San Andreas is a 2015 American disaster film directed by Brad Peyton. The screenplay was written by Carlton Cuse, with Andre Fabrizio and Jeremy Passmore receiving a story credit. The film stars Dwayne Johnson, Carla Gugino, Alexandra Daddario, Ioan Gruffudd, Archie Panjabi, and Paul Giamatti.
As most of you movie buffs will know by now this film is about a huge earthquake that triggers off a sequence of other quakes and even a tsunami that kills hundreds of thousands of people, if not millions, and destroys a huge section of California, forever altering the landscape in the process. Like many such blockbuster natural disaster films this also involves a family as the focus of the film; separated dad and mom about to go through a divorce, a rich boyfriend that the mom is dating, boyfriend dies in the process of the movie, dad and mom unite after saving the daughter. Oh and there’s the “ghost” of the dead other child too, one who drowned much earlier.
I was happy to see Archie Panjabi in this film, looking really hot too I must say. She is the main Asian represent as Dr. Kim Park (Will Yun Lee) is killed very early on, when a 7.1 on the Richter scale quake levels off the Hoover dam. Ray Gain is a rescue pilot for the LA Fire department and has to go back to duty and cannot take his daughter, Blake, to San Francisco. Blake instead goes to San Fran with Emma’s, her mom, new boyfriend Daniel Riddick in his jet. While at Riddick’s office, Blake meets and befriends British architect Ben and his younger kid brother Ollie. That’s when the quake hits the city and the reading is 9.1. Ben and Ollie rescue a trapped Blake from a car as Riddick has left her and making his way to safety but he too dies. Ray rescues Emma from the top of a tumbling building, where she was having lunch with Riddick’s disapproving sister (hey look it’s Kylie Minogue – she is killed before I could say for sure it was here). They then go to rescue their daughter.
On the way much destruction, much chaos, convenient drama and tension filled scenes where you know the main characters will not die no matter what and some awesome scenes filled with special effects abound. Ben is hurt in the leg, Blake almost drowns but her dad saves her, “I love yous” are said and the family is reunited with Ray & Emma giving their marriage another chance (they were about to sign the divorce papers) and oh yeah that heart wrenching moment when amid the destruction a clean and bright US flag is unfurled in slow motion. No mention of Jesus but I’m sure it is implied. And ofcourse, “now what?” is replied with the hero saying “we rebuild”. Oh and Colton Hayes is there for a little bit too.
Overall it is a very watchable movie with lots of great scenes but it is highly predictable. An 8 outta 10, must be seen in large screens to fully appreciate the glory.