--- title: "San Andreas: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/san-andreas/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/san-andreas" critics_score: 50 critics_reviews: 26 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # San Andreas (2015): what the critics said Critics' score 50 from 26 reviews: 3 positive, 12 mixed, 11 negative. Most critics agree on what San Andreas does well and what it does badly; they differ only on which matters more. The effects draw praise almost everywhere, with the collapsing skyscrapers and the tsunami at the Golden Gate Bridge named most often. Dwayne Johnson is the other point of agreement: even reviews that dislike the film credit his steadiness, and a few find him surprisingly gentle. Paul Giamatti picks up mentions as the best thing in it. The reservations cluster on the script and the family drama, which most find thin and an awkward fit for the destruction around them. From there the spread is wide. A minority enjoy the silliness in the spirit of 1970s disaster films; a larger group find it numbing, with Little White Lies calling it dull and Deadline unintentionally funny. Slant goes further, calling the film cynical for using mass death as a backdrop to reuniting a family, and Empire and Eye for Film object to its women being reduced to victims awaiting rescue. ## Evening Standard — David Sexton Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 29 May 2015. Sexton finds it a thrilling, satisfying disaster movie, though its dialogue is unremarkable. He particularly praises Dwayne Johnson’s understated, gentle performance. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/san-andreas-film-review-dwayne-johnson-gives-understated-performance-in-superbly-straightup-disaster-movie-10283723.html) ## IndieWire — Kate Erbland Rating B-. 27 May 2015. The review finds the film a predictable, overstuffed disaster movie that is entertaining largely because of Dwayne Johnson. It praises the jaw-dropping CGI and Johnson’s screen presence, while noting the screenplay can cause audience fatigue. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/review-san-andreas-starring-dwayne-johnson-carla-gugino-alexandra-daddario-paul-giamatti-and-more-263405/) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 28 May 2015. Bradshaw finds the film spectacularly silly and entertaining, recalling the pleasures of 1970s disaster movies. He singles out the rooftop pool frothing like a Jacuzzi as a memorable visual moment. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/may/28/san-andreas-review-dwayne-johnson) ## Screen Daily — John Hazelton Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 27 May 2015. The accessible page identifies this as a review, but provides no verdict. Its specific praise or complaint is unavailable because the article is paywalled. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/san-andreas-review/5088666.article) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 29 May 2015. The accessible page does not reveal the critic’s verdict. Its headline describes Johnson rushing to rescue a collapsing world, but provides no evaluative detail. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/29/movies/review-san-andreas-dwayne-johnson-rushes-to-rescue-his-collapsing-world.html) ## RogerEbert.com Fi1m's normalised score 63/100 (inferred from the text). The page could not be accessed, so the critic’s verdict and specific praise or complaint are unavailable. The URL identifies this as a RogerEbert.com review of the 2015 film. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/san-andreas-2015) ## Radio Times — Andrew Collins Rating 3/5. Collins finds it an adrenaline-fuelled, large-scale thrill ride with a fairly conventional emotional focus. He praises the digital artistry that immerses viewers in the collapsing buildings. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-ls7p4r/san-andreas/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Justin Lowe Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 26 May 2015. Lowe finds the disaster film entertaining but not especially earthshaking, with its family drama an uneasy fit for the action. He praises Dwayne Johnson’s emotionally engaged performance and the convincing blend of practical effects and CGI. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/san-andreas-film-review-797270/) ## The New Yorker — Anthony Lane Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). 31 May 2015. Lane finds the film’s family-rescue story and acting unconvincing, but considers its disaster spectacle entertaining. He singles out the flooded city’s eerie atmosphere and Johnson’s more effective performance underwater. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/06/08/crackups) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 28 May 2015. Turan finds the film technically compelling but dramatically formulaic, making his verdict mixed. He praises the visual effects and Dwayne Johnson’s stabilizing screen presence, while criticizing the clichés and implausible plot. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-san-andreas-review-20150529-column.html) ## Vulture — David Edelstein Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 29 May 2015. Edelstein finds the film clunky and ridiculous but enjoyable in a suitably camp spirit, while criticizing its hollow spectacle. He praises Paul Giamatti’s performance and the film’s effects, but says its destruction lacks emotional weight or reverence for San Francisco. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2015/05/san-andreas-review-not-un-fun.html) ## Little White Lies — Adam Woodward Rating 3/2/2. 28 May 2015. The critic finds the film crushingly dull despite the scale of its destruction. He faults the spectacle for smothering authentic human drama and leaving its emotional core hard to locate. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/san-andreas) ## Time Out — David Ehrlich Rating 2/5. 25 May 2015. The critic calls it a patience-testing disaster movie. The review singles out its earthquake spectacle, including a striking parachute sequence, while suggesting the spectacle does little to ease the film’s tedium. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/san-andreas) ## Total Film — Kevin Harley Rating 2/5. 27 May 2015. Harley finds the film a familiar, uninvolving disaster spectacle whose script undermines its cast. He singles out the likeable performances, especially Alexandra Daddario and Hugo Johnstone-Burt, as a bright spot. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/san-andreas-review/) ## Slant Magazine — Ed Gonzalez Rating 1.5/4. 28 May 2015. Gonzalez condemns the film as cynical and arrogant in its equation of Hollywood and American values. He particularly criticizes its use of mass destruction as a backdrop for reuniting a nuclear family. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/san-andreas/) ## Empire — Dan Jolin Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 19 May 2015. Jolin finds the film entertaining as disaster spectacle but criticizes its familiar, shallow plotting. He praises the visual effects and Dwayne Johnson’s charisma, while objecting to the women being reduced to damsels in need of rescue. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/san-andreas-review/) ## Variety — Andrew Barker Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 27 May 2015. Barker finds the film delivers foolish disaster-movie thrills at first but loses its appeal through spectacle overload and a lack of suspense. He praises Dwayne Johnson’s screen presence, while singling out the film’s best joke as dumb but out of place. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2015/film/reviews/film-review-san-andreas-1201505369/) ## The Wrap — Alonso Duralde Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 27 May 2015. The critic finds the film dumb but entertaining, with its disaster spectacle overcoming its weak plotting. The exciting action set pieces are singled out as the chief reason it works. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/san-andreas-review-dwayne-johnson-carla-gugino-alexandra-daddario/) ## Paste — Brent McKnight Rating 6.2/10. 28 May 2015. McKnight finds the film a gleefully absurd, entertaining disaster spectacle, though its story and characters are thin. He praises the escalating destruction and visual scale, while noting that the effects eventually become numbing. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/san-andreas) ## Den of Geek — David Crow Rating 3/5. 28 May 2015. Crow finds the film an entertaining, broad disaster spectacle, though it is forgettable and occasionally plods. He praises the varied destruction set-pieces, especially the tsunami sequence at the Golden Gate Bridge. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/san-andreas-review-dwayne-johnson-the-rock-alexandra-daddario/) ## HeyUGuys — Stefan Pape Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). Pape finds the film entertaining but too staged and melodramatic to feel authentic. He praises the breathtaking earthquake effects and singles out Paul Giamatti’s performance as the best thing about it. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/san-andreas-review/) ## Digital Spy Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 27 May 2015. The critic finds the film a spectacle-heavy, forgettable take on the disaster genre that fails to refresh its formula. The impressive effects-driven set-pieces are its main strength, though they are judged no more arresting than recent blockbusters. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a649355/san-andreas-review-can-mother-nature-stop-the-rock/) ## NME Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). The critic finds the disaster film spectacular but flawed and cheesy. They praise the crumbling-skyscraper panoramas while criticizing their repetition and the uneven, cheesy script. [Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/reviews-various-artists-16097-314783) ## Consequence — Dominick Suzanne-Mayer Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). 29 May 2015. The critic finds the film neither genuinely thrilling nor successful at balancing disaster spectacle with melodrama. They single out its visually forceful destruction sequences, but say the relentless effects and grim tone grow tiresome. [Read the review](https://consequence.net/2015/05/film-review-san-andreas/) ## Deadline — Pete Hammond Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). 29 May 2015. Hammond finds the film unintentionally funny and ultimately not much fun, blaming its weak script for undermining the disaster spectacle. He credits the competent effects but singles out the implausible characters and story as the film’s central failure. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2015/05/san-andreas-review-dwayne-johnson-disaster-movie-1201434463/) ## Eye for Film — Amber Wilkinson Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). 27 May 2015. The critic finds the film shallow, poorly scripted and lacking believable stakes, despite its impressive disaster spectacle. The visual effects are singled out for praise, while the characters and female agency draw sharp criticism. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/san-andreas-2015-film-review-by-amber-wilkinson) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/san-andreas.md