Dwayne Johnson and Carla Gugino struggle to hold their family together as California splits apart in Brad Peyton’s disaster thriller.
Mother Nature always gets the last word, but don’t tell that to the filmmakers of San Andreas who envision California bravely persevering after a series of earthquakes of unprecedented severity erupt along the titular fault line. West-coasters are known for their often nonchalant attitude toward disasters, but Warner Bros.’ third big-budget release of May is far too upbeat in the face of catastrophe to spur any tectonic shift in perspective.
While San Andreas won't exactly tip the Richter scale, it will clearly inject some fresh PG-13 action into theaters and could still resonate with crowds gearing up for summer vacation.
Any feature inclined toward a realistic depiction of a monster earthquake is wise to stick with first-responders, so San Andreas gives us Ray (Dwayne Johnson), an Los Angeles Fire Department search and rescue helicopter pilot. Ray’s expertise aloft isn’t matched by his interpersonal skills though, as he’s reminded when his estranged wife Emma (Carla Gugino) serves him with divorce papers and announces she’s moving into her wealthy boyfriend Daniel’s (Ioan Gruffudd) fancy mansion, along with their daughter Blake (Alexandra Daddario). Ray’s plans for spending a final weekend with Blake before she begins university in the San Francisco area are dashed when a major earthquake hits Nevada and his squad mobilizes to respond — while Daniel offers to fly Blake up north on his private jet.