Review of San Andreas (2015) by John D — 01 Jan 2016

Big-ticket natural disaster movies have had a tendency to fall far too deep into science fiction in recent years. San Andreas is admirably not-too-stupid, with buildings being a bit more toppleable and chasms being a bit more chasmy than I imagine real life would allow, but never straying so far outside the realm of believability to break the illusion (give or take something about magnetic pulses).

Instead of focusing on a large, disparate group, San Andreas homes in on how the disaster affects one family, with a relatively small number of wide shots (but enough to get the effects buzz) and allowing more of a fly-on-the-wall feel.

While plenty of stuff breaks and falls down, the movie admirably avoids dehumanizing the whole experience; when one heel meets their demise, we are immediately reminded of the immense toll the disaster has on those unfortunate enough to not have The Rock as our daddy.

San Andreas is ultimately a bit disposable and by-the-numbers, but its enjoyable and much more involving than I expected.