There’s a scene in 2003’s The Rundown in which Dwayne Johnson, finally in a big movie playing a character who’s name didn’t begin with “The Scorpion” or end with “King,” gets a passing nod from a cameo-ing Arnold Schwarzenegger. At the time, many took it as a symbolic passing of the crown from one brawny action man to another brawny action man. That proved… premature.
Financially, The Rundown disappointed, and it did not, in fact, serve as Johnson’s coronation as the new ultimate brawny action man. (That said, it is really good.) The early-aughts, it turned out, would be dominated by leaner, pastier action heroes like Jason Bourne.
It’s in Skyscraper—the latest in a streak of big-budget high-concept Dwayne Johnson blockbusters—that he finally claims Arnold’s mantle. Not in terms of body count or catch phrases, which are relics of another era. (Sorry, The Expendables.) What Skyscraper represents is an absurd action movie that simply couldn’t justify its existence without Johnson’s presence. He’s an enormous charisma engine; drop him into a shiny plastic shell, and suddenly you’ve got a vehicle.