Whenever a disaster movie is released, it's generally welcomed with open arms as "escapist" fun; a movie that you can just sit back and watch unfold without depth. But, then there are a select few that elevate above your average disaster film. San Andreas is one of those. It's still not without its absurd moments, but there are very few that push believability. The biggest one is actually the opening sequence, of which involves a girl's car flipping down the side of a mountain (repeatedly), and then becoming stuck between rocks, an the young girl survives even without her airbag deploying. After that, things take off in a great way.
San Andreas follows Dwayne Johnson's Ray Gaines, an LA Fire Department pilot who must rescue his daughter after she becomes stuck in San Andreas during a catastrophic earthquake, of which is discovered too late by Caltech seismologist Lawrence Hayes (Paul Giamatti). Surprisingly enough, Brad Peyton's direction here is a superb improvement over the family movie Journey 2 with Johnson, showcasing brilliant effects with heart-pounding disaster sequences that shock and awe. Johnson's performance here might actually be his best, as he offers great dramatic depth as a broken father, haunted by a tragic past. Alexandria Dadarrio was also surprisingly good as his daughter Blake, who had grown accustomed and looked up to her father's life-style, even embracing certain rules and tricks. The script was good, but nothing spectacular, other than Johnson's somewhat clearly deep and thoughtful dialogue (a touching scene between him and his ex-wife, portrayed by Carla Gugino). The visuals were some of the best this year, and never seemed lackluster. Andrew Lockington's score was suitably epic and evocative of a horrific event depicted in-film.
San Andreas is a truly surprising and welcome summer blockbuster that strays away from being generic, but not too inventive either. The movie is greatly saved by strong performances of the main cast and smart direction, of which is a good step forward for Peyton. Certainly a must-see on the big screen, not sure about 3D though, as there weren't many pop-out moments.
San Andreas follows Dwayne Johnson's Ray Gaines, an LA Fire Department pilot who must rescue his daughter after she becomes stuck in San Andreas during a catastrophic earthquake, of which is discovered too late by Caltech seismologist Lawrence Hayes (Paul Giamatti). Surprisingly enough, Brad Peyton's direction here is a superb improvement over the family movie Journey 2 with Johnson, showcasing brilliant effects with heart-pounding disaster sequences that shock and awe. Johnson's performance here might actually be his best, as he offers great dramatic depth as a broken father, haunted by a tragic past. Alexandria Dadarrio was also surprisingly good as his daughter Blake, who had grown accustomed and looked up to her father's life-style, even embracing certain rules and tricks. The script was good, but nothing spectacular, other than Johnson's somewhat clearly deep and thoughtful dialogue (a touching scene between him and his ex-wife, portrayed by Carla Gugino). The visuals were some of the best this year, and never seemed lackluster. Andrew Lockington's score was suitably epic and evocative of a horrific event depicted in-film.
San Andreas is a truly surprising and welcome summer blockbuster that strays away from being generic, but not too inventive either. The movie is greatly saved by strong performances of the main cast and smart direction, of which is a good step forward for Peyton. Certainly a must-see on the big screen, not sure about 3D though, as there weren't many pop-out moments.