• Pop Culture
    • Movies
    • Television
    • Comic Books
    • Video Games
    • Toys & Collectibles
  • Features
    • News
    • Reviews
    • Articles and Opinions
    • Interviews
    • Exclusives
    • FMTV
  • Socials
    • YouTube
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • Flipboard
  • About
    • About Flickering Myth
    • Write for Flickering Myth
    • Advertise on Flickering Myth
  • Terms
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy

Flickering Myth

Geek Culture | Movies, TV, Comic Books & Video Games

  • TRENDING TOPICS:
  • Star Wars
  • Marvel
  • DC
  • Physical Media
  • Write for Us

Second Opinion – San Andreas (2015)

May 31, 2015 by Helen Murdoch

San Andreas, 2015.

Directed by Brad Peyton
Starring Dwayne Johnson, Carla Gugino, Alexandra Daddario, Ioan Gruffud, Paul Giamatti, Hugo Johnstone-Burt and Art Parkinson.

SYNOPSIS:

In the aftermath of a massive earthquake in California, a rescue-chopper pilot makes a dangerous journey across the state in order to rescue his daughter.

When going into a disaster movie it’s always best to suspend belief and just go with the flow of the movie, never has that been truer than with San Andreas. After a series of earthquakes and tsunamis devastate California, Dwayne Johnson’s all American rescue pilot goes on a mission to save his daughter.

What can firstly be said about San Andreas is that largely the effects are epic and spectacular on the big screen. Sweeping aerial shots of the destruction go a long way to show the extent of the damage caused and ups the peril for our main characters. Although the action is slightly samey – tremor, building collapse, running, hiding and repeat – San Andreas is silly and it delivers as a standard disaster movie. Whilst it’s not up there with some of the great disaster movies like Independence Day, Deep Impact, Cloverfield etc, it still delivers an enjoyable couple of hours in the cinema.

Acting wise it is Alexandra Daddario as stranded daughter Blake who delivers the best performance in the film. She isn’t the typical stranded attractive girl; she’s resourceful and doesn’t make too many stupid decisions throughout the film. The usually charismatic Dwayne Johnson seems restricted by a poor script on this outing. When we would rather see him undertaking death-defying stunts and making quips, we instead get scene after scene of him and estranged wife Emma (Gugino) discussing their failed marriage and the death of their youngest daughter. Whilst emotion is key to a good disaster film, the dialogue in San Andreas is so clunky that these scenes break up the action and drag. A film like 2012’s The Impossible showed that an emotion heavy disaster film could be successful and deeply moving – San Andreas seems to fall short on both the action and the emotion side.

Paul Giamatti is on hand to act as a Seismologist who can predict earthquakes and he delivers a good performance given the material. Considering the calibre of actor that he is, it’s a shame that we don’t get to see him more throughout. He is instead stuck as the exposition element of the film which is entertaining but not demanding for an actor of his quality

San Andreas isn’t a bad film; it simply pales in comparison to some of its predecessors. It’s packed full of clichés from start to finish and whilst Johnson has proven himself as a charismatic action star, here he is restricted to flying above disaster scenes and having heartfelt conversations. San Andreas is entertaining to watch but ultimately forgettable.

Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★

Helen Murdoch is a freelance writer – Follow me on Twitter

FacebookTwitterFlipboardRedditPinterestWhatsApp

Filed Under: Helen Murdoch, Movies, Reviews Tagged With: Alexandra Daddario, Art Parkinson, Brad Peyton, Carla Gugino, Dwayne Johnson, Hugo Johnstone-Burt, Ioan Gruffud, Paul Giamatti, San Andreas

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:

Great Movies Guaranteed To Creep You Out

13 Underrated Horror Sequels That Deserve More Love

Dust in the Eye: Ten Tear-Jerking Moments in Action Movies

The Best Horror Movies In Sundance History

Ranking Marvel’s Phase Four Movies From Worst to Best

The Most Iconic Moments of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

Sirens from Space: Species and Under The Skin

The Must-See Horror Movies From Every Decade

PM Entertainment and the Art of Rip-offs With Razzmatazz

2023 Is All About Cocaine Bear

FEATURED POSTS:

Forgotten 2000s Comedies That Are Worth Revisiting

Ranking Marvel’s Phase Four Disney+ Shows From Worst to Best

13 Obscure Horror Movies You Need to See

Trending Now

  1. Alison Brie leads trailer for Dave Franco’s Somebody I Used to Know
  2. Movie Review – 80 for Brady (2023)
  3. The beast is back in trailer for Medusa’s Venom
  4. Showtime kills off Dexter: New Blood as Young Dexter spin-off considered
  5. Apple TV+ Review – Shrinking
  6. James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DC Studios slate promises Gods and Monsters
  • Pop Culture
    • Movies
    • Television
    • Comic Books
    • Video Games
    • Toys & Collectibles
  • Features
    • News
    • Reviews
    • Articles and Opinions
    • Interviews
    • Exclusives
    • FMTV
  • Socials
    • YouTube
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • Flipboard
  • About
    • About Flickering Myth
    • Write for Flickering Myth
    • Advertise on Flickering Myth
  • Terms
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy

© Flickering Myth Limited. All rights reserved. The reproduction, modification, distribution, or republication of the content without permission is strictly prohibited. Movie titles, images, etc. are registered trademarks / copyright their respective rights holders. Read our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. If you can read this, you don't need glasses.