Once again, The Asylum shows why it is the king of low-budget knockoffs. Sure, the story is old and formulaic, some of the CGI effects are pretty bad, and some of the acting doesn't measure up, but I still think San Andreas Quake is a pretty darn good Asylum disaster movie.

I sort of feel sorry for those who can't just sit back and get some enjoyment out of a silly little film like this. I, for one, love Asylum disaster movies, and this one has all of the standard Asylum elements: one or more parents -- one of whom has detailed knowledge of the natural disaster taking place -- fighting to reach and save a child, a scientist with information no one takes seriously, "on the road" conversations about how bad the traffic is when we the viewers never see another single car going in either direction, periodic "news updates" on the deepening crisis, and, of course, the wholly predictable ending.

Molly Dunn (Jhey Castles) is a seismologist who has developed a system capable of predicting earthquakes up to several hours before they hit. Unfortunately, her inability to back up those claims several years earlier means that no one believes her -- not even her stepdaughter Ali (Grace Van Dien). As a series of increasingly large quakes begins to strike the Los Angeles area, though, Molly alone knows and believes that the long-dreaded "big one" is going to decimate L.A. within just a few hours. Even though she has a strained relationship with her stepdaughter, she insists on trying to reach Ali downtown and usher her to safety. She doesn't go alone, but the identity of her companion and Molly's interaction with that person is a major part of the story I don't want to reveal.

I really like Grace Van Dien, and not just because she looks like a hot clone of Avril Lavigne in this movie. She's a promising young actress I hope to see more of in the future. Molly's traveling companion also turns in a good performance. As with pretty much all Asylum films, there are several goofs and mistakes -- but I actually find these little things sort of endearing; they're like the Asylum's calling card. Still, the whole zoo-related scene is really pretty bad -- terrible CGI and one shot against blatantly wrong scenery. Now, I understand that most people do not share my appreciation of the Asylum's body of work, and I readily admit that some Asylum movies do indeed merit one star only -- but San Andreas Quake really isn't a bad film. I say try it -- you might just like it.