As the English title suggests, "California Earthquake" was shot against the backdrop of the massive earthquake caused by the famous "San Andreas Fault". This fault, located at the junction of the Pacific plate and the North American plate, caused the San Francisco earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 on the Richter scale in 1906. Many scientists have used this fault as the object of research and observation, and even predicted that if the entire fault ruptured at the same time, A super earthquake of magnitude 9 or greater will be produced. Luckily so far this is just a prediction and never happened in real life. However, director Brad Paton made a simulation on the big screen in advance, allowing people to feel the apocalypse after the collapse of California. From the Hollywood landmarks, the Golden Gate Bridge, to the towering reinforced concrete buildings, all collapsed in an instant with the shock wave. For a while, the stones were scattered, the smoke filled the air, and the flames were blazing. With the efforts of the visual effects team, these pictures were undoubtedly a shocking spectacle.
If the sinking of the Titanic, which symbolizes power and giganticness and is known as the unsinkable, brings about the loss of human beings, then what "California Earthquake" shatters is the "California Dream". In the film, Ray (Dwayne Johnson)'s daughter, Blake (Alexandra Daddario), and his party passed through Nob Hill when they fled, and deliberately mentioned the origin and historical background of the place name, highlighting its wealthy aristocratic residence. characteristics of the district. It's just that the scene in front of you at this time is no longer prosperous, and the dilapidated and withered people go to the empty building, which makes people feel a sense of emptiness that the prosperity has been exhausted and finally become empty. In fact, from the gold rush in the 19th century to the current economic development of the Hollywood film industry and the high-tech industry in Silicon Valley, California, with its beautiful scenery and pleasant climate, has always been the paradise that Americans yearn for. Even the Hong Kong movie "Chongqing" Alfie from The Forest is also dreaming of California. Cruelly, the reality is not always as good as the dream. Like the comparison of the economic status of Ray and the construction tycoon Daniel (Ioan Gruffudd), the widening gap between the rich and the poor has gradually eroded the dream.
With the establishment of skyscrapers that symbolize high economic development, ordinary people's dream-seeking road is even more difficult. When the dream is getting farther and farther, what is left in our hands? The answer given by "California Earthquake" is family values. Ray and his wife Emma (Carla Gugino) lost their beloved eldest daughter in an accident many years ago. Afterwards, Ray blamed himself and didn't even know how to face Emma and Blake, which led to the fragmentation of the couple's relationship. Most of the heroes of Hollywood movies came from broken families, and Ray's heroic image was also born out of this. It's just that unlike Spiderman or Batman, his mission is to fight evil forces and save the world. What he cares about is basically his own. Wife and daughter; even as a firefighter.
As if to atone for their sins, when the earthquake struck, Lei, who was driving a rescue helicopter, first rescued his wife, who was taking refuge on the roof of a high-rise building, and then the two immediately went north to San Francisco to find their daughter. On the way, the two of course helped the helpless people avoid disasters, but these actions are more like passing by, after all, finding the missing daughter is the first thing. Dayu, who has been through his family three times and never entered, chose the common people and abandoned his family. Lei was the exact opposite, and he was undecided about who was right and who was right. However, such an arrangement inevitably simplified the plot to the extreme, and lessened the tragic dramatic effect of all human beings in the same boat. The simplification of the movie is more than that, and the portrayal of the characters is also very flat, especially Daniel.
As mentioned in the previous paragraph, "California Earthquake" conveys family values, and Daniel, who chose to build a house and gave up building a family, is obviously the object that must be eliminated; this is why he is set to intervene The role between Ray and Emma and Blake. As a result, Daniel, who is in the opposite position to "family", is portrayed as a character who integrates all negative images: he does not know how to pay, is selfish, and even does harm to others. Daniel's evil is like a stalled train. From the moment he abandoned Blake, who was trapped in the car, to escape alone, he rushes forward and rides up, until he is finally crushed by the container (the embodiment of divine condemnation?) Death is the end. Although Daniel belongs to the villain, his behavior will not tickle his teeth, nor will he be moved by the dark side of his human nature. It can only be said that the purpose of this character's existence is very clear, but it is difficult. leave any stark impression. In contrast, the bickering old couple was much more lively.
When disaster strikes, only the close relatives' family can stay and give strength to fight against all difficulties, and the only person who can support a family is the husband/father. It's no wonder that when Emma was in crisis, the first person to call her was Lei; when Blake was trapped, she thought that the first person to call for help was also Lei, and even the person who finally pulled her back from the gate of hell was Lei. Thunder. Just like the father Brian in the "Taken" series of movies, Ray also shows the momentum of "the strongest dad", which can't help but remind people. In recent years, Hollywood has frequently portrayed the image of a father, whether it is intended to confront Rising feminism, reaffirming the value of patriarchy? Before consolidating the patriarchal society, the first task is naturally to rebuild the traditional family—the foundation for maintaining the patriarchal system.
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