Dwayne Johnson rises to occasion in 'San Andreas'

Like its predecessors, San Andreas is as surreal and in the territory of fantasy. Then again, there’s always nothing real about any action-adventure disaster movie. Surrealism is the nature of it. Period.

In reality, San Andreas is set in the sunny California. Here lies the Sand Andrea's Fault, a transform earth quake boundary that forms tetronic border. In short, it has had some notable earthquake in historic times. And so, plot wise, that’s as real as it gets.From there the plot got rumbling with fantasy as loud as the rumbling of the earthquake in this movie.

Los Angeles Fire Department rescue-helicopter pilot, Chief Gay Raines, played by the rock-hard-bod, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson is an unsung hero who goes around flying with his LA rescue team saving lives in a heli.

Back at home, Chief Gay is not so heroic for he is on the verge of a divorce from Emma, his (almost) ex-wife played by Carla Gugino who is settling down with her boyfriend, young architecture extraordinaire and billionaire, Daniel Riddick, played by Ioan Gruffudd. Then, there’s also his estranged daughter, Blake, played by Alexandra Daddario for whom Gay is trying his best to make time for amidst his busy work schedule and not to mention emergencies.

Suddenly, the earth jolts and gives out a huge quake and later a series of mini earth quakes. The initial quake was as huge as 9.6-magnitude, that it destroys the whole of Los Angeles and San Francisco in chorus. Utter chaos.

Gay's search and rescue mission this time is majorly for his family - Emma and Blake, who were both out and about somewhere in the hustle and bustle of the city.

This is when all the cheesy scenes and action overload commenced.

Gay, in mid-air, plucking Emma conveniently in between the rubble of a skyscraper. There were hundreds and hundreds of people got swallowed whole by the earth and only Gay and Emma survived with just few very minor and nicely plotted cuts. There were numerous times, Gay jumps off vehicle and leaves them on auto mode or swap pilots while hovering in the sky.

You will also see Kylie Minogue's cameo a tiny-mini role of an older 'mean girl' to Emma before she plunges off a tall building.

For the uninitiated, most part of the film were shot in Australia.

There were non-stop characters dodging debris, furniture, cars weaved into scenes of seismologists, spear heads by Paul Giamatti as Lawrence, unveiling the mysteries of earth’s movements.

English actress Archie Punjabi also played the vital role of a gutsy reporter carrying out her duties in times of crisis who help seismologists disseminating vital information and warnings.

Aside from drawing a lot of diagrams on mini-quakes forming major quakes etc. etc. Paul Giamatti did a good job in reminding the rest of his crew as well as the audience watching on the the film’s depictions of emergency response, one of them being the “drop-cover-hold” safety practise designed to protect individuals from falling or flying objects.

Flying objects are not the only perils in this movie though. There was a series of action packed danger with earth quake having past – flare-ups, gas leaks, rampage, looting. And if you think it stops there, then you are wrong. A gigantic tsunami hit the coast and again the Raines’s perseverance in keeping each other safe and together got tested.

Amidst this endless series of hard action during natural disaster, there were also some tender moments with Gay and Emma and their daughter and the emotional answers behind the break-up of this family.

Johnson is definitely the stellar talent in this action flick. His portrayal of a tough, well-trained rescue pilot is constantly intertwined with the kind and warm-hearted gentleman.

I could not think of any other better cast for this role.

You can tell that San Andreas is unreal as it can get, the computer graphics images are so real that it seems surreal and if Johnson does not exist, I am sure Peyton (director) will create a CGI for this role.

Then again, isn't that what action-drama disaster flick is all about? Surreal.

Directed by: Brad Peyton

Written by: Carlton Cuse (Screenplay), Andre Fabrizio and Jeremy Passmore (Story)

Cast: Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, Carla Gugino, Paul Giamatti, Alexendra Daddario, Archie Panjabi

Release date: 28 May 2015 (20th Century Fox)

Watch San Andreas trailer here: