Non-stop action and intensity in ‘San Andreas’

BY

Ron and Leigh Martel
Movie Reviewers, The Friday Flyer

The big one! We Californians have been nervously waiting for it for all our lives. Scary tremors happen every few years, but we can only guess what that mega-event will be like. So Hollywood is only too eager to help us out with its own worst-case scenario. Like any good horror flick, we pay money for them to scare the bejesus out of us.

Some of the more memorable films have been “San Francisco” (1936) with Clark Cable and “Earthquake” (1974) with Charlton Heston. Furthermore, Irwin Allen and Roland Emmerich became cinematic masters of disaster dreaming up catastrophes of every kind. Now, Dwayne Johnson’s “San Andreas” will be favorably included in this genre.

From the get-go, the artist formally known as “The Rock” flexes his massive biceps from his LA Fire Department helicopter to save a woman in a steep ravine. Then, in the midst of the largest earthquake in recorded history, Ray (Johnson) must save his family in Los Angeles and San Francisco, which have both been hit by this massive tremor.

Disaster flicks rarely excite serious film buffs, and this is no exception. But nothing helps an audience choke down a barrel of popcorn like the non-stop action and raw intensity of a cataclysmic event. Screenwriter Carlton Cuse generously borrows from other disaster flicks, but director Brad Peyton uses the cliches for familiar comfort while effectively implementing massive CGI effects; yet somehow stays within his $120 million budget.

Naturally, the simple story includes a brilliant CalTech scientist (Paul Giamatti), with assistance of a reporter (Archie Panjabi), warning the citizens of the pending event. Ray must cope with estranged wife Emma (Carla Gugino) and daughter Blake (Alexandra Daddario) moving in with Emma’s Richie-Rich boyfriend Daniel Riddick (Ioan Gruffudd).

As we’ve learned from Hollywood, nothing brings a family together like a good old-fashioned disaster, especially if the interloper is a weasel and Dad is The Rock. At 6 ft. 5 in. and pumped up, Johnson doesn’t need a cape or CGI to become a super-hero. He’s so credibly heroic; the audience heavily roots for the guy and celebrates his every action.

As the Hoover Dam explodes (flood footage from 2011 Queensland, Australia event), Los Angeles braces for its own shock that destroys downtown. That, in turn, breaks open the San Andreas Fault all the way to San Francisco. Sure, this is preposterous, but any singular event is possible and devastating, so only some logic needs suspending.

Having a very bad day, Ray must rescue Emma from an L.A. high-rise, then daughter Blake in San Francisco, in the care of Mr. Moneybags. As The City becomes one big Lombard Street, Ray and Emma experience challenges traveling north. In the midst of the San Francisco rubble, they face a tsunami with waves resembling Waimea Bay.

This epic spectacle is intense, thrilling and impressive. There is more state-of-the art urban devastation than the entire “Transformer” series, but its bloodless carnage feels more meaningful than the residue of some battle-bots. The spunky women are attractive, but strong willed and independent. Fittingly, Universal Studios Florida remodeled its “Earthquake” ride to include everyone getting rescued in the end by Dwayne Johnson.

“San Andreas” is 114 minutes and rated PG-13 for intense disaster action and mayhem throughout, and brief strong language. The dialog includes factoids that there are over 1.3 million earthquakes per year. The 2011 earthquake in Japan moved the earth eight feet, and Alaska’s 9.1 1964 quake generated the energy of ten million atom bombs.

Growing up in California, we’ve been taught how to calmly “dive” under tables. Old jokes include mock-realtor Sam Andreas selling anticipated ocean front property in Bakersfield. As residents shake, rattle and roll, buildings fall and zip codes change. Like the best roller coasters, it’s scary, but fun. Sure, there are more holes in the plot than the streets, so you can blame superhero Dwayne Johnson. It’s all his “fault.”

Ron’s Rating: A-   Leigh’s Rating: A