RAMPAGE (Rated PG-13)

Very few actors can match the larger-than-life persona of Dwayne Johnson, whose overall humor and charm are equal in scope to his imposing physical stature, and so in “Rampage” it makes sense to put him up against gargantuan, mutating creatures.

Based on the eponymous video arcade game that was driven by action alone, “Rampage,” in the words of director Brad Peyton, was a pastime that “had so little narrative” they could “create their own monsters and explore their own themes,” to say nothing of a genuine story.

At the San Diego Wildlife Sanctuary, Johnson’s David Okoye, a renowned primatologist, tends to the special care of George, an albino silverback gorilla that he rescued from poachers, raised him and taught him to communicate in sign language.
 
A greater danger to George as well as other animals is an experiment on a space station that goes horribly wrong, unleashing a “gene editing” substance that causes animals to grow in frightening strength and aggression.

The first casualty of this substance is Davis’ favorite wildlife sanctuary inhabitant, and suddenly George nearly doubles in size and weight before killing a bear and having to be sedated and caged while government agents appear on the scene.

Davis reluctantly enlists the help of discredited geneticist Dr. Kate Caldwell (Naomie Harris), formerly in the employ of billionaire siblings (Malin Akerman and Jake Lacy), who financed the secret bio-genetic experiments that have gone off the rails.

One of the more interesting characters is Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s Agent Russell, a good ole boy Texan and ultimate fixer, who tangles with Davis at first before realizing that they both need each other when George breaks free from the military transport.
 
Two other animals are turned into monstrous creatures, one a flying wolf from Wyoming and the other a Florida crocodile as long as a football field. Along with the escaped George, these animals make way for Chicago to engage in the utter and complete destruction of the city.

For fans of mindless action fun (and who doesn’t need this every once in awhile?), “Rampage” turns Chicago’s downtown loop into a war zone, with the military trying in vain to shoot down the beastly marauders with everything short of nuclear weapons.

To be sure, “Rampage” is a lot of silly stuff, with goofy comic-book villains in the mix, but Dwayne Johnson is not the solid rock of extravagant full-tilt action for no good reason. And, of course, he saves the day but you already knew that.     



‘TRUST’ ON FX NETWORK

Controversy swirled around last year’s big screen release of “All the Money in the World,” not so much as to the subject matter of the J. Paul Getty III kidnapping but for the last minute substitution of Christopher Plummer for the disgraced Kevin Spacey as the Getty patriarch.
 
The subject matter of the movie has now been expanded into a 10-episode series on the FX network in “Trust,” and it would appear that the Getty family, plagued by various tragedies and scandals, merits the kind of attention warranted in a full season.
 
The question, which remains unresolved at this time, is whether precious time should be invested in the soap opera of the super-wealthy, where Donald Sutherland perfects the nearly reptilian nature of oil magnate J. Paul Getty.

For one thing, Getty cares little for his offspring, referring to his remaining children as “feckless progeny,” after the oldest son George, and heir apparent, committed suicide in 1973 with a barbecue fork while hiding in the garage during a pool party.
 
Comparing his brood in unfavorable ways to other famous families, including the Kennedys, Getty rails that he would not countenance that he has “simpering, idle wasters for children.” And then along comes grandson J. Paul Getty III for George’s funeral.
     
Little does Getty Senior know that his grandson (Harris Dickinson) is not far removed from family vices as his father Getty Junior (Michael Esper) has been a drug addict, but at first the 16-year-old grandson impresses the patriarch with knowledge of ancient artifacts.
 
The storyline focuses on the real-life kidnapping of Getty III, who falls out of favor when his libertine lifestyle is revealed on top of the fact that he needs money to repay a debt to unsavory mafia types in Rome.
     
Believing the kidnapping to be a hoax to collect money, Getty Senior refuses to pay the ransom, reasoning that he has 14 grandchildren who would be similarly at risk if he set a precedent for big payouts.

Meanwhile, one of the most interesting characters, appearing in the second episode, is former CIA agent and Getty fixer Fletcher Chase (Brendan Fraser), a Stetson-wearing Texan given to prosaic musings about good and evil who conducts an investigation in Rome.

“Trust” is chock-full of over-the-top details, from Getty Senior’s sexual obsessions to his parsimonious quirks like installing a pay phone for his guests at his English estate. The viewer must decide how much time to invest in this saga of shattered lives.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.