Cinema Review: San Andreas (12A)

Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Carla Gugino, Alexandra Daddario, Paul Giamatti

Director: Brad Peyton

Runtime: 114 minutes

Back in the 1970s, disaster films were big; The Poseidon Adventure, The Towering Inferno and the Airport movies, to name but a few. While not destined to go down in movie history as a fellow classic, new film San Andreas taps into that same vein and produces a fairly entertaining picture.

Starring Dwayne Johnson (a big enough actor that he can now drop 'The Rock') as a rescue pilot who, in the aftermath of a massive earthquake in San Francisco, has to rescue his family before the next one hits.

The plot is simple enough, a man does everything to save his (soon-to-be-ex) wife and daughter in the wake of a natural disaster. Travelling by land, sea and air, Johnson's character, Ray, is a man who will do anything for his family. And that's essentially what the movie is about. Ray doesn't run around shooting and beating people up (save for one small moment that reminds the audience of Johnson's action man credentials). Instead he gets to act, with real emotion and depth that he doesn't always get a chance to display. No, it isn't an award garnering role, but he does well enough to make the viewer care.

 He is ably assisted by Carla Gugino as his wife (for now) who has one of the best lines of the film (every parent will understand when they hear it uttered). She is a great fit for the role; feisty enough for the action parts, but she also plays the loving partner and mother very well.

With some films, the daughter tends to be a whiny, self-obsessed nightmare (yes, I'm looking at you Transformers 4). How refreshing then that Alexandra Daddario plays a strong female who gets to be as much a hero as her on-screen father. Her two companions (including a potential love interest) may have been awkwardly squeezed into the film, but it was nice to see the boys having to rely on a woman.

With all great disaster flicks, there has to be a scientist who nobody listens to until it is too late. San Andreas presents us with Paul Giamatti, who has the unenviable task of filling the audience in on all the science and technical chatter. As such a great actor, I expected more from him, but there was only so much Giamatti could do with the character. He does at least have one very funny line amongst all the worrying and hiding under tables.

The destruction of San Francisco is impressive and the film does produce genuine moments of tension. But, there are some dubious moments, such as an unexpected cameo from a pop icon and some added shmaltz that almost ruins the film; both of which are completely unnecessary. The film is held together by stunning visual effects and the charm of Dwayne Johnson.

With so many big name films being released in 2015, this could get lost among the big boys. However, if you're at a loose end, this is engaging enough to justify a cinema ticket.