If you like going to places like Universal Studios or Walt Disney Studios, you enjoy the movie inspired rides that make up the park. Watching and living parts from your favorite movies can be thrilling and a whole lot of fun. Those parks make a lot of money because of those attractions and you can only imagine they are always on the look out for the next big one. You have to wonder if a movie would ever be made just so it can inspire a park ride, I mean is it really that far fetched to think that? I only bring that up after watching Warner Bros. new film “Into the Storm”, which seems like it would be a much better ride than a movie.
Eighteen years ago Director Jan de Bont released a film titled “Twister” that followed a group of storm chasers as they searched for the ultimate tornado. It was a ride more than a movie, as you were thrown in the middle of the storm. After such a fun movie, it was time to ride into another storm, to try and recreate the thrill of being on the chase. You can’t just copy “Twister” you have to make it different, and plus it was eighteen years ago, just think of the advancements in CGI technology. Once again we step in the shoes of a storm chaser named Pete (Matt Walsh) who drives around in a vehicle designed for him to see into the eye of the storm. His meteorologist Allison (Sarah Wayne Callies) leads him to the small town of Silverton, where she believes all hell will break loose. While going to Silverton is just a job for the chasers, it is home to Gary (Richard Armitage) and his two sons Donnie (Max Deacon) and Trey (Nathan Kress), who just want to get through their High School’s graduation. Nature though has other plans, as tornado after tornado wreaks havoc on Silverton and everyone’s life.
Right away you knew this trying to be original, when you notice that this film was going to be one of those ever entertaining found footage films. I will say though it was an interesting concept, but like so many films before it, the execution was flawed. The story written by John Swetnam is no existent, since no one really is going to see this movie for one anyway. Watching this movie is the same reason you watch a NASCAR race, you are going for the destruction. The problem is while the storm is supposed to be impressive, it really was just all bark and no bite. As a movie experience it wasn’t an experience at all. Director Steven Quale (Final Destination 5) just seems to like to put his actors in places where he can blow a large amount of wind on them. While we get to see a lot of tornados on screen, we don’t get to see any character we care about, which makes it hard to care who survives the ultimate storm. Being a storm chaser can be a thrill many of us will never experience, so making a movie about them is a good idea. This film is a waste of time. I think it is only fair I give you something to put in its place. Re-watch “Twister”, only then will you see what this movie could have been.
Brian Taylor
