Story
The opening scene of Rampage shows a space station littered with floating dead bodies. We learn that the scientists aboard the space station were conducting genetic editing experiments on animals and that a rat has mutated into a monster and killed all but one of the scientists. The surviving scientist manages to escape the space station before it self-destructs, but on re-entry the escape pod is destroyed and three gene-editing canisters fall to earth. One lands in a wildlife centre in California, affecting a gorilla named George. One lands in Wyoming, affecting a wolf, and one in Florida, affecting a crocodile.
Davis Okeye (Dwayne Johnson) is a primatologist. He has cared for George since he was rescued as a baby from poachers who slaughtered George’s parents. Davis can communicate with George using sign language, and when Davis arrives at the wildlife centre the day after the pod lands, he immediately notices that something is terribly wrong with George. George has grown considerably bigger overnight and is far more aggressive.
At this point Dr Kate Cadwell (Naomie Harris) arrives at the animal centre, announcing that she knows what’s wrong with George and how to cure him. Kate formerly worked for Claire and Brett Wyden (Marlin Akerman and Jake Lacy), the owners of the corporation funding the genetic editing experiments in space. Kate tells Davis what’s happening to George and explains that the Wydens have a cure at their lab in Chicago.
The rest of the movie features Davis’s race to get to Chicago, as George and the other two monsters rampage out of control.
Themes
Genetic engineering; cruelty to animals
Violence
Rampage has a lot of violence. For example:
Sexual references
Nothing of concern
Alcohol, drugs and other substances
Rampage shows some use of substances. For example:
- People shoot animals with tranquiliser guns.
- Characters refer to ‘chill pills’, which can be used as an antidote to the aggression caused by genetic modification.
Nudity and sexual activity
Rampage shows some partial nudity. For example, a woman wears low-cut clothing.
Product placement
Nothing of concern
Coarse language
Rampage has some coarse language and crude behaviour.
Ideas to discuss with your children
Rampage is an action adventure based on a 1980s video game. It’s targeted at older teenagers and adult fans of the game.
The giant rampaging creatures and many violent scenes, which include blood and gore, are likely to terrify younger viewers. Therefore, Rampage isn’t recommended for children under 13 years, and we recommend parental guidance for children aged 13-15 years.
The main message from this movie is that people will often do and say anything to get what they want.
This movie could give the chance to talk with your children about some of the ethical issues related to genetic engineering. Can the risks be justified if there’s a possibility of curing cancer?