San Andreas 

Review Written By: Adolph Vega

3D:

San Andreas looks sharp in 3D, but it hardly does anything to impress the viewer. Occasionally the movie showcases debris popping out at you in 3D. Other times you get a good sense of depth as you look down a canyon that was created by the earthquakes. At times I felt the 3D was dialed down and not as impressive as it could be. One under water scene specifically had a very weak 3D presentation. The movie only uses a few layers of 3D so you have a clear foreground, background and midground but most of the action is in the foreground and midground. The action scenes are enhanced from the 3D because it brings you into the movie, but it’s more of a novelty than a totally immersive experience. Overall I enjoyed the 3D presentation but it lacked any memorable 3D scenes and seemed weak and underdone.

Final Verdict: Good 3D

Movie:

This movie is about several large earthquakes hitting California and the West Coast of the United States and the destruction that happens from them. This movie is focused on a fire-fighting pilot named Ray who is played by Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson. Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson portray as Ray is charismatic, commanding, strong, and you believe that he can do anything. Earthquakes start happening in California and it’s up to Ray to save his family. The main cast includes Ray’s wife, daughter and two young men who just so happen to be caught into the mix. Ray’s relationship with his wife is complicated and I appreciate the movie giving the viewers time to understand the issues of their relationship. The other main characters are also given enough screen time and presence that you care what happens to them because they are so likeable. I really enjoyed how smart and clever many of the characters were presented within the movie. So often in disaster or action movies the main characters make stupid common mistakes, and this movie seems to ignore than trope completely. The movie has a subplot with a seismologist named Lawrence who believes that earthquakes can be predicted and wants to warn the populace. Scientist characters in disaster movies usually seem goofy and preachy, but in this case Lawrence is a good likeable character. His subplot gives the viewer useful information to advance the story. In disaster movies the action is the main star and this movie delivers epic action scenes with great special effects. The multiple earthquake action scenes are well paced and very entertaining. At times this movie has many cliché and predicable scenes but I can forgive it because it’s simply so much fun to watch. The movie succeeds because the main characters are likeable, smart and work well together on screen. San Andreas is an action packed thrill ride with good characters and fantastic special effects and tons of fun.

Final Verdict: 7/10

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