SAN ANDREAS (SPOILER-FREE) REVIEW

What Is It: San Andreas is a ridiculously exciting disaster movie that is perfect for kicking off the summer.  The movie tells the story of a broken family who are pushed back into each others' arms when disaster strikes California.  Ray (Dwayne Johnson) is a search and rescue pilot for the Los Angeles Fire Department who is estranged from his wife Emma (Carla Gugino) and trying desperately to hang on to his relationship with his daughter Blake (Alexandra Daddario) after the death of their oldest daughter Mallory.  Blake travels with her mother's new boyfriend Daniel (Ioan Gruffudd) to San Francisco to head back to college where she meets two young British brothers Ben and Ollie.  As they are leaving a high-rise building, Daniel and Blake are trapped by an earthquake in the parking garage.  Daniel panics and leaves Blake in the car, her legs crushed by the driver's seat and the car continuing to collapse.  Ben and Ollie find her and, together, the three find a way to survive California's devastating earthquakes still unaware that a professor at Caltech (Paul Giamatti) is predicting things to get even worse.

My experience: If you know me at all or have been listening to the podcast for awhile, you know that I am a sucker for disaster movies.  The stupider, the better, I think.  Quite obviously, this movie was a must-see for me.  I have to say, though, that I was pleasantly surprised by it.  Yes, it was predictable, but the visual effects and the back stories of the characters made the movie that much more intriguing.  I will say, however, that I am glad my brother-in-law came with me to see the movie because there were quite a few jump-in-your-seat moments that I needed to have him there for.

Why You Should See It: The theatre where I saw this movie was packed and I think this is going to be the movie that kicks off summer.  While it does not seem like the type of movie that will be breaking box office records any time soon, it's so fun to experience.  However, I will warn you, if you're anything like my dear co-host Christina, some of the images of your beloved home state might be too much for you Californians.  It's sad, to say the least, to watch landmarks fall, even if it is just for a movie.  But, if you want an action-packed film and just a fun way to beat the heat, I highly recommend seeing this movie.

The Future: San Andreas just hit theatres this weekend, so I would imagine that it has a few good weeks left in it.  Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is rumored to be in quite a few movies in the future including Fast & Furious 8, Disney's Moana, and Journey 3.  And though he's in a "blink-and-you'll-miss-it" role as a rescue pilot in this film, I think all Teen Wolf fans are hoping to see our beloved Colton Haynes back on MTV's hit show this summer after his exit from Arrow on The CW.