Solidly forgettable as it is, San Andreas is not too long. For all its melodramatic flaws, it manages to avoid a few of the expected and dreaded clichés and the finale is satisfying. Thanks to the actors the film is not unwatchable and a few scenes work well, namely the suspenseful rescue of Blake from a trapped car and the later boat scene is one of the big “wow” moments that really work. Otherwise, this is a movie that is too trapped in the conventions of genre to effectively break free.

As a film of modest ambitions Hot Pursuit is surprisingly entertaining. Yes the jokes and gags get a little repetitive, the plot is pretty formulaic and there is very little action and most of it is uninspired. The same is true of most action films, most of whom lack the solid lead performance that is there in this film.

Movies that deal with why people dedicate their lives to music, despite the uncertainty of career expectations, the constant expectations of performance and the demands it makes on their family and love lives. Whiplash does evoke this theme and dramatise it well despite all its regrettable missteps in narrative and characterisation.