Ever since Warner Bros. dropped the first trailer for "San Andreas", I was cautiously optimistic about the film. Dwayne the Rock Johnson has proven himself to be a great charismatic leading man so his casting in the film was definitely one of the reasons why I felt like I had to see this. And thankfully, he has also surrounded himself with a very impressive cast of actors, which would no doubt elevate the film. However, we haven't had a good disaster film in a long time (not since "Titanic") so I went into "San Andreas" with lowered expectations.
"San Andreas" stars Dwayne the Rock Johnson, Carla Gugino and Alexandra Daddario with Brad Peyton directing. The film follows Chief Ray Gaines (Dwayne the Rock Johnson) as he goes on a perilous journey to find his daughter (Alexandra Daddario) during a massive earthquake event that is destroying the west coast. It's a story that we have seen time and time again in the past but, for some reason, didn't feel contrived or old in "San Andreas". The typical disaster movie cliches are definitely present, but the film is just so enjoyable and thrilling, you are able to overlook the negatives of the storytelling and character arcs.
The Rock continues to be a very likable lead, which makes it easy for us, as the audience, to follow him on his dangerous mission to find his daughter. His charisma and charm definitely elevates the film's lacking script and brings a sense of vulnerability to the story. The struggles he had to face in the film were relatable and was able to put the audience in his shoes, right in the middle of the danger. The great lengths he would go through to save his daughter's life were heroic and moving. His relationship with his ex-wife, played by Carla Gugino, was also handled pretty well. It's nothing special but it was simple enough for the audience to understand their motivations quickly to get right into the disaster itself. A solid performance from a growing star.
The supporting cast around the Rock is also very solid. Alexandra Daddario as his daughter is definitely the stand out amongst the crowd and gets the most screen-time, other than the Rock. Ever since I saw her on "True Detective" (although I've previously seen her in the "Percy Jackson" films), I knew we had a star on our hands and she is able to carry approximately half of the film's runtime effortlessly with actors Hugo Johnstone-Burt and Art Parkinson (seen in the picture above) joining her. As mentioned before, Gugino and the Rock had very good chemistry and was, like the rest of the cast, very solid. Paul Giamatti in the film was delightfully dramatic and delivers many of the typical cliched disaster movie lines, which were at times distracting but didn't hurt the film too much.
Seeing that this is a disaster movie, the typical disaster movie cliches are present throughout the film, which is not entirely a bad thing. Some of the lines in the script are dramatically over-the-top and the story did have a few moments of tension that we have seen in other disaster movies in the past, however the film is so much fun and so thrilling that you eventually forgive the film for its obvious flaws. The unoriginal script is also accompanied by a very unoriginal score that did, at times, take me out of the picture. But I will say this about the film... this is a Roland Emmerich film done right. The script, although it has many flaws, never overshadows its characters for the disaster porn, unlike most of Emmerich's disaster movies (i.e. "2012").
Speaking of which, the effects in "San Andreas" are rather decent. At times the CGI can look a little noticeable and pretty fake but for every bad CG shot, you get several breathtaking, jaw-dropping, and almost haunting shots of San Francisco being destroyed. Some of the scenes in the film defintiely harkened back to real life horrors, including 9/11 and the 2011 tsunami that hit Japan. Although we've seen the destruction of major cities in films like "2012" and "The Day After Tomorrow", these disaster films always seem to miss the intimate moments of the destruction level events. They forget the death and destruction these events are causing and how they are hurting people both physically and emotionally. "San Andreas", while being massively entertaining, offers a very real and a very frightening look at natural disasters, which makes it stand out amongst the other witless entries in the genre. The earthquakes and tsunamis seen in the film were also never too over-the-top and fake, making them a lot more believable compared to the ones scene in "2012" or "The Day After Tomorrow". If an earthquake of that magnitude were to hit the west coast, it would seem something like this. There were some moments where I did have to suspend my disbelief a little, but it's a disaster movie so I had to let it slide.
"San Andreas" is ultimately a very fun disaster movie that will have you at the edge of your seat throughout most of the film, but also, at times, might make you chuckle due to the typical disaster movie cadences the story follows. If you do not like disaster films, I don't recommend seeing this film. It's definitely not a great work of cinema. It is simply a popcorn flick that will entertain you for a solid 2 hours. I'd give "San Andreas" a generous 7 out of 10 just for sheer enjoyment.
Go see "San Andreas" in 3D and 2D now!
Buy tickets here: http://www.fandango.com/sanandreas_179062/movietimes
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