Into the Storm (2014)

Great Film overall

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

I will admit that the special effects in this film are extremely impressive. From that angle, you are catapulted along with the story, but really? another movie about tornadoes??? And with the same tired formula: father has lost wife and teenage children have become distant from him. Enter disaster and challenge and they come to each others aid, and in so doing, become bonded again as family. "I love you Dad!" :-) Or the mean guy obsessed with making $$$ so much, that he risks the lives of others to get video of an approaching storm. But as I said, for effects, this film rocks!

I've been on a bit of an Alycia Debnam-Carey trip lately and went through all of the films she's done so far, which are not very many as she is mainly known for her television work at this point, like 'Fear the Walking Dead,' where I first noticed her. If it wasn't for Alycia being part of the cast, I probably would never have watched 'Into the Storm.' I had heard about the movie back when it came out but had no inclination to watch it as I thought it would be nothing more than another mediocre disaster film, a notion which the generally negative reviews and bad ratings for the movie strongly support.As I only wanted to see Alycia and how she was doing in her role, I had no expectations whatsoever of 'Into the Storm' and was very pleasantly surprised that it turned out to be an entertaining, action-packed thrill-ride of a tornado disaster film very similar to 1996's 'Twister' but with more impressive visual effects due to the drastic advances in computer-generated imagery since then. Most of the CGI looks absolutely stunning and rather realistic and is the definitive selling point of the movie as the bare-bones script doesn't offer much character development or any real surprises in the progression of the plot. It's simply a very typical setting for a disaster film with a straightforward plot: Small groups of strangers meet through the circumstances of a disaster and have to fight to survive while they bond a little bit in the rare quiet moments. For instance, Donnie (Max Deacon), an introverted nerd-like character, gets stuck with Kaitlyn (Alycia Debnam-Carey), the pretty girl he has had a crush on for a long time. You can probably guess how their chance meeting turns out in the end as this is a very commonly used but still effective plot device.As I said, this movie delivers just what you'd expect from a disaster film. Still, 'Into the Storm' received generally negative reviews, which is not surprising as these types of movies are always panned by critics for no apparent reason. After all, director Steven Quale certainly didn't set out to make 'Citizen Kane' or something but an entertaining action flick. I don't think there even is such a thing as a critically acclaimed disaster film except for maybe 'Titanic' (1997). Critics hate disaster films! Even the best movies of its genre like 'The Day After Tomorrow' (2004) weren't received very well at all by critics. That's just the way it is. So don't let negative reviews and low ratings put you off!Despite the fact that the adult main characters of the movie, portrayed by Sarah Wayne Callies ('The Walking Dead'), Richard Armitage ('The Hobbit') and Matt Walsh ('Ted'), are the protagonists, the teenage characters are really the ones who shine. Nathan Kress' character is the most elaborate in the script. He has some of the best lines and his portrayal of the character is energetic and simply fun to watch. Max Deacon is pretty good, too. He has a quite convincing crying scene. On the other hand, lead actress Sarah Wayne Callies' character is not fleshed-out enough to carry the movie on her own and Richard Armitage's dad-character remains stiff and somewhat distant throughout. Matt Walsh is great, though, as Pete, the daredevil documentary filmmaker who seemingly has no scruples but is actually a loyal friend.While the main characters are likable, many of the minor characters remain bland as they don't have enough screen time to amount to anything. The notable exception are the two Jackass-type dumbasses Donk and Reevis (Kyle Davis and Jon Reep), who voluntarily risk their lives driving into the tornadoes with their pickup truck and a quad bike just to shoot YouTube videos and get more views on their channel. This dumb-and-dumber-like duo doesn't really serve a purpose in the plot but is hilarious to watch.So, while the 'Into the Storm' is certainly not perfect in every aspect, there is a lot to like about it. To get back to the sole reason why I initially watched the movie, Alycia is fine in her role but she doesn't have very much screen time. She looks very pretty, though, so she does obviously serve the purpose of eye candy and I absolutely mean that as a compliment. After all, she shows a lot of potential in many of the roles she has taken on over the past few years and she's just really breaking out as an actress in Hollywood. When she gets the right role, she might turn into a major star. She certainly possesses the right qualities.

Pete (Matt Walsh) leads a group of storm chasers in the armored Titus. He's frustrated with Allison (Sarah Wayne Callies) for missing another tornado that killed some Oklahoman teens. She directs them to the town of Silverton. The local high school is caught in the storm. Vice principal Gary Fuller (Richard Armitage) has his grumpy sons Trey and Donnie film for the school's time capsule. Donnie has a crush on Kaitlyn Johnston and takes off to help her film an abandoned paper mill. Donk and Reevis are local Jackass wannabes.Eighteen years before, Twister blew into the theaters. This one uses more modern CGI with lots of rain and destruction. Twister is not at an award-winning acting level but this one is at a lower level. The characters are less well-drawn and less compelling. Sometimes, the group makes some illogical moves. They leave their 'tank' and run outside ending up in a church. The point seems to be a guy getting swept up into a fire tornado. There is another flying cow but this one doesn't have its 'flying cow' moment. The CGI is probably bigger but it's not quite as memorable. Twister was ground breaking at the time but this one is only a few steps above a TV Sharknado movie.

Like a lot of comedy movies, the best parts were definitely in the trailer for this film.The tornadoes are by far the best parts of the film starring alongside characters that you couldn't care less about.There is a little awesome nod to Twister in the film with a fake cow flying through the air.It's a predictable movie with no real story; just a lot of running back and forth, it does have some impressive scenes and some awesome special effects but Twister was a lot better!No real loss if you don't watch it. I won't be watching it again.