Review of San Andreas (2015) by Vercoda — 03 Sep 2015

Opening with a clumsily executed car crash (dumb, careless - if not selfish - driver + unconvincing CGi = a weak opening), at least San Andreas didn't take long to set The Rock up as The Nicest And Most Understanding Guy Ever. No wonder his wife left him; short of singing with nuns or stroking kittens, The Rock's utter niceness was laid on too much.

Moving swiftly on - subtly hammering home product placement shots repeatedly throughout the film (I think... I should buy... Apple products...), and San Andreas turned in an averagely entertaining disaster film, albeit odd that, curiously, left this viewer feeling slightly underwhelmed in the epic disaster stakes. Oh, sure, there are some heat set pieces here and there - with an awful, awful lot of expositi- sorry, 'character development' to sit though.

The film's final act had me distractedly wondering what kind of kick-ass speedboat they'd been lucky enough to find - nothing, and I mean Nothing, could give its engine/blades Any difficulty as it went full pelt through an earthquake and tsunami ravaged city, with unimaginable debris everywhere - while The Rock continued his Most Amazing Superdad shtick to the end.

Ultimately, sure, San Andreas was entertaining, but despite the spectacle it underwhelms, ever so slightly shortchanging the audience. Throw in a little too much talk, one astoundingly lucky coincidence after another, overt product placement, and - sorry, guys - a couple of miscast British leads, and San Andreas doesn't make a particularly durable impression (at least 2012 knew it was pure silliness - its destruction of LA is more eye-popping than San Andreas). However, The Rock was as watchable as ever, and the daughter in the film was pretty great (a nice turn from the actress, and decent scripting, considering), with both doing a lot to boost the film's otherwise paper-thin characters.

Overall, San Andreas will leave you shaken, not stirred.