San Andreas Movie Review by Ryan A. Loera

I visited my local Cinemark Tinseltown Theatres in El Paso, TX. When I got there I couldn't decide what to watch. I hoped Jurassic World was already showing but nope not until June 12th. So, I decided to watch San Andreas. It stars Dwayne Johnson, Carla Gugino, Alexandra Daddario and Paul Giamatti. Dwayne Johnson plays Ray- a search and rescue helicopter pilot with lots of military experience. Carla Gugino plays Emma- Ray's estranged ex-wife. Alexandra Daddario plays Blake- their precocious daughter. The movie opens with Ray doing what he does best, saving someone in need. It then segues to a scene with Paul Giamatti- Seismologist/Professor at Caltech lecturing students on the history of earthquakes. He warns that the state of California is long overdue for a huge cataclysmic earthquake. Soon after, tectonic plates shift and the San Andreas Fault Line tears apart everything and everyone in its path. Most of the acting is average at best. Of course, there are lots of amazing and expensive looking CGI scenes to appease the masses. In my opinion, the real stand out performance comes from Alexandra Daddario as Blake. She embodies beauty, brains, determination and an iron clad will to survive. Having been born and raised in the Los Angeles, CA area I've experienced my fair share of earthquakes. They can be quite scary and life altering but it does help to be prepared. San Andreas mentions plenty of emergency preparedness tips. Such as using a rotary phone connected to a land line when cell phone towers are rendered inoperable. It's also a good idea to have fresh water and non-perishable food readily available. I rarely watch natural disaster themed movies but San Andreas delivers what it promises… EARTH SHAKING ACTION! On a scale from one tamale to ten tamales I give San Andreas 5.5 tamales. (Mmmm tamales.)