And the performances were generally good. Even amid the sometimes lame dialogue and laughably cheesy lines I liked the three main characters. On the more surprising side, I actually found myself liking the family dynamic as cliché as it was. I won’t spoil who is who, but the sheer lack of imagination in some of the character development is ridiculous. Unquestionably the movie features several throwaway characters and some prototypical cookie-cutter characters that you’ve seen in a hundred other movies. And there are times when you question whether the filmmakers are even considering the catastrophic death toll resulting from their visual artistry.īut my biggest mixed reaction centers around the characters. On the other hand the barrage of CGI destruction is relentless to the point of becoming almost numbing. Even the film’s more ridiculous and absurd sequences were impressive due to the spectacular visuals. Watching this there is no question that modern special effects are capable of capturing almost anything. This reveals some of the film’s strengths and its weaknesses. The city of San Francisco is the computer generated ground zero of “San Andreas” and the special effects crew leaves no street undamaged and no landmark unscathed. The story bounces back and forth between each group of characters as they navigate an assortment of perils and close calls. It just so happens that when ‘the big one’ hits the central family is separated and Ray sets out to save his estranged wife and daughter. But little does everyone know that it is simply a precursor to a bigger quake – one unlike any we’ve seen before (how’s that for dramatic effect). I don’t need to tell you but an earthquake hits and the epicenter is near the Hoover Dam. And we are also introduced to a young engineer named Ben (Hugo Johnston-Burt) who has eyes for Blake and his younger brother Ollie (Art Parkinson). Meanwhile seismologist Lawrence Hayes (Paul Giamatti) and his team are studying small tremors in hopes of perfecting their earthquake prediction theories. Their daughter Blake (Alexandria Daddario) is seemingly caught in middle and maintains a strong relationship with her father. He is in the middle of a divorce with Emma (Carla Gugino) who has moved in with her wealthy real estate broker boyfriend (Ioan Gruffud). Dwayne Johnson plays Ray, A helicopter rescue pilot for the Los Angeles Fire Department. The movie starts in typical fashion – with an introduction to the players. ![]() “San Andreas” certainly doesn’t fall into the same category of those films in terms of quality, but I would be lying if I didn’t say I had fun with it. Quake disaster picks have been around for a while as evident by the great Clark Gable film “San Francisco” from 1936 and Charlton Heston’s “Earthquake” from 1974. Yet at the same time it also manages to entertain – an accomplishment that many summer blockbusters can’t claim.ĭisaster movies have always managed to find an audience and if you look at the catalog of film history you’ll see that almost every disaster imaginable is represented. It is loud, often silly, filled to the rim with corny lines and CGI destruction, and it stars The Rock. And trust me, “San Andreas” has the summer popcorn movie cred. You know, the massive ‘mother of all earthquakes’ that leaves epic-scaled devastation which is prime fodder for a summer popcorn audiences. It looks like this is the big one – earthquake that is.
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