Some movie stars go beyond the movies and become part of the cultural zeitgeist. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is one of those people. Not necessarily having done any film that would be considered high art, his persona and charisma has made him a huge box office draw with many of his films, most recently Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, The Fast and the Furious franchise, and San Andreas. His latest, Rampage, brings him back working with San Andreas director Brad Peyton and the prolific show runner Carlton Cuse.

Davis Okoye (The Rock) is a primatologist and former US Army Special Forces soldier that works at a nature preserve in San Diego. His daily routine includes taking care of the albino gorilla George which he saved from poachers years earlier. When the Chicago based company, Energyne, has their monster growth experiment go wrong during testing while in orbit, CEO and owner, Claire Wyden, will go to any length to acquire the results. As canisters of the company’s chemical CRISPR fall to earth, George and other animals are exposed resulting in what will turn out to be a nation-wide catastrophe.

The film costars Malin Åkerman, Naomie Harris, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, with a cameo appearance by Marley Shelton. With its fantastic special effects and the movie being based on the beloved Rampage video game series, the movie seemed to be a guaranteed box office success. Dark Discussions takes a look at this new giant monster movie, whether it lives up to its predecessors like Kong: Skull Island, and if the big screen is the place to see it.