SAN ANDREAS: MOVIE REVIEW
Guide Questions:
1. What is the movie all about? In not more than 20 sentences, write a summary of the movie.
2. What are the concepts mentioned in the movies that are related to our topic Plate Tectonics?
Identify 5 and briefly explain each
3. Based on the movie, what are the things that we should do before, during and after a natural
calamity such as an earthquake? Identify 3 for each and explain if these are effective ways for us
to be safe.
4. What are the 3 significant learnings you gained after watching the movie? Briefly explain each.
1. Summary
The film opens with a girl, Natalie driving along the cliffs when suddenly a rock slide pushes the car,
causing it to fall and then hang at the edge of a cliff. Moments later, Los Angeles Fire Department
helicopter-pilot Chief Raymond "Ray" Gaines and his colleagues comes to rescue the girl trapped in
the car. Ray safely rescues the girl moments before the car falls off the cliff.
In CALTECH, Dr. Kim Park receives data of a minor earthquakes in Falco, Nevada and shows it to his
friend and seismologist Dr. Lawrence Hayes. The minor quakes measure 2.0 to 2.6. Hayes is curious
about why such minor quakes can happen even where there are no faults in Nevada. Hayes and Park
decide to go to Nevada to find out.
Ray is calling his daughter, Blake because they have an upcoming trip to San Francisco, he receives
divorce papers. Recently, he was divorced from his wife Emma and she is now with her new boyfriend
Daniel Riddick.
Meanwhile, at the Hoover Dam, Park and Hayes is now testing a magnetic pulse of quake. Suddenly, his
device detects a spike pulse and then a stronger earthquake trigger. It measures 7.0 - highest ever
recorded there. As the dam starts to break, Park struggles to escape while Hayes tells the people still on
the dam to get off. Park rescued a girl but he cannot stand because he was stabbed by a rod in his right
foot. The dam completely crumbles and Park is killed. The disaster leads to the flooding of towns. The
earthquake is the strongest and most destructive ever recorded in Nevada's history.
Daniel and Blake drive in to San Francisco for a meeting. While Daniel is having a meeting, Blake meets a
guy named Ben Taylor and his brother, Ollie.
In CALTECH, the reporter, Serena arrives and wants to interview Hayes about what happen in Nevada.
Hayes states that they didn't know there was any fault line there. He says that they should be able to
predict an earthquake. Hayes then explains to them why the earthquake triggered in Nevada even with
no fault line: his theory is to draw a fault line near Nevada and it connects to the end of the fault
boundary. Hayes predicts that the whole San Andreas might trigger.
In Los Angeles, Emma is having a lunch in a restaurant that is located at a very high building. Emma
answers a call from Ray. Their phone conversation is interrupted by the strong earthquake. Ray instructs
Emma to get to the roof for rescue. According to the CALTECH, the first major earthquake peaked at 8.5
and later 9.1. Not only in Los Angeles, but the whole of California and the quake is heading to San
Francisco where Blake and Daniel are.
While the ensuing destructive earthquake hits, the people inside the building panic in terror; some are
injured. Emma tells Susan to get to the roof, but she goes to the exit and is killed in a crumbling floor.
Emma makes it to the roof, with the floor and the surrounding structures crumbling around her. Emma
manages to recover and emerges from the rubble. Finally, Ray rescues Emma and they barely escape as
the surrounding structures collapse. The whole city is now completely devastated.
Meanwhile in San Francisco, Blake and Daniel are leaving the building parking lot when the earthquake
hits. They manage to escape but the ceiling collapses and they become trapped. The debris crushes part
of the car, trapping Blake's leg under the driver's seat. Daniel goes to get help. As Daniel calls for help,
the debris falls near him and kills a security guard. Daniel got out in terror instead of saving Blake.
Ben and Ollie are trying to save Blake as the debris above her continues to press the roof. The trio get
out of the building as the aftershock continues. The trio decides to go to the electronic store to contact
Blake’s parents. Ray advises Blake that they will need to get out immediately and to go to the Coit
Tower. Ray and Emma quickly head to San Francisco to save their daughter.
With the help of Serena, Hayes is able to warn the people through news coverage of a much bigger
earthquake about to hit San Francisco. He tells the people of San Francisco to get out now because their
lives depend on it.
Ray and Emma make it to San Francisco but they cannot land the plane because the airport has a lot of
cracks and scattered planes. Ray and Emma have no choice but to sky dive into the stadium leaving the
plane to crash into the Pacific Ocean when it runs out of fuel.
Meanwhile, Blake, Ben and Ollie are walking through the deserted street when the strong earthquake
hits. The earthquake measures 9.6, the largest recorded in history. The glass shards, coming from the
building, cuts Ben's leg. The remaining still-standing structures are destroyed, the ground ruptures,
suspension bridges crumble, etc. At the same time, Ray manages to tell other people to move to safety
on the other side of the stadium as the structure crashes down.
Ray and Emma drive a boat to the city where they see Coit Tower is on fire. They notice that the water is
receding quickly, which means a tsunami is about to hit the city. As the trio receives the tsunami
warning from the radio, it is too late for them to head to the highest ground. So, the trio quickly heads
to Daniel's unfinished building.
Ray and Emma, in the boat (and many other boats), manage to drive into the giant wave. The trio is in
now in the building when the tsunami hit. Blake is separated from the two brothers as they make it up
to the next floor. Blake is now trapped inside as the water continues to rise. Blake was drowned and Ray
struggles to get her body out. As the building is going to collapse, Emma crashes through the window in
the boat and they quickly get out as the building finally collapses.
Once outside, Ray continues to try and then successfully revives Blake - reunited with her family. The
two boys are also rescued. Later, the five make it to safety in Marin County. The family along with Ben
and Ollie watch the sunset on the destroyed San Francisco Bay Area and they talk about the future.
2. For me, almost all of the concepts that are shown in in the movie are exaggerated, but it still made
the movie good and educational and it amazed the viewers. Here are the 5 concepts mentioned in the
movie that is about Plate Tectonics:
1. During an earthquake the ground opens up into a huge rift.
In the movie, the ground/plates pulled apart. It’s impossible to create an earthquake when two
plates are pulled apart because that means there would be no friction created. The truth is, San
Andreas Fault is a “demarcation line between two tectonic plates that are constantly moving” (said
by Dr. Hayes in the movie) in a side-to-side motion past one another (it’s a fact that is not stated in
the movie). It means that the east side of the fault is moving to the south and the west side to the
north. By this movement, it can create friction and it will cause an earthquake.
2. A 7.8 - 8.0 magnitude earthquake can cause great damage.
Based on my research about how much damage an earthquake in the movie can do in reality, most
of them says that it can have major structural damage, but it affects most of the buildings that have
not been adapted for earthquakes.
3. San Andreas earthquake can produce an enormous tsunami.
This is obviously not true because San Andreas Fault is mostly located on land. For a big tsunami to
occur, the fault must be in the ocean floor or be close in the sea.
4. Swarm events.
Swarm events are real and it just happened last month in some parts of Bicol. Earthquake swarms
happen within a short period of time. Based on my experience, the quakes that I’ve experienced has
only low to average magnitudes, like about 2.5 - 4.5. Earthquake swarms cannot create a very high
magnitude (like 9.6) that's like what happened in the movie.
5. There’s a tool that is used that predicts the earthquake.
It’s also just a fiction because no one still can predict an earthquake. If it’s true or it exists, it can
help us prepare and save us.
3. 3 things we should do before an earthquake are:
1. Since no one can really predict an earthquake most people are unprepared.
2. If you are inside a building, at least have a table or something big and sturdy. Also check the
things that are fragile and that can harm you and others.
The table can help protect your body especially the head. Checking fragile things that can harm you
and others are important, so you can avoid them falling and injure you.
3. Have an emergency/medical kit and a cell phone.
Emergency kit and cellphone is always important because after the earthquake, you can help others
and yourself by your emergency kit and calling an ambulance to help the injured.
3 things we should do during an earthquake are:
1. Panic
In the movie, every time an earthquake hits, people always panic, so the consequence is there are
many people that are injured and died. Panic is always the first thing people always do and it’s not
effective at all because it can cause more problem. People forget how to properly handle an
earthquake.
2. Drop, cover, and hold
This is people always tells us to do during an earthquake. By dropping to the floor and cover yourself
using something sturdy and hold on to it is the most effective way to save yourself and others.
3. Run and get out of the building
This is also not an effective way to be safe in an earthquake, but in the movie, people are still doing
it. Running to get out of the building is a bad idea because it can kill or injure you. So, the effective
way is to still duck and cover while getting out, but if you can’t, don’t try to get out and just duck,
cover and hold onto an object.
3 things we should do after an earthquake are:
1. Help and check others and yourself and call an ambulance
It’s important to help and check, so the injured or stuck and needs help can be treated or helped
quickly.
2. Always still be ready for an aftershock or another earthquake
When the earthquake stopped, just always think that there might be an aftershock, so still be
prepared and not panic to ensure safety.
3. Stay away from damaged areas
There might still be an aftershock, so staying away from damaged areas can have less chance of
getting you and others injured/killed.
4. 3 significant learnings that I learned after watching the movie are:
1. It’s necessary and important to research about Plate Tectonics and its movement because it
can help us plan, prepare and be safe. It’s also a matter of when. We can’t really know when an
earthquake will hit and how strong it is. Earthquake loves to surprise us.
2. Planning and preparing is also important because it can avoid panic. Panic is one of the causes
most people get injured or killed during an earthquake or natural calamity. When someone is panicking,
they tend to forget the proper things that they must do. Planning and preparing at home, school, work
places and community can save many lives.
3. I also learned that it’s really important that we have background knowledge about tectonic
plates and what to do before, during and after an earthquake because most of the things in the movie
are exaggerated or false, so it can lead others to believe in it and do it also and share it to others. So, if
we have background knowledge about it, we can know that the things that movie shares to us are
wrong and we can teach others the right thing or information.
