Gazing up through the sunroof of a precariously positioned car as the rescue chopper above tries to save its occupant at least showed promise of an intelligent use of 3D. Alas, what follows this opening cliffhanger amounts to little more than a computer-generated rehash of Earthquake. (The Rock studied hard to master the late Chuck Heston’s patented one-handed sunglass removal maneuver, but Dolby Atmos is no match for the soffit fascia-crumbling splendor of Sensurround.) At any given moment the characters run as big a risk of drowning in a tidal wave of soap opera suds whipped up by oleaginous dialog as they do of being felled by falling pixels or swallowed whole by cracks in the structural foundation. The film is at its least stable in its closing minutes, when the filmmakers shamelessly liken the heroic events of a cheesy disaster movie to those of September 11. Brad Peyton directs. With Paul Giamatti cashing a check and a brief appearance by Sue Nami. (2015) — Scott Marks
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