United States

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.