SPECTACLE, not great acting or deep psychological character insights, is the driving force behind this roller coaster of near non-stop action, vivid visuals and surefire suspense.

The key character, there to drive the film from one adrenaline-releasing sequence to the next, is Los Angeles Fire Department helicopter pilot Ray (Dwayne Johnson) who proves his worth early on by rescuing a woman trapped in her crashed car in a gully in the San Fernando Valley.

Stunning spectacle, generous to a San Andreas fault, is superseded by a massive earthquake in California.

Fortunately for Ray’s estranged wife and their daughter, he’s on hand to save them after the Hoover Dam bursts, Los Angeles and San Francisco crumble to pieces and a tsunami floods Frisco.

It’s all about as credible as a Ukip leader’s resignation note. But that doesn’t matter, since superb special effects fill the screen with startling scenes of destruction.