San Andreas (2015)

Big, loud and dumb. That is how I like my disaster movies. Add the Rock to that mix and you have the recipe for success. I of course believe NONE of the science at work here but it's a fun film that takes disaster to another level...a more personal level as it focusses on only one man and his family. In that way it's a nearly bloodless disaster film.

3D car crashes are not how I want to start my day or this movie. Very intense. The Rock is the perfect hero to inject into this situation, however. He's just this short of being an actual superhero so I believe all his daring last minute rescues he performs. He can outfly, outdrive, outswim, and outrun, any natural disaster. It's fun knowing the whole time that he is indestructible. He will live to the end of the movie and nothing can stop that story arc. Therefor by association, his family and friends will be safe.

The whole family drama could have been excised but then where is the redemption? He can put his family back together while the world is coming apart around them. A little to on the nose? Happily the film spends as little time on the divorced father aspects as possible.

Imagine earth tremors near a dam. Do you think the dam will be able to stand up to the punishment or will it be the first impressive disaster related special effect of the picture? Will the flood waters be released?? Will the town below the dam be destroyed?

Is Bismark a herring?

I love how everything here is so last minute.  If you are a minor character then all I can tell you is that you will ALMOST make it when you run from debris. In some cases you will even die bravely but die you will. You will die so badly that they will never find your body unless you wash up on some distant shore five decades from now.

Alexandra Daddario (her of the hypnotic eyes) is gorgeous as ever and I can watch her wet t-shirt glisten in the post earthquake sun all day long. Hey, I didn't cast her. I just am enjoying my movie here.

Why does EVERYONE the Rock calls on the phone suddenly get hit with an apartment destroying earthquake and aftershock just when they are leaving a rooftop parking lot?. Here he gets to save his ex-wife. No way he can fail because she can run fast enough across flying debris to reach the rescue helicopter. Now that is just spunky. Now that he has saved the wife, he can now go get the daughter and her friends so they finally can be a family. No matter who else needs saving, the Rock only has that one mission and that gives the movie SOME focus. I only rolled my eyes at the coincidences a few times.

But we are not here for story, are we? You just want to know if the effects live up to the hype. I am happy to say that they do. Many times I watched with my mouth wide opened, amazed at how all the destruction never stopped. Just when you think the damage is done, here comes the TSUNAMI!!

At this point in movie history you can no longer re-invent the disaster movie unless you set the story on another planet. That being said, San Andreas is a hoot to watch. Often it is bone chilling. There was just nowhere to run when the after effects of the tremors start to hit. Who ever thought you could drown on the top floors of an office building? That was one of the many things I learned from San Andreas. This is another film that is best seen on the big screen this summer.