“Into the Storm” is basically a 21st Century “Twister”: Storm chasers go after some of the most dangerous tornadoes on record to get information and capture incredible video, while at the same time trying to protect themselves and those they care about from literally being sucked away into a twister. But like all quality movies that Hollywood tries to duplicate, “Into the Storm” fails to capture that mix of intense action, real emotion, characters you care about and an overall fascination of the events taking place of the ’96 Helen Hunt/Bill Paxton film.
“Into the Storm” could have also been titled “The Worst High School Graduation Ever”, as the annual ceremony in the small, midwestern town of Silverton gets interrupted by a destructive and historic weather disturbance. Soon a group of storm chasers arrive, trying to track the many new tornadoes that are popping-up, hoping to get footage for their documentary. And they’re joined by the high school’s Vice Principal (played by Liam Neeson wannabe Richard Armitage), who’s searching for his oldest son, who’s skipped the grad ceremony to be with off his longtime crush. They’re trapped in an abandoned building miles away.
The ensemble of mostly no-name actors includes “ICarly” alum Nathan Kress as the VP’s other son, a kid who refuses to put down his video camera even in situations where he’s about to die, and Matt Walsh (Mike on HBO’s “Veep”), as the head storm chaser/filmmaker obsessed with getting incredible footage at all cost. They’re not the only characters who feel that protecting themselves and others takes a backseat to making sure they get the footage. The message that getting the valuable video is more important than protecting oneself and others is not a good one to be putting out to audiences, especially in a disaster movie.
The dialogue among all of these stock characters is, not surprisingly, very corny. Most of the situations are poorly staged and way over-the-top, and the story is filled with crater-sized plot holes and numerous continuity errors. Two goofball storm chasers straight out of the TV show “Jackass”, with dreams of becoming YouTube stars, are the unnecessary comic relief. Yes, even with the monumental amount of death and destruction depicted in “Into the Storm”, you still have to make time to laugh. Director Steven Quale has one character briefly touch on the topic of the recent increase in natural disasters on Earth, but doesn’t have the guts to go any further and take a stand on the subject. Probably too busy looking for where he could add another big laugh.
There is one thing that prevents “Into the Storm” from earning Category-F status: The visuals of the tornadoes and the damage and destruction they cause have an all-too authentic look, feel and sound. Several of the action sequences are very compelling and include some genuinely eye-opening moments. My forecast is for the film’s special effects to get some attention come awards season.
On The Official LCJ Report Card, “Into the Storm” gets a C-.