San Andreas had been one of the few movies I was looking forward to watch and now when I have I feel slightly disappointed.
I wasn't expecting a lot other than to be thrilled and swayed by some epic destruction. And there is more than enough of that in the film but still it wasn't enough. All of the events in this film are predictable. Not one surprise in this whole damn movie. The consequence is that there is zero tension and suspense in San Andreas. Even when you know how a movie is going to end shouldn't you at least try to make it seem like things could go wrong very badly. I think that is disaster film 101. Back in the day they rounded up some big names who then got killed off giving the illusion of unpredictability which was incredibly effective. Then those boring back stories. The Rock playing a character separated from his wife gets served divorce papers. You just know they will get back together at the end of it all. Why? Would it not have been more dramatic to make the characters very likable without resorting to this old plot device and then kill them off crushing people's hope? (A bit too sinister?) I know that some Hollywood directors go overboard with it's use of darkness and that I sometimes prefer films not to have any of that. In this case though it was very much needed. Not knowing what can happen to important characters puts the audience on the edge of their seats. Do I really need to remind people of a show called Game of Thrones? And that one of the reasons it's so popular that it is merciless when it comes to beloved characters. In this film it would have really added some thrills. Especially since there is barely any characterization. Granted all of what we see is supposedly taking place in one or two days. But that is why they have invented flashbacks. Doesn't it just aggravate you that when there is a real good reason to use flashbacks the film makers neglect to do so. So what is left? The visuals are impressive. And the action sequences are good. But that is all there is.
San Andreas is nearly not as good as I had hoped it would be. It is not nearly as bad as some people say that it is. It is decent enough but yes you do have to accept that this film is incredibly predictable killing of any tension that it could have build up otherwise.
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