San Andreas

Nobody expected a revolutionary cliché-free contribution to the genre, not even from Warner Bros. The same goes for Emmerichian wit and insight. The characters are fine, unlike those in last year’s Into the Storm, and better than those in Poseidon. So, overall it’s an alright movie, a display of decent craft without errors and surprises. (27/05/2015)

The Rock is cool, no doubt about it. Otherwise, this is just a bunch of terrible, boring clichés, dull dialogue, amateurish acting and overwrought CGI; just everything I hate so heartily about the current mass production of the dream factory. And three people wrote the script for this? This shows that some professions in Hollywood are even easier than receiving welfare. I never thought I'd say this, but I miss Emmerich! (27/08/2015)

The Americans tend to shoot a disaster movie once in a while, cry their eyes out and show Americanism in its harshest form. And they usually take down Los Angeles or San Francisco. It lies on two tectonic plates, so it’s strongly fitting for a similar movie. For many decades now. Fortunately, San Andreas doesn’t deviate from the standard and performs solid popcorn entertainment, which is supported by Hulk Dwayne and solid CGI. It’s almost a surprise that a similarly tuned movie wasn’t made by Emmerich, but by the talented Peyton instead, because he massacred the surroundings very well. (05/07/2016)

It's actually awful bollocks, but Dwayne Johnson is a likeable guy, Carla Gugino and Alexandra Daddario are very nice to look at, and there's always something going on. Sometimes that's all I need. (29/08/2015)

My guess is that the screenplay was rewritten six times which, as a result, is not able to maintain even a hint of consistency / escalation in both storylines (family / seismologist). Horrible dialogues, rubber acting, tricks that can be bought for 100 million today, amusement park directing. For 4DX cinema, it can work as a tech demo. I am giving the film a single star just for its hint of an interesting ideological storyline, in which the almost shocking selfish concentration of the man responsible for saving others on his family plays a role. There has not been such a strictly individualistic disaster film for a long time that would place the restoration of America purely on the shoulders of capable individuals who fight only their private wars. Unfortunately, even this factor is there purely for laughter. This movie as broken as the world it depicts. The earthquake comes as a divine punishment when the characters have nothing more to say. And that's basically the case all the time with San Andreas. On my Richter scale of nonsense, it’s a pure ten. (28/05/2015)

A great feet-up movie where the main attractions in my eyes aren’t San Fierro blowing up, but Alexandra "look at them wobble" Daddario and her movie mother. The Rock puts on a good performance and the movie certainly doesn’t lack entertainment. The putting the family back together plot line is typically Americana dumb, but suffices for this popcorn piece. (29/10/2016)

I feel greater ambition from this than in Emmerich's recent film, which simply rudely get your money without delivering anything interesting. Gone are the days Independence Day. San Andreas is a more ambitious film in this aspect. Although the dialogues and the concept of the script are one big American cliché with all the flaws and shortcomings that we are used to, at the same time, I occasionally see a subtle homage to the nineties in it, depending on how much someone delves into the genre. However, the formal side is captivating. So much tension and phenomenally escalating scenes, not only in terms of destruction and visual effects, but also the panoramas, the raids, the flyovers, and several great shots without cuts (especially the opening one in San Francisco on the roof of a building) – it’s definitely on a higher level than just mindless entertainment. I felt the effort there. It’s not a groundbreaking film, and will also be forgotten over time, but it definitely won't offend the intellect if approached reasonably and some things are overlooked. Dwayne Johnson can act! (29/05/2015)

The Rock acts (and is likeable) about as well as Sylvester Stallone in the 1990s, but back then, Stallone wouldn't have acted in a film this silly. One cliché after another, and it relies on amazing the viewer with effects, which are not overwhelming, and pretty soon they get old, and it takes itself almost deadly seriously. Perspective is desperately missing - the comedy string that Roland Emmerich can play so well (I was very entertained by 2012, and it’s not much more sophisticated in terms of the storyline) did not even tremble in San Andreas. Unlike me while watching Alexandra Daddario... (05/01/2019)

A genre routine without a shred of narrative innovation and insight, served exclusively in the company of surprisingly annoying and cluttered digital effects. Where the similarly destructive 2012 had a far more entertaining story, memorable "last-minute" escape scenes, and an air of fatalism about it, San Andreas only has likeable characters – but how can we even root for them when it's clear from the start that nothing can happen to them....? A big disappointment, the muscular physiognomy of Mr Rock and the lush breasts of Ms Daddario in top form definitely deserved much better advertising. 40% (10/09/2015)

San Andreas could be ranked alongside Roland Emmerich's disaster movies like 2012 and The Day After Tomorrow, and it certainly wouldn't put itself to shame. Within its genre, it is a solid piece of work that is average in many ways, but that's the way it goes with films like this. The film is duly laced with action and decent visual effects depicting overwhelming destruction, and as far as the cast is concerned, they are universally likeable. In short, an enjoyable flick that looks good and doesn't require much thought. (20/03/2016)

It's more or less what you expect from a disaster movie. It's silly, it's sometimes illogical, but it's a drama, mainly human, and there are big buildings falling to the ground and generally a lot of signs of destruction. Some scenes can even surprise you - for example, the one with the tsunami is insanely beautiful. And the female part is simply fantastic here. (02/09/2015)

Let me tell you, seeing Alexandra Daddario play an audacious twenty-year old is a really great (visual) experience and far more memorable than the biggest earthquake in the movie. Otherwise, you will get more or less what you expect from a not very intelligent, disaster movie. That is, standard last-second rescues, declarations of love in the most dramatic moments and crappy dialogues. The movie often takes itself too seriously, and it is in dire need of a more relaxed style mastered by the king of this genre, Roland Emmerich. Honestly, three stars is probably the most exaggerated rating I've given a movie in a very long time. (28/04/2016)