Leah Rose F.

Paras
1st year BS Public Health

Natural Sciences II
February 18, 2016
San Andreas Movie Review

Oftentimes, people tend to forget and ignore the dangers surrounding them because
they are too focused on their work and too confident that nothing bad will ever happen. These
kinds of thinking may bring disastrous effects, especially if a catastrophe is just waiting to occur;
and its not a question of if, but when.
In the movie San Andreas, Ray Gaines (Dwayne Johnson), a Los Angeles Fire
Department head, defied all odds in order to save his family from imminent death amidst a 9.6
magnitude earthquake, the largest ever recorded in history. The entire story revolved around
their struggles and strategies to save each others lives (Peyton, 2015).
With respect to other disaster films, San Andreas has a considerably believable portrayal
of what to expect during earthquakes. Fire outbreaks due to broken gas lines, mass destruction
of buildings and widespread panic can occur (Kasprak, 2015). But even though it turned out to
be a thrilling ride for the viewers, San Andreas is not without geological inaccuracies.
The San Andreas Fault is not long and deep enough to have a magnitude 9 or larger
quake (National Public Radio, 2015). Therefore, its unlikely to be felt up to New York City, which
is 4000 km away. Transform faults also do not pull apart and form huge crevices on the ground;
rather they slide past each other. Theres a probability that a tsunami might occur yet it will not
reach the heights of the Golden Gate Bridge (Linn, 2015). Seismic waves could potentially be
seen on the surface (Kasprak, 2015), but the vertical exaggeration was absurd.
Likewise, a more logical approach to disaster preparedness and response is
emphasized by the main characters. The importance of having a solid communication plan
between families was shown, wherein each member is instructed how to take action. Take for
instance, Ray Gaines daughter, Blake, survived because she is knowledgeable about first aid
and earthquake safety (NPR, 2015). Blake kept calm the entire time and resorted to plan B
when the initial plan didnt work out. Their only blunder to earthquake safety is when Ray
Gaines instructed the people to seek shelter next to a crumbling stadium. Getting next to a wall
is advised ONLY when you are inside a building and there is nothing to get underneath for
shelter (Southern California Earthquake Center, 2016).
Even though in reality, we still cant predict when it will happen and how strong an
earthquake is going to be, the geologists in the movie nevertheless did a great job in monitoring
the aftershocks and warning the people.

References:
Peyton, B. (Director). (2015). San Andreas [Motion picture on DVD]. USA: Warner Bros.
Pictures.
Kasprak, A. (2015, June 2). 15 San Andreas events in order of increasing scientific inaccuracy.
Retrieved February 29, 2016, from http://www.buzzfeed.com/alexkasprak/its-been-a-whilesince-i-got-you-to-second-base#.ooJ48pWRv
Lin, R., II. (2015, May 28). San Andreas filmmakers disregarded science advice, expert says.
Retrieved February 29, 2016, from http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-san-andreasmovie-unrealistic-science-20150528-htmlstory.html
National Public Radio. (2015, May 30). Fact-checking San Andreas: are earthquake swarms for
real? Retrieved February 29, 2016, from http://www.npr.org/2015/05/30/410267157/factchecking-san-andreas-are-earthquake-swarms-for-real
Southern California Earthquake Center. (2016). Earthquake country alliance: San Andreas (The
Movie): Hollywood fantasy is not California reality. Retrieved February 29, 2016, from
http://earthquakecountry.org/sanandreas/