In the movie San Andreas, in the aftermath of a massive earthquake in California, a rescue-chopper pilot, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, makes a dangerous journey across the state in order to rescue his estranged daughter.
San Andreas is the name of the tectonic fault line that runs through most of California. Seismologists have been predicting for years that California is due for a massive earthquake caused by this particular fault.
SAN ANDREAS REVIEW
By Audrey Shine (Wild About Movies resident critic)
San Andreas takes you on a wild ride through devastation and devotion- it tells a very personal story in the midst of a huge catastrophe. Obviously, the story line is about the San Andreas fault going off like it never has before in our recorded history. It’s huge. And it’s really bad. But the interesting angle is that the movie takes you to the edge of your seat, then focuses the story on a very personal story.
We follow the main characters- Dwayne Johnson (Ray) and Carla Gugino (Emma) through fire, water, landslides, collapsing buildings – more predicaments than I can count – as they endeavor to rescue their daughter Blake (Alexandra Daddario.) It takes airplanes, helicopters, automobiles, boats, and supreme dedication to save the family, and we go along for the ride.
Dwayne Johnson, aka The Rock, has perfected the devoted, hero father role like no other. Carla Gugino surprises with her strength of determination (and her muscle strength, too.) The scene stealer is definitely Art Parkinson as Ollie, who has the best intuition, and the best one liners, in the whole movie. Paul Giamatti (Lawrence) is very convincing as the geologist who is right and needs to get the word out – fast. Not an earth shattering performance- but wait! – maybe it is really is….
In San Andreas -when the going gets tough – the tough get tougher – and smarter. The characters make good decisions about how to survive this mess, so it’s actually, almost believable. The budding romance between Ben (Hugo Johnstone-Burt) and Blake (Alexandra Daddario) is a little far fetched, but charming nonetheless. The special effects are very good but not revolutionary. Many scenes are perfectly engineered to keep you on the edge of your seat, but the biggest surprise involves a Canadian freighter that will keep me off of a boat forever.
If a disaster movie can be fun and enjoyable, it’s San Andreas. Go see it and you’ll know why.
