INTO THE STORM DVD (2014)

SYNOPSIS: In the span of a single day, the town of Silverton is ravaged by an unprecedented onslaught of tornadoes. The entire town is at the mercy of the erratic and deadly cyclones, even as storm trackers predict the worst is yet to come. Most people seek shelter, while others run towards the vortex, testing how far a storm chaser will go for that once-in-a-lifetime shot. 

MOVIE REVIEW:

Into The Storm is a mix of found footage, disaster movie. It can’t decide if it wants to be the next Twister or the next Sharknado thus it ends up as a middling effort that rip and roar through the brisk 89 minutes with intense sound and visual effects.

With not much narrative and backstory to begin with, a high school vice principle, Gary Fuller (Richard Armitage’s from The Hobbit) and his two sons, Trey and Donnie are preparing for the school graduation ceremony in the small town of Silverton while a group of storm chasers are prepping to film the biggest tornado of all time.  

If this is the writing standard of future Hollywood movies then we are in deep trouble. We probably don’t really care about Donnie’s safety as he accompanied the girl he likes to an abandoned mill to film a school project in the middle of a pending storm or the fact that Gary might end up with meteorologist Allison Stone (Sarah Wayne Callies) and her team to rescue the entire school students. Even sillier are two rednecks that appear for no reason except to provide comic relief Jackass-style.

While Twister features the likes of Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton, the late Philip Seymour Hoffman and flying cows, Into The Storm lacks memorable characters and believable acting. Assistant director turned director Steven Quale treats the material as if it was another instalment of Final Destination. Instead of introducing the next glorifying death, Quale and his visual effects team created one gigantic tornado one after another dispensing the need for credible stories and physical actors.

Still, the visual effects are competent enough in portraying the ruthless carnage and maniac weather conditions if that’s what you are looking for in the comfort and safety of your own home. Sit back, crank up the Dolby Digital 5.1 and enjoy this CG spectacle.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Not everything is CG as Fake Storms: Real Conditions shows us how practical effects such as wind and rain are created in the background.  

AUDIO/VISUAL:

Gray and dark levels dominate the look of this DVD though it’s not that harsh enough to affect your viewing experience. The soundtrack is aggressive and packs a wallop whenever the leading star aka Tornado appears onscreen.          

MOVIE RATING:

DVD RATING :

Review by Linus Tee