"San Andreas" Review

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

As a die-hard fan of both professional wrestling and Dwyane "The Rock" Johnson, I always find myself keeping up to date with what he's up to and what he's working on, especially his movie projects. When I first heard he'd be starring in a movie called "San Andreas," my initial reaction was that it was a movie having to go with the Grand Theft Auto game of the same name. I couldn't have been the only one who thought that, right? And I think I've played that game all of once or twice in my life! Nevertheless, I got a better grasp of what the plot was about when I saw more trailers for the film and it became clear that it was about an earthquake hitting the county of San Andreas.

Per usual, what persuaded me to go see this movie was Rock's involvement, so had he not been the main star or in it at all, I'm not sure it woul've been one first movies I would've wanted to go see this past weekend. Rock or no Rock, however, the special effects of this disaster film are well worth it if you enjoy that kind of stuff. With people all about the cool special effects this day and age, this movie fulfills that well, so whether you like the plot or not, at least you can take pleasure in the amazingly convincing computer graphics and other illusions.

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Speaking of the plot, it isn't the greatest, but it doesn't need to be. Let's face it: If you're going to see a disaster film like this one, odds are you don't care about the story very much other what involves the natural disaster. Granted, it can't be complete crap, but the plot of "San Andreas" is pretty cookie-cutter for the most part. It features a wife (Carla Gugino) and her ex-husband (Dwyane Johnson) putting their differences aside at a time of tragedy to save their daughter (Alexandra Daddario). I don't want to spoil anything, but it essentially ends the way you think it would, like any other Hollywood romance flick that follows the same story. Again, the plot behind the disaster (an earthquake that apparently no one in the world saw coming ahead of time other than a few scientists who no one listened to) but regardless, it isn't complicated and they make the most of its simplicity.

The acting, in my opinion, also leaves something to be desired, but that's not to say it's terrible. Perhaps it's just my personal bias, but I thought Rock as Ray Gaines thrived in his role as the badass helicopter-rescue pilot, and it's those kind of characters he plays to perfection, anyway. Daddario as "Blake" (whose performance I'll discuss more in detail toward the end of this review) was also well cast as the pretty daughter of Rock, and even the two boys Ben (Hugo Johnstone) and Ollie (Art Parkinson) were decent as the foreign English boys coming to the rescue. But Carla Gugino as Emma Gaines wasn't too spectacular, as her showings of sadness were too corny to taking seriously. Also, is it just me or has Paul Giamatti been getting a lot more roles in big time movies recently? Maybe that's always been the case and I just haven't known it, but no matter what, he'll always the "Big Fat Liar guy" to me, dammit!

Another gripe I had with "San Andreas" were some of its unrealistic aspects. I know, I know, you need to suspend your disbelief when it comes to movies, but an earthquake is something that can actually occur, and thus the story should follow suit. For example (and if you want to avoid spoilers, I'd suggest skipping over this paragraph), how did Ray and Emma know Blake was still alive? Ray said Blake was a smart girl and that "he just knew" she was still out there, but it's not like she disappeared or something. An earthquake hit the city and more than half the people died! There's a rather good chance she would've died, and while I respect them for being fantastic parents, more people would have died if everyone went back to look for their kids.

At least they established Daniel (Ioan Gruffudd) as an a-hole by abandoning Blake in the wrecked limo (which didn't seem so bad at first because he initially went to go get help) and later backstabbing others to save his own life. And when would Ben and Ollie risk their own lives to save Blake's countless times throughout the film? Ben may be in love with Blake (and who wouldn't be?), but he met her mere hours before the earthquake hit. If I were him, I would've ditched her halfway through the movie so I could say my own brother Ollie. Blake is beautiful and all, but she likely would have died anyway, so statisically speaking, he was going up against the odds. Then again, that likely says more about me as a person than it does about the movie's logic, but I digress!

I noted earlier that I was going to go a bit more in-depth about Blake's performance, and I wanted to say this: Alexandra Daddario is absolutely gorgeous. Ben and Ollie say it at two different points in the film, and trust me, they aren't acting! I was informed that she was in the first Percy Jackson movie from five years ago, which I don't recall whatsoever. I read all the books as a kid and remember going to see the movie, but it was so forgettable that I don't remember her role in it. But after seeing "San Andreas," she might be my new celebrity crush. What does any of this have to do with my review of the movie, you ask? Go see it solely for her if nothing else, you won't regret it!

As for the rating, it's rated PG-13, but it features some strong violence throughout. Not in terms of murder or anything like that, but if you couldn't already tell, quite a people die in the earthquake, and that might startle some viewers and it isn't for everyone. I never found out the official rating going in, but I assumed it was PG-13. After hearing some of the characters say "shit" and even drop an f-bomb at one point, I started to question whether it was, but it's not like there's any nudity or an excessive amount of bad language, so it's should be acceptable to bring children to.

On the whole, I thoroughly enjoyed "San Andreas," and I'd suggest seeing it in 3D to maximize the experience. I've always said that there's a distinct difference between enjoying a movie and thinking it's great, and while I thought this movie fell in the former category, I'd sum it up in one word: awesome. It didn't receive rave reviews, but if you're in the mood for a fun, dumb disaster film, this summer spectacle should satisfy your craving.

Should you see this movie? Yes.