San Andreas

UK Release Date: 28th May 2015

In the aftermath of a massive earthquake in California, a rescue-chopper pilot makes a dangerous journey across the state in order to rescue his daughter.

Director: Brad Peyton (Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island)

Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Carla Gugino, Alexandra Daddario, Ioan Gruffudd, Hugo Johnstone-Burt, Art Parkinson, Paul Giamatti

Disaster movies are a thing of the past. Their time was up when the millennium hit. Film companies have tried and failed since then (2012, Pompeii, Into the Storm). Nothing has made a lasting impression since the late 90's. San Andreas is an epic disaster movie of extreme proportions. Special effects have hit the roof. The earthquake (or earthquakes for that matter) that hits San Francisco is phenomenal. Tectonic plates shift, skyscrapers collapse and the body count is beyond imagination. Fire & Rescue good guy Dwayne Johnson's mission is to find his soon-to-be ex-wife and daughter who're grounded in different parts of California. A lot of saving's to be done before he can rest. Remember Sandra Bullock in Gravity? Once you think she's safe a new complication arises. Same goes for Johnson. San Andreas possesses the looks, not the texture. Most characters are underdeveloped, and every single woman's a damsel in dire need of rescuing. There's only one moment of compassion and sorrow, and that comes at a time when Johnson and ex-wife-to-be Carla Gugino should be rushing to save their daughter (Daddario). Style engulfs substance here. There's enough material injected to want them to survive, no matter how predictable events become. On a positive note, the set-pieces are at maximum intensity and Paul Giamatti's earthquake expert nails home the importance of preparation.  

3/5