Paul Giamatti’s seismologist manages to predict the earthquake in San Andreas, but that doesn’t stop its devastation. You will be able to predict the plot in San Andreas, but that is unlikely to stop it being a hit.

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson plays rescue pilot Ray, who goes on a personal mission to save his ex-wife and teenage daughter when a devastating earthquake hits the US’ infamous San Andreas Fault.

The appeal of this movie is not in labyrinthine twists – or even in convincing dialogue - but in the spectacle and muscular action. In many ways, San Andreas throws back to classic disaster flicks.

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Visually, it also moves things forward. It is stunning – a realistic and terrifying disaster with some inventive set pieces and genuinely good use of 3D (you’ll find yourself actually ducking a flying car door near the beginning).

Away from the visuals – and there are some brilliant set pieces – the imagination and ingenuity dries up.

Much of the dialogue is painfully rote, there’s a cringeworthy moment with a flag at the end and the story rarely even threatens to tread any new ground.

Peyton has a perfectly good chance to hit the audience in the gut and do something genuinely ballsy with a major character near the end of the film but, after an age of floundering, he bottles it.

You’ll know it when you see it and all I can say is, James Cameron did it in Titanic.

As with any disaster movie, there needs to be a human angle, like Jack and Rose.

We all know The Rock has the action chops and he gives a sufficiently likable – and vulnerable – performance to smooth over cracks in the script.

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Alexandra Daddario (True Detective) as daughter Blake and Carla Gugino (Entourage) as estranged wife  Emma kick a bit of ass but are basically there to be saved.

The film never delves too deep, though the characters do warrant some emotional investment.

Beyond this trio, everyone else is pretty expendable – including those who survive.


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We obviously need Giamatti’s expert for the sciencey exposition and Ioan Gruffudd’s part is basically Billy Zane’s in Titanic, but not as developed.

The British brothers (played by Hugo Johnstone-Burt and Art Parkinson), while decent enough, would scarcely be missed and Kylie Minogue’s cameo offers zero to proceedings.

San Andreas has its faults but it is an impressive spectacle and a pleasing throwback to disaster movies of old.

 

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San Andreas (12A) is out tomorrow (Thursday, May 28)