 ***PLEASE NOTE: A Blu-ray 3D disc is only compatible with 3D Blu-ray players.*** After the infamous San Andreas Fault gives, triggering a magnitude 9-plus earthquake in California, a search and rescue helicopter pilot and his estranged wife make their way together from Los Angeles to San Francisco to save their only daughter. But their treacherous journey north is only the beginning. And when they think the worst may be over...it's just getting started. Storyline: In San Andreas, California is experiencing a statewide earthquake that goes on record as easily the biggest earthquake in history. Dwayne Johnson plays Ray Gaines, a helicopter rescue pilot for the Los Angeles Fire Department, who is trying to find his daughter, Blake (Alexandra Daddario), who is in San Francisco amidst the chaos. Ray's estranged wife, Emma, is forced to turn to Ray for help, as he is her last resort. Together they journey to save their daughter. Written by The Twiz Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Martin Liebman, October 13, 2015 -- San Andreas doesn't cover new ground. If anything, it unearths new ground by practically wiping San Francisco off the map, but its core story is one that's been around the cinema block many, many times before. Disaster strikes, family man does everything within his power to save his loved ones. Not the world, just his family. It's that intimacy that helps set the movie apart, that sense of tight-knit, believable family set against a sprawling disaster epic that may be the best of its kind, visually and dramatically both. It doesn't put movies like 2012 to shame, but it does improve on the formula by demonstrating a rare, evenly keeled balance between the raw aesthetics of destruction and grounded human interest storytelling. This film thrives on the juxtaposition of its ugly (in a good way) and complicated visual effects against a beautiful and simple story of love, separation, and the desperate quest for reunification. It's a remarkable achievement in technical wizardry but also a classically styled and relatable story of the bonds of family, all explored in a relatively grounded manner in which the hero isn't a superhero, just a human being driven by an unflappable determination, and, yes, some muscle and skill that help him along the way. Cal Tech professor and seismologist Lawrence Hayes (Paul Giamatti) and his team have finally perfected the art of earthquake predictions. But their timing coincides with the arrival of the big one. First, the Hoover Dam is destroyed. Next: Los Angeles. Then: San Francisco. Hayes predicts bigger and more violent quakes to be imminent, and his prognostications are, unfortunately, proven correct. Rescue helicopter pilot Ray Gaines (Dwayne Johnson) is forced to cut plans with his daughter Blake (Alexandra Daddario) short when he's called in for rescue duty following the initial Nevada quake. That leaves Blake to travel to San Francisco with her soon-to-be stepfather Daniel (Ioan Gruffudd) and her mother Emma (Carla Gugino) an opportunity to meet with Daniel's sister Susan (Kylie Minogue) in Los Angeles. While Emma and Susan are discussing the finer points of Emma's relationship with Daniel, the restaurant, and the entire city, is rattled by a tremendous earthquake that leaves the city in ruin. Ray manages to rescue his ex-wife in the nick of time, allowing them to turn their attention to Blake, who finds herself fighting for survival in a ravaged San Francisco alongside two new friends, Ben (Hugo Johnstone-Burt) and his younger brother Ollie (Art Parkinson). Balance is key in San Andreas, and it's something that elevates the movie considerably. Between the special effects, the story, the performances, and the sheer entertainment value it creates and maintains, San Andreas manages to not only keep all cylinders firing, but playing in rhythmic harmony for the duration. Certainly, the visual effects dominate, at least considering the eye test. The film is a powerful testament to not only the capabilities of the modern digital visual but the skillful nuance of the artists that put them together. The movie's entire VFX scheme presents seamlessly and with so much volume and complexity that it's arguable that San Andreas boasts the absolute best digital effects ever committed to a motion picture. They're that impressive, that thorough, that seamless, that believable. And it's not only the big details like collapsing buildings and raging tsunami waters but also, and more critical, the manner in which every last bit of dust, each tiny piece of flying debris seems accounted for, all of it painstakingly dense and complex and manipulated to the exact placement and perfectly aligned details of every chain reaction of devastation. The movie is unquestionably a tech highlight reel of what modern digital artists can accomplish on a very large scale, but even as awe-inspiring -- and emotionally devastating -- as it can be, the effects don't mean much of anything without a context significant enough to support them. Beyond the hugely impressive visuals is an equally impressive core story. Granted, it's rather mundane in a classic "save the day adventure" sort of way, but there's an honesty to its simplicity and a depth to the emotions that keep the movie grounded. San Andreas isn't wall-to-wall destruction, and that's its saving grace. The destruction, and the supportive visual effects, complement the story while also driving it. The film focuses on its core narrative details of familial bonds and reunification at any cost. The characters are well written, though they unarguably fall squarely onto the "generic" side of the ledger in a gross, distant overview of who they are and what the movie needs of them. Yet, despite that hurdle, there's a tangible heart and chemistry that dominates and an honest sense of togetherness that lingers and grows through physical distance and, gradually, the powerful emotions of real, heartfelt healing that don't feel tacked on because daddy saves the day but because there's a readily identifiable spirit running through the characters -- evident even in the new relationship between Blake, Ben, and Ollie -- that's more than just a fleeting joy of salvation and the purging of all of that fear in the immediate aftermath of rescue. Just as important, San Andreas leaves behind excess or needless humor. There are several great lines and moments that will leave the audience rightly laughing, but such are in the movie only to offer a momentary reprise from the tension and destruction, not as needless filler or desperate stabs to bring the audience back into the fold. Yet the most critical factor in making San Andreas a success comes by way of Dwayne Johnson. He's a uniquely gifted actor who can play the everyman, even beefed up to professional bodybuilder levels. In this film, and in his other collaboration with Director Brad Peyton (Journey 2), there's a certain relatable quality to the man whereby he's larger than life but not at all reliant on his size. Whereas 80s Action films were all about muscle, Johnson manages to dazzle with a firm understanding of the finer aspects of his craft and, apropos to his performance in San Andreas, that aforementioned tightly knit bond of family and ceaseless drive led by the heart, not the measurements of his biceps or body fat percentage. Even as practically every single shot of Johnson (at least out of the helicopter) shows him in tight, revealing T-shirts, his muscle almost disappears in the movie as the greater, more intimate character details emerge from the mass and define a real hero driven by emotions and soul rather than sheer bulk and screen presence. Even beefed up well beyond the peak of his professional wrestling years, Johnson manages to demonstrate a healthy range, wear a believable smile, and carry a movie on broad shoulders that are made all the firmer by a massive heart. San Andreas may be the perfect combination of popcorn flick meets human interest drama meets special effects spectacular. Director Brad Peyton nails it -- he absolutely nails it -- by way of finding that expertly balanced middle ground in which all the pieces come harmoniously into focus, altogether and for the duration. It's first and foremost a solidly constructed story of family bonds and the unbreakable spirit to save and survive. It's also a technical achievement of the highest order, a precisely constructed masterpiece of complex digital filmmaking seamlessly integrated with real characters and key set pieces. The picture is moving but a blast to watch. Essentially, it's everything audiences could want from a summertime popcorn muncher. Bring a few tissues and be ready to applaud the effort, too. Warner Brothers' Blu-ray 3D release of San Andreas presents the same supplements and excellent audio as the 2D-only release and yields an accomplished third dimension, but it comes at the expense of the tight, practically perfect definition of the 2D-only release. San Andreas isn't necessarily a better movie in 3D -- 2D works perfectly well -- but it's a fairly fun watch in 3D. Recommended with the caveat that the 2D version is likely to see much more play than the 3D, which feels more like an exciting novelty and less the "right way" to watch the movie. [CSW] -3.3- This is a nice addition to the disaster movie genre. However, when the best actor in a movie is Dwayne Johnson you know what to expect. The Rock gives a nice portrayal of the angst driven hero while all the other actors stand around with stone faces reading the same tired cliches from every other disaster movie. The CGI saves the movie and that is probably the only reason anyone wants to see it in the first place. Great earthquake and tsunami footage. [CSW] -3.3- This is a nice addition to the disaster movie genre. However, when the best actor in a movie is Dwayne Johnson you know what to expect. The Rock gives a nice portrayal of the angst driven hero while all the other actors stand around with stone faces reading the same tired cliches from every other disaster movie. The CGI saves the movie and that is probably the only reason anyone wants to see it in the first place. Great earthquake and tsunami footage. Between 3D (8/10) and D-Box (10/10) this was worth adding to my collection since it finally came down to low $$$. Cast Notes: Dwayne Johnson (Raymond Gaines), Carla Gugino (Emma Gaines), Alexandra Daddario (Blake Gaines), Ioan Gruffudd (Daniel Riddick), Archie Panjabi (Serena Johnson), Paul Giamatti (Dr. Lawrence Hayes), Hugo Johnstone-Burt (Ben Taylor), Art Parkinson (Ollie Taylor), Will Yun Lee (Dr. Kim Park), Kylie Minogue (Susan Riddick), Colton Haynes (Joby O'Leary), Todd Williams (Marcus), Matt Gerald (Harrison), Alec Utgoff (Alexi), Marissa Neitling (Phoebe). IMDb Rating (12/23/15): 6.1/10 from 112,248 users
 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
