San Andreas

I've said it before. I love a 'good' disaster film. By 'good' I mean the disaster, not the film. Perversely most disaster films are far from good, mostly they are silly to the core. On this point, 'San Andreas' proves to be no exception.

In 'San Andreas' the States of Nevada and California are hit by an ongoing series of earthquakes and the latter State is also hit by a Tsunami. The natural disasters are of unprecedented magnitude. Despite impacts that would have casualties in the tens of thousands this film modestly concentrates on one rescue worker, the redoubtable Dwayne Johnson, aka 'The Rock' a pseudonym which well describes his acting range.

Mr Rock, ahem Johnson, magnanimously spends most of the film attempting to rescue his family. Bugger everybody else. And he does so all on his own. That's what rescue heroes do in tough times. They work entirely alone.

The film sets up a seemingly unending series of challenges for our hero and his family. A sort of croquembouche tower of increasing dangers from which - hardly a spoiler alert - they consistently escape at the very last second. And don't they escape well! Even with '9/11' force dust in the air from disintegrating skyscrapers hairdos remain obstinately in place and totally clean.

I know I shouldn't make fun of the premise of the film given that it is only a matter of time to the next real major earthquake in a region prone to such forces of nature. However, as disaster films go, this one is deliciously, thrillingly, improbable and ludicrous. I had a ball.
★★