Film Review: ‘Into the Storm’ Maybe Needs Some Sharks

Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 7, 2014 - 6:28pm

CHICAGO – What is there to say about a movie whose chief attraction lies in action set pieces involving CGI tornadoes? You either like this sort of thing or you don’t. I took my ten year old, who seemed to have a good time, and I know I felt pretty captivated by some of those visuals – but I’m a sucker for a thrill ride. Sound indecisive?

Rating: 2.5/5.0

Herein lies the problem. Even though the tornadoes don’t suck (pun intended), the rest of the film is generally as flat as the aftermath. The wisest move that “Braveheart” scribe and “Into The Storm” director Steven Quale makes is keeping the film to a tight 89 minutes and paying minimal attention to the less than original or engaging aspects of its plot.

A group of storm chasers led by Peter (Matt Walsh) are in the middle a very rough season. They have constructed a vehicle called the Titus, which can pin itself to the ground allowing it to pass through actual tornadoes. Their goal, besides collecting scientific data, is to get the first ever shot of a twister from the inside out.

Their attempt at a groundbreaking documentary has been thwarted by an inability to second guess where the next twister will land, leaving them with footage they might as well upload to YouTube. Funding has been pulled – and it looks like the team is out of luck – until an educated guess leads them on one last quest to the small town of Silverton, where an unprecedented series of storm fronts produces twister after twister, devastating the area, and testing the character of everyone it encounters.

‘Into the Storm’ opens everywhere on August 8th. Featuring Matt Walsh, Richard Armitage, Sarah Wayne Callies, Max Deacon and Nathan Kress. Written by John Swetnam. Directed by Steven Quale. Rated “PG-13”