine to make a robust and shiny attraction. The building’s controls and emergency systems are also state-of-the-art, and can be accessed remotely. On the topmost floor, there is a viewing deck that allows for a “heavenly” experience.
Neve Campbell resurgence!
Though she isn’t given much to do here, we are just excited to see Neve Campbell onscreen again. We missed her since she was dodging Ghostface in the Scream series and conjuring spells in The Craft. At least, she gets to kick some bad guys’ asses here. And we sure held on to our seats when she crossed a broken walkway by walking through a plank with her son piggybacked and a fire raging below.
Gracefully-choreographed fight scenes
There’s a fight scene early in the film that takes place in an apartment unit, which is one of the best fight scenes in the film. You can feel every punch, kick and shattered glass, as the camera moves kinetically, but without causing nausea. Robert Elswit, who also shot Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol and Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation captures every breathtaking detail in close quarters beatdown. In exterior scenes, particularly the skyscraper stunts, the shots are also equally breathtaking.
A comment on capitalism, perhaps?
One can take the argument that the skyscraper represents capitalism and excess, and to show it burning could mean shattering, or “burning” the proverbial house down. But when you take a look at the ending (oh no, avert your eyes if you haven’t seen the film yet), the owner said he is going to rebuild, so yeah capitalism is alive and well again. And to think that this film was made for capitalist intentions, perhaps the capitalism commentary is a bit of a stretch. Maybe the filmmakers just want to pit a hero in a burning building and ta-da, we have a summer blockbuster. Skyscraper is thrillingly diverting, but no more.
All other snaps are from this trailer.
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