San Andreas Quake

San Andreas Quake

Year: 2015

Runtime: 90 mins

Language: English

Director: John Baumgartner

Budget: $110M

Action

When a seismologist predicts a devastating 12.7 magnitude earthquake, her warnings are initially dismissed. Determined to protect her family, she embarks on a perilous journey across California to reach them before a catastrophic quake tears Los Angeles apart and reshapes the world. The race against time becomes a desperate fight for survival as the ground begins to tremble.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline & Setting – San Andreas Quake (2015)

Explore the full timeline and setting of San Andreas Quake (2015). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Present day

Set in contemporary times, the film follows a sudden cascade of earthquakes starting near the Hoover Dam and escalating to megadisasters across major cities. It blends modern rescue technology, media coverage, and real-time survival challenges. The narrative is anchored in a current-day context of urban vulnerabilities and emergency response dynamics.

Location

Hoover Dam, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Bakersfield

The story unfolds across key California locations, highlighting both infrastructure hubs and urban centers. It moves from the Hoover Dam to Los Angeles and then to San Francisco, with Bakersfield serving as a transit point during the chaotic rescue efforts. The setting emphasizes a West Coast grappling with an extreme sequence of earthquakes and their aftereffects.

🗺️ Disasters 🏙️ Major cities 🌉 West Coast

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 08:00

Main Characters – San Andreas Quake (2015)

Meet the key characters of San Andreas Quake (2015), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Serena Johnson (Haley Lynn Rose)

A fearless television reporter who covers the unfolding San Andreas disaster, moving through danger to document rescues and the scale of destruction. Her coverage provides a human perspective on the crisis and helps keep the public informed as events unfold. She embodies newsroom courage under pressure.

📰 Reporter 🗺️ Media 🎙️ News

Daughter (Tessa Mossey)

Blake Gaines, Ray and Emma’s daughter, is a teenager who experiences the quake’s peril first-hand while visiting San Francisco. She shows resilience and adaptability as she navigates a dangerous city and relies on strangers for help. Her arc emphasizes familial bonds and the fight to reunite with loved ones.

👧 Teen 🧭 Survivor 🌁 City

Barista Andrea (Tinasha LaRayé)

Andrea is a barista who witnesses the chaos and offers small acts of kindness to survivors, reminding that everyday civilians become crucial links in the relief chain. Her brief interactions reflect the everyday humanity that persists amid disaster. She symbolizes the ordinary people who contribute to resilience in crisis.

☕ Barista 🧭 Survivor 🤝 Civilians

Molly Dunn (Jhey Castles)

Molly Dunn interacts with the main group during the San Francisco sequences, providing support and information as residents navigate the ruined city. Her presence adds depth to the networks of people who coordinate help in the aftermath. She represents the everyday citizen’s role in recovery.

🧍‍♀️ Local 🗺️ Navigator 🛟 Helper

Danny (Kyle Defranco)

Danny is an engineer associated with a firm seeking new talent, adding a subplot about professional stakes and the collaboration between engineers and first responders in the disaster zone. He embodies hope through expertise in a world of collapsing infrastructure. His journey intersects with the broader chaos of the quake.

👷 Engineer 🧭 Survivor 💼 Professional

Mrs. Lowenstein (Elaine Partnow)

Mrs. Lowenstein is a resident encountered amid the Los Angeles sequences, illustrating how ordinary citizens cope with displacement and seek safety. Her calm demeanor and practical actions reflect the everyday resilience that surfaces in disasters. She serves as a reminder of the human scale within the catastrophe.

👵 Resident 🧭 Survivor 🏡 Civilians

News Conference Scientist (Sandra J. Payne)

The scientist at a news conference provides scientific context about the earthquakes and the prediction model, offering factual grounding amid the chaos. Her role underscores the role of expertise in guiding public understanding and safety decisions. She embodies the intersection between science and media during a crisis.

👩‍🔬 Scientist 🧠 Expert 🗣️ News

Bonnie (Alexandra Marian Hensley)

Bonnie appears in key moments that reveal the widespread impact of the disaster on individual lives and communities. Her presence contributes to the tapestry of voices affected by the quake. She helps depict the collective experience of loss and survival.

👩 Civilians 🗺️ Affected 🆘 Witness

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 08:00

Major Themes – San Andreas Quake (2015)

Explore the central themes of San Andreas Quake (2015), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🧭 Survival

Survival drives the plot as characters improvise escapes from collapsing structures, fires, and tsunamis. The film emphasizes swift decision-making, teamwork, and resilience when conventional systems fail. It also explores how strangers band together to protect one another amid total urban devastation.

💞 Family Bonds

Family relationships anchor the emotional core of the story, with parents and children facing peril and separation. The arc of Ray and Emma’s reconciliation frames the stakes around their offspring, especially Blake, who endures danger while loved ones strive to reunite. The film suggests that love and loyalty can endure even through city-wide catastrophe.

🦸 Heroism

Bravery shines through first responders, aviators, and engineers who risk themselves to save others. Sacrifices and quick, decisive actions illustrate the cost of heroism in a sprawling disaster. The narrative highlights leadership, compassion, and the human impulse to help strangers in moments of crisis.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 08:00

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Explore Movie Threads

Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

High-stakes disaster movies like San Andreas Quake

Stories where time is the ultimate enemy in the face of impending doom.If you enjoyed the frantic countdown and perilous journey in San Andreas Quake, explore these movies where heroes face imminent, large-scale disasters. These films deliver high-tension thrills, desperate rescues, and emotionally charged survival stories against a backdrop of devastating natural or man-made events.

tenseanxiousdesperatesurvivalisturgentcatastrophichigh-stakes

Narrative Summary

This narrative pattern follows a clear warning or prediction of a major disaster that is initially dismissed. The plot then becomes a linear, high-speed race against time, featuring perilous travel through collapsing environments, attempts to reunite with family, and difficult sacrifices made under extreme pressure.

Why These Movies?

Movies are grouped here for their shared focus on urgency, the existential threat of a large-scale event, and the emotional drive of protecting family. They share a tense, anxious tone and a fast pace that rarely lets up, creating a consistently nerve-wracking viewing experience.

Movies about the emotional cost of survival like San Andreas Quake

Stories where surviving a great tragedy comes with profound loss and emotional scars.San Andreas Quake ends with survival at a great cost. This thread collects similar movies where characters survive a catastrophe but carry the weight of loss. If you were moved by the bittersweet ending, you'll find films here that balance hope with grief, focusing on the emotional aftermath of disaster.

bittersweettragichopefulgriefsacrificereunionaftermath

Narrative Summary

The narrative journey in these films focuses on surviving an extreme event, but the resolution is not purely triumphant. While core characters may reconcile or find personal closure, it happens amidst immense destruction and loss, forcing them to grapple with grief and rebuild from the ashes.

Why These Movies?

These movies are linked by their exploration of the psychological and emotional aftermath of disaster. They share a heavy emotional weight and a bittersweet or mixed ending feel, where survival is a victory tempered by the scale of the tragedy endured.

Unlock the Full Story of San Andreas Quake

Don't stop at just watching — explore San Andreas Quake in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what San Andreas Quake is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

San Andreas Quake Summary

Read a complete plot summary of San Andreas Quake, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

San Andreas Quake Summary

San Andreas Quake Timeline

Track the full timeline of San Andreas Quake with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

San Andreas Quake Timeline

San Andreas Quake Spoiler-Free Summary

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San Andreas Quake Spoiler-Free Summary

More About San Andreas Quake

Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about San Andreas Quake: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.

More About San Andreas Quake