"This is incredible" were the final three words Carla Gugino's character Emma says at the end of "San Andreas." Indeed, this film is incredibly unbelievable, devoid of any type of reality. Starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Gugino, this empty film is a complete mess made for sheer spectacle and nothing more.

The film tells the story of a father (Johnson) who makes a dangerous journey across the state in order to rescue his estranged daughter in the aftermath of a massive earthquake in California.

From the synopsis, it seems logical that a father would want to rescue his daughter, but to what extent is it possible, and how will it be done? For Brad Peyton and his team, the answer is hiring The Rock, the ultimate superman who can do anything. In this film, his character, Ray, is a rescue pilot who knows how to fly helicopters, random planes, turn on cars, and also ride tsunami waves that no other professional sailor can do. Ray is also an expert seismologist who knows what the San Andreas Fault looks like and he knows how to save people when buildings are falling down. He can also sail through a destroyed city filled with debris. 

However, when it is time to crack a simple glass window to save his daughter, his super powers run out.

Then there's his daughter Blake (Alexandra Daddario). She is also Supergirl in this film. After getting stuck in a car and having a heavy rock of debris on top of her legs, she somehow is able to run perfectly and still look extremely clean with perfect hair. Throughout the film this character knows how to cure injuries, use phones without signals and knows that every fire truck has emergency packs. But if this character is Supergirl, her mother Emma is Wonder Woman.

When Emma (Gugino) is on top of a building, the earthquake goes off and she knows immediately that she has to go to the top of the floor. However, when the building collapses she falls at least 10 floors. However, she is almost completely unscathed with only a small cut on her face. She can run to a helicopter and miraculously save herself. From the levels she fell, one would have thought she would have died. But because this is a family film she lives.

But if these three characters seem illogical, there is a seismologist (Paul Giamatti) who can suddenly predict earthquakes and who saves people by going on the news and telling them to evacuate even though there is no electricity. Then there is a British tourist, Ben (Hugo Johnstone-Burt), who falls in love with Blake by not saying anything but looking pretty. Like Emma, this guy is also a sort-of superhero who can survive being impaled by a piece of glass and yet being able to walk perfectly fine after a few minutes of limping. His brother Ollie (Art Parkinson) is also a boy genius who uses a map guide to take Blake and Ben around a destroyed city even though he has never been there.

And finally the dumb fiance (Ioan Gruffud) has to show up to give a reason for Emma to be in conflict with Ray. This character never really serves a purpose as the writers decide to kill him off quickly and with no real resolution.

But if the characters are all superficial, the plot is manipulated and repulsive. The earthquake attacks only when it is convenient for the script to show off buildings collapsing and set pieces that will show the lead characters facing adverse conditions. Otherwise, the earthquakes calm down to allow for a skydiving sequence that is more about showing off the AT&T Park. There are also sequences in which Ray and Emma can converse about their dead daughter in beautiful terrain that seems to have not been affected by the earthquakes. This particularly makes no sense, especially if the San Andreas Fault hit all of California. The earthquake also calms down to let Ben and Emma share a number of moments and make illogical phone calls. They also get a chance to kiss.

And the most ridiculous part of the film is that California Institute of Technology does not collapse even though every major city in California seems to be destroyed. It seems the earthquake allowed the scientists and reporter to stay alive. All they had to do was hide under a desk. So why didn't this work for the rest of the state and the people?

The film also grotesquely shows images that resemble Tower 1 of the World Trade Center collapsing back in 2001. It is an awful scene to witness and one that will definitely be striking and angering.

But what makes this film even more angering is how destruction and death can be exploited for pure entertainment. The idea of a natural disaster is scary and devastating. In this film, the only things taken into consideration are flimsy special effects that are used as spectacles to show collapsing buildings. Not once does the director or production team take a moment to really look over at the suffering people or the devastation that these terrible events have. Not once does the audience really see a person falling out of these buildings. Instead, miraculously most people survive because of a scientist.

All in all, "San Andreas" will entertain audiences looking for escapism. However, that is all it is: A means of escaping reality and the difficulties of life. However, if an audience member had ever experienced a natural disaster, this is a movie that will surely infuriate and question why this was even allowed to be made.