Movie · 2015 · Action, Drama, Thriller · 1h 54m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 0.7/10 (528K ratings)
We always knew this day would come.
Overview
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 estranged daughter.
Ratings
Curator score: 0.7/10
IMDb: 6.1/10
Letterboxd: 2.51/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 48%
Metacritic: 43
TMDB: 6.2/10
Director
Brad Peyton
Production
New Line Cinema, Village Roadshow Pictures, Flynn Picture Company, Warner Bros. Pictures
Cast
Dwayne Johnson, Alexandra Daddario, Carla Gugino, Ioan Gruffudd, Archie Panjabi, Paul Giamatti, Hugo Johnstone-Burt, Art Parkinson, Will Yun Lee, Kylie Minogue, Colton Haynes, Todd Williams, Matt Gerald, Alec Utgoff, Marissa Neitling, Morgan Griffin, Breanne Hill, Laurence Coy, Fiona Press, Dennis Coard
Curator Review
Verdict
A loud, knowingly absurd disaster spectacle that works best as a big-screen stunt reel. The effects, pacing, and Dwayne Johnson’s straight-faced heroics deliver plenty of dumb fun, but the thin characters and formulaic family drama keep it from rising above its own chaos.
Best for
fans of large-scale disaster movies
viewers who want fast, uncomplicated action
audiences who enjoy earnest blockbuster cheese
people in the mood for CGI spectacle and destruction
Skip if
you need strong character development
you dislike cheesy dialogue and melodrama
you want disaster films with more realism or tension
you’re not in the mood for a very familiar blockbuster formula
Overview
San Andreas is the kind of disaster movie that knows exactly what it is: a machine for collapsing landmarks, launching vehicles through debris, and giving Dwayne Johnson something heroic to do every five minutes. It moves quickly, it rarely pauses for reflection, and it treats California’s destruction like a theme park ride with a family reunion attached.
Worth noting
The movie’s appeal is mostly tactile and absurd. The scale of the earthquake damage is impressive, and the film leans hard into the pleasures of watching impossible rescues unfold with total sincerity. Johnson’s presence helps a lot; he sells the material without irony, which keeps the movie from tipping into pure parody.
Bottom line
At the same time, the emotional beats are routine and the script is built from familiar disaster-movie parts. If you want a polished, crowd-pleasing spectacle, it delivers. If you want depth, suspense, or memorable supporting writing, it’s mostly just a very expensive shake-and-bake rescue mission.
Top Letterboxd reviews
PoeticJustice (1.5★) · 1150 likes
The Rock has sex with an Earthquake.
davidehrlich (2★) · 1124 likes
At one point in San Andreas, in which the largest earthquake in recorded history slices and shakes its way through California, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson parachutes into the middle of a San Francisco baseball stadium with his estranged wife, Emma (Carla Gugino), clinging to his bulging midsection. “It’s been a while since we’ve been to second base” he tells her as they land safely on the field, sharing a chuckle after an afternoon spent watching several thousand people be swallowed into the earth. The disaster movie is back!
READ THE FULL REVIEW ON TIME OUT
maneleeo (2★) · 750 likes
At this point, I think it's time to acknowledge that these are not films where Dwayne Johnson plays a character, these are documentaries of his daily life.
suzy 🦍 (2.5★) · 511 likes
cities after they’re saved by the avengers
HKmatias (3★) · 448 likes
*watching the movie*
Me: This movie is fine.
*Alexandra Daddario appears in a scene*
Me: Ah yes, the cinematic classic known as San Andreas.