Heroes truly do emerge in troubled times. Recent 3-D disaster film “San Andreas” is an epic¹, so to speak, about individualistic heroism² in an unexpected disaster.

英雄出乱世，最近的3D灾难大片《末日崩塌》就堪称一部意外之难中关于个人英雄主义的“史诗”。

When California is hit by a series of record-breaking earthquakes, Ray Gaines (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson), chief pilot of the Los Angeles Fire Department, sets out in a helicopter to rescue his estranged³ wife Emma (Carla Gugino) and daughter Blake (Alexandra Daddario). In the process, he ends up pulling his family, which is on the verge⁴ of divorce, back together again.

影片讲述了加利福尼亚遭受史上最强烈地震时，洛杉矶消防部首席飞行员雷•盖恩斯（“巨石”道恩•强森 饰）驾驶直升机救出日渐疏远的妻子艾玛（卡拉•古奇诺 饰）和女儿布莱克（亚历珊德拉•达达里奥 饰）的故事。同样被“营救”的，还有盖恩斯在面临离婚危机的家庭。

US wrestler-turned-actor The Rock is obviously a perfect choice to play savior in this thriller⁵. With his towering physique, the action star radiates a sense of security. Just a look is enough to give audiences the impression that he’s the man to save the day.

拳击手出身的美国演员巨石强森无疑是这部惊心动魄灾难片男主的最佳人选。这位动作戏明星身体素质极佳，无处不给人以安全感。作为观众，仅凭印象也觉得他担当得起化险为夷的重任。

Matched with his strength is Gaines’ authoritative⁶ competence⁷. The hero showcases fancy flying and driving skills, with an emergency crash-landing after his plane’s engine breaks down being especially stunning⁸.

与强壮的强森相匹配的还有影片中盖恩斯专业的人设：教科书般优秀的飞行与驾驶技术；影片中飞机引擎熄火时紧急迫降的一幕更是令人叹为观止。

Gaines has bravery to spare, but he’s pretty selfish with it. When the gigantic earthquake rocks Californian cities from Los Angeles to San Francisco, the rescue helicopter pilot seems to forget that he is called to work to rescue more than just his daughter.

虽然盖恩斯勇气过人，但他却不是个无私之人。当加州大地震波及了从洛杉矶到旧金山的诸多城市之时，这位消防飞行员却只记得营救自家女儿。

And don’t be misled by the film’s Chinese name— there’s neither doomsday, nor a story about people trying to leave behind seeds for a future renaissance⁹ of the human race – but only a dysphoric father who’s employing every means available to him to rescue his family.

你也不要被这部电影的中文名误导，因为片中既没有世界末日，也没有为了人类未来的重生而想方设法留下后代这样的戏码。影片中只有一个陷入恐慌的父亲不顾一切拯救自己妻女的故事。

He lends a hand to few others along his journey, at one point merely telling a helpless group to hide under the cover of a stadium. Gaines delivers as a perfect father, but he’s little beyond that.

当然，他也曾顺手帮助过几个路人，不过仅限于告诉一群走投无路的人去躲在体育场旁边避难罢了。盖恩斯是一个完美的父亲，仅仅如此。

Canadian-born director Brad Peyton sought to integrate family dynamics¹⁰ into a thriller, and with San Andreas that’s what he’s done. The director says in a production featurette that his movie is“grounded, real and emotional” compared to other disaster films.

影片导演——来自加拿大的布拉德•佩顿一直想要将家庭矛盾融入惊心动魄的灾难片之中，《末日崩塌》正是这样的结果。在关于电影制作的一个短片中，他曾表示，比之其他的灾难片，这部电影更加“真实、感人、接地气” 。

But in putting so much emphasis on reuniting the Gaines family, Peyton forgot to bring something new to the disaster film genre¹¹.

虽然，佩顿浓墨重彩地讲述了盖恩斯一家重归于好的故事，却也让电影落入灾难片的俗套。

In fact, if you look closely you’ll find traces of other films within this one. An old couple sharing a last hug and kiss reminds me of a similar scene in “Titanic¹²” (1997).

事实上，仔细看你就会发现其他电影的痕迹。一对老夫妇最后拥吻的场景与1997年的《泰坦尼克号》如出一辙。

The scene during which Gaines flies a plane through a collapsing¹³ building is adventurous¹⁴ and exciting, sure, but a similar set piece was already pulled off in “2012 ”(2009).

盖恩斯驾驶飞机惊险重重、勾人心弦飞过坍塌建筑物时的场景，又将我们带回了2009年的《2012》。

Eleven years ago, memorable¹⁵ global warming doomsday flick¹⁶ The Day After Tomorrow asked viewers to question their part in the balance between man and nature. San Andreas foregoes the armchair philosophy, instead focusing almost exclusively on the hero himself.

11年前关于全球变暖的末日影片《后天》在观众中引发了人与自然和谐相处的讨论，《末日崩塌》却似乎将这样的思辨哲学忘得一干二净，只是局限于表现英雄主人公。

There may be nothing surprising or new here, but superb visual effects make San Andreas a fantastic feast for the eyes. That’s all there is to see here, and that’s enough.

虽然惊喜与亮点不多，但《末日崩塌》依旧拥有一流的视觉效果，定能令你一饱眼福。就这一点而言，也已足够。