San Andreas

Einen revolutionären Genre-Beitrag ohne Klischees hat wahrscheinlich auch von den Warners niemand erwartet. Und auch keinen Emmerich-Witz und -Abstand, dort ist Roland der König. Die Figuren sind gut, im Unterschied zum Film Storm Hunters vom letzten Jahr. Und auch besser als in Poseidon. Der Film ist also OK, ein solides Handwerk ohne Fehler und ohne Überraschungen. (27.05.2015)

The Rock is cool, no doubt about it. Otherwise, this is just a bunch of terrible, boring clichés, dull dialogue, amateurish acting and overwrought CGI; just everything I hate so heartily about the current mass production of the dream factory. And three people wrote the script for this? This shows that some professions in Hollywood are even easier than receiving welfare. I never thought I'd say this, but I miss Emmerich! (27.08.2015)

The Americans tend to shoot a disaster movie once in a while, cry their eyes out and show Americanism in its harshest form. And they usually take down Los Angeles or San Francisco. It lies on two tectonic plates, so it’s strongly fitting for a similar movie. For many decades now. Fortunately, San Andreas doesn’t deviate from the standard and performs solid popcorn entertainment, which is supported by Hulk Dwayne and solid CGI. It’s almost a surprise that a similarly tuned movie wasn’t made by Emmerich, but by the talented Peyton instead, because he massacred the surroundings very well. (05.07.2016)

It's actually awful bollocks, but Dwayne Johnson is a likeable guy, Carla Gugino and Alexandra Daddario are very nice to look at, and there's always something going on. Sometimes that's all I need. (29.08.2015)

Ein schätztungsweise 6x umgeschriebenes Drehbuch, dem es schlussendlich nicht einmal gelingt, ein bisschen an Konsistenz / Gradierung entlang beider Handlungsstränge zu bewahren (Familie / Seismologe). Schreckliche Dialoge, schauspielerische Leistungen seitens der Gummiwerke aus dem slowakischen Grenzort Púchov, genau solche Tricks, wie man sie heute für 100 Millionen erwerben kann und eine Vergnügungsparkregie. Im 4DX-Kino kann das Ganze als Tech-Demo funktionieren, als Film geben ich dem Streifen einen Stern schon allein in Anbetracht des Anzeichens eines interessanten ideologischen Handlungsstrangs, in welcher die nahezu schockierende egoistische Konzentration eines Mannes, welcher für die Rettung anderer verantwortlich ist, eine Rolle spielt. Eine geraume Zeit gab es keinen so strikt individualistischen Katastrophenfilm, welcher die Erneuerung Amerikas lediglich auf die Schultern fähiger Einzelpersonen legen würde, die ausschließlich ihre Privatkriege führen. Leider dient auch diese Kuriosität dazu, ein Lächeln hervorzurufen. Dieser Film ist kaputt wie die Welt selbst, welch er erfasst. Das Erdbeben kommt als Gottes Strafe, wenn die Charaktere nichts mehr zu sagen haben. Und das ist bei San Andreas im Grunde genommen immer der Fall. Auf meiner Richterskala der Unsinnigkeit eine klare Zehn. (28.05.2015)

A great feet-up movie where the main attractions in my eyes aren’t San Fierro blowing up, but Alexandra "look at them wobble" Daddario and her movie mother. The Rock puts on a good performance and the movie certainly doesn’t lack entertainment. The putting the family back together plot line is typically Americana dumb, but suffices for this popcorn piece. (29.10.2016)

I feel greater ambition from this than in Emmerich's recent film, which simply rudely get your money without delivering anything interesting. Gone are the days Independence Day. San Andreas is a more ambitious film in this aspect. Although the dialogues and the concept of the script are one big American cliché with all the flaws and shortcomings that we are used to, at the same time, I occasionally see a subtle homage to the nineties in it, depending on how much someone delves into the genre. However, the formal side is captivating. So much tension and phenomenally escalating scenes, not only in terms of destruction and visual effects, but also the panoramas, the raids, the flyovers, and several great shots without cuts (especially the opening one in San Francisco on the roof of a building) – it’s definitely on a higher level than just mindless entertainment. I felt the effort there. It’s not a groundbreaking film, and will also be forgotten over time, but it definitely won't offend the intellect if approached reasonably and some things are overlooked. Dwayne Johnson can act! (30.05.2015)

The Rock spielt ungefähr so wie Sylvester Stallone in den 90er Jahren (und ist auch so sympathisch). Dennoch hätte damals nicht einmal Stallone in so einem dummen Film gespielt. Ein Klischee neben dem anderen. Der Film verlässt sich darauf, dass das Publikum über seine Effekte staunen wird, welche aber nicht besonders eindrucksvoll sind und ziemlich bald an Reiz verlieren. Und er macht eine todernste Miene. Dem Film fehlt es an Leichtigkeit. Der Komödienton, welcher so gut z. B. bei Roland Emmerich erklingt (2012 hat mir sehr gefallen, obwohl der Film – was die Handlung betrifft – nicht wesentlich geistreicher ist), war bei diesem Film überhaupt nicht zu hören. Als ich aber Alexandra Daddario beobachtet habe, habe ich gezittert. (05.01.2019)

A genre routine without a shred of narrative innovation and insight, served exclusively in the company of surprisingly annoying and cluttered digital effects. Where the similarly destructive 2012 had a far more entertaining story, memorable "last-minute" escape scenes, and an air of fatalism about it, San Andreas only has likeable characters – but how can we even root for them when it's clear from the start that nothing can happen to them....? A big disappointment, the muscular physiognomy of Mr Rock and the lush breasts of Ms Daddario in top form definitely deserved much better advertising. 40% (10.09.2015)

San Andreas could be ranked alongside Roland Emmerich's disaster movies like 2012 and The Day After Tomorrow, and it certainly wouldn't put itself to shame. Within its genre, it is a solid piece of work that is average in many ways, but that's the way it goes with films like this. The film is duly laced with action and decent visual effects depicting overwhelming destruction, and as far as the cast is concerned, they are universally likeable. In short, an enjoyable flick that looks good and doesn't require much thought. (20.03.2016)

It's more or less what you expect from a disaster movie. It's silly, it's sometimes illogical, but it's a drama, mainly human, and there are big buildings falling to the ground and generally a lot of signs of destruction. Some scenes can even surprise you - for example, the one with the tsunami is insanely beautiful. And the female part is simply fantastic here. (02.09.2015)

Let me tell you, seeing Alexandra Daddario play an audacious twenty-year old is a really great (visual) experience and far more memorable than the biggest earthquake in the movie. Otherwise, you will get more or less what you expect from a not very intelligent, disaster movie. That is, standard last-second rescues, declarations of love in the most dramatic moments and crappy dialogues. The movie often takes itself too seriously, and it is in dire need of a more relaxed style mastered by the king of this genre, Roland Emmerich. Honestly, three stars is probably the most exaggerated rating I've given a movie in a very long time. (28.04.2016)