Entertainment

Dwayne Johnson’s 2018 action thriller, Skyscraper, continues to be a topic of discussion, recently resurfacing on streaming platforms and television broadcasts. Even as the film delivers the spectacle audiences expect from “The Rock,” critics have largely found it to be a predictable and uninspired entry in the disaster-action genre, falling short of classics like The Towering Inferno and Die Hard. The film, which premiered on February 15, 2026, on TF1, has sparked renewed debate about its reliance on established tropes and its handling of its protagonist’s disability.

Skyscraper centers on Will Sawyer (Dwayne Johnson), a former FBI agent and war veteran now working as a security consultant for skyscrapers. When he’s tasked with evaluating the safety of the world’s tallest building in Hong Kong, everything goes awry as the structure is engulfed in flames and sabotage is suspected. The film’s premise, while visually impressive, has been criticized for lacking originality, echoing elements from previous blockbuster films. The core of the critique centers on whether the film successfully elevates itself beyond a standard action formula, and whether Johnson’s star power is enough to compensate for a lack of narrative depth.

A Familiar Formula with a Unique Twist

The film deliberately draws parallels to iconic disaster movies, as evidenced by its marketing campaign which mirrored the posters of The Towering Inferno and Die Hard, as noted in reports from MSN. However, Skyscraper attempts to distinguish itself through its protagonist. Will Sawyer is an amputee who relies on a prosthetic leg, a detail that adds a layer of complexity to the typical action hero archetype. According to King of Geek, the filmmakers consulted with Jeff Glasbrenner, an athlete and amputee, to ensure an authentic portrayal of living with a prosthetic limb. The film notably avoids portraying the disability as a superpower, instead focusing on Sawyer’s adaptation and resilience.

Criticism of Action and Political Correctness

Despite the attempt at nuanced characterization, the film has faced criticism for its action sequences and perceived attempts at political correctness. A review from Télérama describes the film as a “bulky disaster entertainment” that fails to reach the heights of its predecessors. The review suggests that Johnson’s character is presented more as a “sugar-coated teddy bear” than a hardened action hero, and that the film shies away from portraying him as actively violent. This reluctance to showcase Johnson’s physicality is further highlighted by the observation that he doesn’t even remove his shirt during the action sequences, a common trope in his previous films.

The film also attempts to appeal to a Chinese audience by incorporating elements of respect for Chinese authorities, which some critics found to be heavy-handed and disruptive to the narrative flow. The villains are portrayed as Western European criminals and a traitorous American, a deliberate attempt to avoid negative stereotypes and accusations of xenophobia, but one that ultimately feels contrived and “risible,” according to the Télérama review. This approach, while intended to be inclusive, is seen as detracting from the film’s overall impact and authenticity.

A Diverting, Though Flawed, Spectacle

Despite its shortcomings, Skyscraper offers moments of entertaining action and impressive visual effects. The climbing sequences, in particular, are praised for their suspense and creativity. The film’s pacing is described as brisk, preventing the narrative from becoming bogged down in its own shortcomings. However, the overall impression is one of a “sanitized and indolent” entertainment, a trend that some critics suggest is becoming increasingly common in Johnson’s filmography. As Cineserie notes, the film will be leaving Netflix France on July 1st, offering a limited window for audiences to experience this high-altitude action thriller.

Looking ahead, Skyscraper serves as a case study in the challenges of balancing blockbuster spectacle with narrative depth and authentic character development. The film’s reception highlights the evolving expectations of audiences and the increasing scrutiny placed on representation and cultural sensitivity in mainstream action cinema. What remains to be seen is how these considerations will shape future projects starring Dwayne Johnson and other action stars.

What are your thoughts on Skyscraper? Share your opinions in the comments below!

Berlin – A documentary years in the making, born from a deeply personal battle with cancer, is set to premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival this week. Giorgi Gagoshidze’s Graft Versus Host isn’t simply a film about illness. it’s a meditation on societal collapse, informed by both the unraveling of the Soviet Union and the artist’s own fight for survival. The 31-minute film, described as visually chaotic yet lucid, blends archival footage, personal reflection, and DIY computer graphics, drawing comparisons to the work of documentarians Adam Curtis and Hito Steyerl.

Gagoshidze, a 42-year-old Georgian artist based in Berlin, began the project as a documentary exploring the economic factors behind the USSR’s collapse. However, his work took an unexpected turn in autumn 2022 when he experienced severe shortness of breath and was rushed to the Charité hospital in Berlin, where he was diagnosed with T-cell lymphoma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer. The diagnosis and subsequent grueling treatment – a cocktail of chemotherapy followed by an eight-month hospital stay – forced a shift in perspective, revealing unexpected parallels between his personal ordeal and the broader historical events he’d initially set out to document.

“Everything just collapsed,” Gagoshidze recalls, reflecting on the initial shock of his diagnosis. “And the art world is very merciless. It can devour you faster than cancer.” But from this collapse emerged a fresh understanding, a lens through which to examine the complexities of systemic change. The artist found that his treatment plan mirrored the Soviet collapse and its post-transition plan, a realization that became central to Graft Versus Host.

The film explores the idea that the post-1989 economic re-integration of East and West Germany was often framed as an annexation, a concept explored in the acclaimed book The Takeover. However, Gagoshidze’s perspective, shaped by his Georgian heritage, presents a more nuanced view. He points to the 1973 economic experiment launched by Eduard Shevardnadze, then first secretary of the Georgian Communist party, in the village of Abasha as a key example.

The Abasha experiment allowed farmers to retain and sell a portion of their surplus crops, boosting agricultural output and sparking administrative reforms across Georgia. Gagoshidze’s interviews with residents revealed a lingering nostalgia for the era when Georgia was seen as an economic vanguard within the Eastern Bloc. Yet, he also discovered that this experiment inadvertently fostered a shadow economy, creating a network of “tsekhoviks” – underground entrepreneurs operating within state-run facilities – that ultimately contributed to the Soviet Union’s downfall.

As Gagoshidze explains in the film, the Soviet Union’s collapse wasn’t a gradual reform but a rapid descent into a turbocharged form of capitalism. He draws a direct parallel to his own radiotherapy treatment, stating, “Introducing a new immune system in a host is only viable when cancer cells have been successfully suppressed, just like the transition required full privatisation for the functionality of the proposed new economic system.”

His own treatment involved a bone marrow transplant from his father, resulting in graft-versus-host-disease (GvHD), a condition where the transplanted immune system attacks the recipient’s body. “It’s like a permanent civil war in the body,” Gagoshidze says, explaining that medication was crucial to suppress the immune response and prevent further damage. He notes a stark contrast with the post-Soviet countries, which lacked the regulatory mechanisms to manage such a systemic upheaval, essentially undergoing an “immune system transplant without any form of regulation.”

Georgia’s Ongoing Transition

More than three decades after the Soviet Union’s dissolution, Georgia continues to grapple with the challenges of adaptation. While farmers now have the freedom to retain their earnings, they lack the state-provided technology and equipment that once supported their businesses, forcing them to seek new markets outside the country. Georgia seceded from the Soviet Union in 1991 and was granted EU candidate status in 2023, but its progress towards membership has stalled due to concerns over democratic backsliding.

“It’s a loop that never ends, a constant state of catching up but never arriving,” Gagoshidze observes, describing a cyclical pattern of striving for progress without achieving lasting stability.

Fortunately, Gagoshidze’s personal prognosis is optimistic. His graft-versus-host-disease has been relatively mild, and doctors are hopeful he will be cured if his health remains stable until the autumn. “The doctors are happy, and if they are happy, I am happy.”

Graft Versus Host premieres at the Berlin film festival on February 16th, offering a unique and deeply personal perspective on the complexities of systemic change and the enduring legacy of the Soviet era. The film promises to be a thought-provoking exploration of history, illness, and the search for meaning in the face of collapse.

As Gagoshidze’s story demonstrates, the echoes of the past continue to resonate in the present, shaping not only political landscapes but also individual lives. The film’s premiere marks a significant moment for the artist, and a compelling addition to the festival’s program.

What are your thoughts on the intersection of personal experience and political commentary in documentary filmmaking? Share your opinions in the comments below.