Official trailer for San Andreas, an upcoming American disaster movie. Directed by Brad Peyton, the film stars Dwayne Johnson, Carla Gugino, Alexandra Daddario, Ioan Gruffudd, Archie Panjabi, Hugo Johnstone-Burt, Art Parkinson, and Paul Giamatti. In theatres May 29 in the United States.

The San Andreas Fault [wiki] is a continental transform fault that extends roughly 1,200 kilometres through California. It’s a real thing, and scientists have long predicted that a huge (8.0+ magnitude) earthquake will occur in the next few decades somewhere along the fault.

The movie sets on a major earthquake caused by the San Andreas Fault that devastates Los Angeles and San Francisco. And the story focuses on a rescue helicopter pilot who tries to save his estranged wife and beautiful daughter while totally ignoring his civic duty during the crisis.

Update & verdict

I watched the movie many months later on TV. The plot is cheesy, and sometimes ridiculous, like in most other disaster films. The special effects are great though; some scenes are over the top, which again is a common thing in this genre; but it’s believable enough to see it as something probable in real life.

The tsunami scene reminded me so much of the Japanese disaster in 2011, it made me felt a bit guilty that I actually enjoyed the film. It’s easier said than done but I hope people are more ready for natural disasters these days. As the cliché goes, it’s not whether it will happen, it’s simply about when.