Skyscraper – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

Skyscraper

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

movie2018

38%

WISE Score

Avg. Tomatometer

The Rock climbs a burning skyscraper to save his family in this aggressively mediocre Die Hard knockoff that nobody asked for.

5.8/10

48%

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Skyscraper

movie

PG-13, 2018

38%

WISE Score

Avg. Tomatometer

The Rock climbs a burning skyscraper to save his family in this aggressively mediocre Die Hard knockoff that nobody asked for.

5.8

48%

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5.8/10

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Screenwise Verdict

Look, if your tween is obsessed with The Rock and you need something to throw on that won't traumatize them, Skyscraper technically fits the bill. It's not inappropriate—no sex, no gore, just a dad doing impossible things to save his family.

But let's be real: this movie is aggressively mediocre. Critics hated it (48%), even audiences were lukewarm (67% on RT but only 5.8/10 on IMDb), and Letterboxd users gave it a dismal 2.3/5. It's a Die Hard ripoff without the wit, charm, or tension that made Die Hard great.

The constant peril might genuinely scare kids under 11, and anyone over 14 will recognize it as the forgettable cash-grab it is. There's nothing enriching here, nothing imaginative, nothing memorable. It's 102 minutes of watching Dwayne Johnson climb stuff while buildings explode.

If your kid really wants it, fine—it won't hurt them. But there are dozens of better family action movies that are actually, you know, good.

Age Fit

Best for kids 11-14 who love action movies and Dwayne Johnson specifically. Younger kids will be scared by the constant peril, and older teens will roll their eyes at how generic it is. Adults will be checking their phones.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

A father risking everything to save his family models dedication and courage. However, the movie is built entirely around high-stakes violence, explosions, and peril. The tone is relentlessly intense with minimal emotional nuance or character development beyond 'dad must save family.' It's not toxic, but it's not particularly emotionally healthy either—just a straightforward action vehicle.

Imaginative

This is a paint-by-numbers action thriller that borrows heavily from Die Hard and The Towering Inferno without adding anything fresh. A 225-story building is a big number, but the execution is generic. The Letterboxd rating of 2.3/5 and 48% critic score reflect that audiences found it derivative and uninspired. There's no creative spark here—just Dwayne Johnson doing Dwayne Johnson things in a tall building.

Safe

Common Sense Media rates it for 12+, suggesting moderate action violence and peril throughout. The PG-13 rating (implied by the 12+ CSM rating and typical action thriller positioning) means no graphic gore or sexual content, but there's sustained intense sequences, people in mortal danger, and a building on fire with criminals hunting the family. For a Marvel-style action movie, this would be fine, but Skyscraper lacks the humor and lightness that makes those films feel safer. Kids under 12 could be genuinely frightened by the relentless tension.

Enriching

Minimal enrichment value. The protagonist is a security expert and former FBI agent with a prosthetic leg, which could spark conversations about disability representation, but the film doesn't explore this meaningfully—it's just a plot device. There's no real character growth, no ethical complexity, no insight into architecture or security beyond surface-level spectacle. The 5.8 IMDb and 51 Metacritic scores indicate this is forgettable popcorn fare with no lasting impact.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

Dwayne Johnson is charismatic even when the script isn't—kids who love him will enjoy seeing him do impossible stunts
The premise is simple and easy to follow: dad saves family from bad guys in tall building on fire
Protagonist has a prosthetic leg, offering rare (if superficial) disability representation in an action hero
No inappropriate content for tweens—it's safely PG-13 with no sex, minimal language, and action violence that's not graphic

⚠

What to Watch For

Relentlessly intense—people falling, fires everywhere, family in constant mortal danger for 100+ minutes
Younger or sensitive kids (under 12) may find the sustained peril genuinely frightening
It's boring for adults—critics and audiences agree this is derivative and forgettable, so family movie night might be a slog
Zero substance beyond spectacle—don't expect meaningful conversations afterward

Conversation Starters

"The main character has a prosthetic leg but still does all these stunts—what do you think about how the movie shows disability?"
"Would you rather be stuck at the top of a burning building or at the bottom trying to get in?"
"The dad breaks a lot of rules to save his family—when is it okay to break rules for people you love?"

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