John's Gems: A Carpenter Throwback

Story -3
Writing - 3
Acting - 3
Production -3
Intent - 4
Overall - 3.2/5 - Wait for Redbox or use a free movie ticket (though please read below)

          Personally I feel that any mass disaster movie deserves to be seen in theaters. Movies like The Day After Tomorrow, 2012, Armageddon, Twister, Into The Storm, and many others are films which are simple and yet immensely entertaining for a theater experience. San Andreas has now become another movie in that list of disaster films. There is a short formula to a successful disaster film and San Andreas follows it just enough to make it theater worthy, although my rating may not reflect that. Those qualities are:

-          Good CGI

-          Family driven

-          Group effort

-          Action sequences more important than the writing

          There are some exceptions, such as in Twister where the writing was just as good as the action, or in Armageddon when the main character gladly suffers the ultimate fate, but those are exceptional films in their own right. Though this film isn’t what I would call exceptional, stave for a few lines which can really send chills down your spine, it is a fun film to experience in theaters. As for the breakdown, it goes as such . . .

Story 3 – The story in this film is just like any other mass disaster film, it’s a story about family and survival. As seen in the previews Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is a father and husband who works as a rescue worker in California. There is his wife, and his daughter, along with fellow group members which the family picks up along the way, as per the formula for a disaster film. It’s not an intricate storyline, no real deep meaning, but with an abundance of on the edge of your seat action! Something interesting that happened during the opening scene caught my attention. Now, I won’t spoil anything for anyone, but I will say that that opening scene could become very controversial if looked at by enough people. At the same time, while possibly controversial, it’s brilliant in its use of misdirection, a method used shock and grab attention! In order to see what I’m talking about go and see it for yourself. Was it smart for Hollywood to show what they did in the opening scene, will you enjoy it . . . I know I did but you’ll have to find out for yourself!

Writing 3 – As said before, there are a few lines which can really send chills down your spine. The one line that sets the tone for the entire film was delivered by Paul Giamatti, and he said “The San Andreas Fault shifts every 150 years, and we’re about a hundred year’s over-due”. What makes that chilling is that Hollywood does its research. They have the money, the resources, and the contacts to get this kind of information. What’s good about this line is it really sells the terror which the film presents, especially if you live in California or just on the west coast. Unfortunately though, for the most part, the script is riddled with cliché lines and simple writing. For a movie like this that’s to be expected, though that’s still no excuse. If any of you go into this film expecting Breaking Bad type writing or Tarintino type dialogue then think again. With that said, the script has a few well written lines, it’s full of simple writing, and lets the action take over while the writing takes a back seat.

Acting 3 – It’s funny, Dwayne Johnson is action and intensity incarnate . . . but he isn’t a well-rounded actor. Just like Arnold, no one expects Daniel Day Lewis acting from this man. He’s big, with muscles upon muscles, and an intensity which few in Hollywood can rival. However, Dwayne made an attempt at an emotional place he usually doesn’t go in his performances and while he didn’t quite deliver, in my opinion, he got really close. For the most part the acting was mediocre, at best. Dwayne’s wife in the movie, played by Carla Gugino, gave the breakaway performance for the film and was able to sell the emotional bond that this family would have for one another. Not to mention the veteran Paul Giamatti, an acting “ringer” for any film. All of his deliveries were spot on, his worry and surprise felt genuine, and he really was a major part of selling the fear of the situation.

Production 3 – While I mentioned how a successful disaster film requires CGI, I also said it has to be good CGI. Twister, Armageddon, 2012, they all had amazing CGI work. The reason it’s so important is because since this kind of film relies on its action more than its writing or acting, and since we couldn’t REALLY film an asteroid in space, or a couple of people inside of a tornado, or entire cities breaking apart, then the CGI really becomes the major deciding factor in seeing a disaster film or not. No one would pay $10 to see Sharknado in theaters, and thus my point. For this film CGI was great in some parts and cheap in many other parts. For many of the key CGI moments the effects were great, but for many scenes that were there just to move the story along the effects weren’t nearly that good. That might not sound bad, but a lot of those scenes that are simply used to move the story along add up, and the inferior CGI adds up with it.

Intent 4 – This was the highest rated category because you’re intended to be on the edge of your seat in awe of what you’re seeing . . . and I was! Let me put it another way. Although I realize that Hollywood gets a very bad wrap now and days for anyone looking to work in the entertainment industry, as I would love to, I would still love to have a place in Hollywood if I got the chance to work in the industry. Mostly for the novelty sake, if nothing else, but still. Well, after seeing this film I have yet another reason not to live in Hollywood . . . EVER! It was like the film 2012 but completely set in California, and without any volcanos of course. Everything seen in the previews is delivered beautifully in the film. Like the tsunami wave sequence, the buildings falling on everyone, the daring rescues, they all keep your eyes wide open and your hands gripping whatever they’re around. Knowing that this is inevitable, that the fault will one day shift, you’re presented with such horrific images to that fact and it’s what we pay to go see this kind of film for!

          And as a quick little extra here, whether you're a guy, lesbian, bisexual, or just if you are hot for girls in general there's a special treat for you in this film named Alexandra Daddario. She's from the Percy Jackson films and the recent Texas Chainsaw movie. All I'll say is this, this scenes with her running just about made me jump up out of my seat and howl!
Enjoy!!!