Plot: What’s it about?
I’ve spent a lot of time in the mid-west, in particular Kansas and Arkansas. I lived for about 7 years in Kansas as well as graduated from college there (Kansas State if anyone cares). I’ve heard all of the Dorothy jokes imaginable yet, unbelievably, I’ve never actually been in a tornado. Oh sure they’ve been around, I remember going into the basement and bracing for impact, but I’ve actually yet to see a tornado in person (and I’m fine with that). Tornadoes are an anomaly of nature, something that can be explained but can’t really be contained. Essentially if you’re in one, get out of its way or take cover. The real danger in tornadoes, though, is the flying debris. Shifting gears, I suppose everyone that’s seen or reviewed this film has to bring up the inevitable comparison to 1996’s Twister. Yes, it was no Best Picture contender, but it made tons of money, had a relatively “A” list cast that included Bill Paxton and two future Oscar winners in Helen Hunt and the late Phillip Seymour Hoffman. Twister was an unexpected success and it’s amazing no one had tried to copy it…until now.
There are two prominent storylines in the film: the storm chasers that are making a documentary on tornadoes and the story of a widowed father and his two teenage sons. We’ll start with the storm chasers, led by Pete Moore (Matt Walsh), someone who hasn’t captured anything of note for more than a year and is now in danger of losing his grant. He’s got a team of “professionals” with Allison (Sarah Wayne Callies) and a new cameraman in Jacob (Jeremy Sumpter). They’re looking for a tornado – any tornado, to film. And, as fate would have it, it leads them to Silverton where we meet Gary (Richard Armitage), the Vice-Principal of a High School and his two sons: Donnie (Max Deacon) and Trey (Nathan Kress). Donnie is in the midst of making a video time capsule and longs for the class hottie, Kaitlyn (Alycia Debnam-Carey) who he may or may not end up with in an abandoned mill. Long story short, we know there’ll be tornadoes and we know that somehow these two stories will intertwine.
There’s really nothing technically wrong with Into the Storm, but it’s one of those movies that really requires you check your brain at the door. That and it’s pretty much the same plot as Twister except the main couple there were fighting over their divorce. And it had flying cows. That’s always hard to top. I don’t really imagine watching the film again unless I want to show off the capabilities of my system, but then again as long as home theater has been around, pretty much everyone has seen and/or heard what systems have to offer. The performances aren’t exactly great, the special effects and the sound are (more on that below), though. I do find it odd that Warner, who also released Twister, released this. Then again it has been nearly two decades so maybe they wanted to see if they could capture lighting in a bottle, er…a tornado in a bottle? At any rate, this delivers what it preaches so if you want to sit back and, pardon the pun, get blown away, by the audio – this is certainly the movie that will do it.
Video: How’s it look?
Into the Storm features a variety of footages, but seems to rely on a style of filmmaking that’s quickly wearing out its welcome. The style? Yes, it’s “found footage” in which most of the movie (not all) is “told” through the eyes of a video camera. Given that the premise of the movie is about storm chasers making a documentary on tornadoes, I suppose this isn’t that far-fetched and fits with the plot, but how often do you really see people go around with video cameras filming everything in sight? That said, the 1.78:1 AVC HD image does look pretty good. I have to credit the special effects team as they did do a pretty good job with the tornadoes. Flesh tones look a bit washed out, though given the dark skies and nature of the film, it works. Detail is second to none, lending to a very crisp and lifelike picture. It’s what we’ve come to expect from a film that’s new to the format.
Audio: How’s it sound?
Pretty much the only reason I’d wanted to watch this movie was to see how amazing it sounded. And, truthfully, it didn’t disappoint. The DTS HD Master Audio soundtrack is unquestionably one of the best…ever. The whirling winds of the tornadoes encompass the viewer in a literal 360 degree sound stage that’s downright dizzying. The dynamic range is amazing and each and every channel will roar with one of Mother Nature’s most amazing creations. The LFE get a workout here as well, adding a nice low range asset to an already robust mix. Vocals, for what they’re worth, sound rich and full. I might have my problems with the film itself, but there is nothing wrong with the sound – as expected.
Supplements: What are the extras?
The back of the box says to “Go Deeper Into the Storm with Extreme Extras!” And I know the back of the box is always spot on with their verbiage. So let’s check out those “Extreme Extras”, shall we?
DVD Extras
- Fake Storms: Real Connections – The lone DVD supplement looks at the ways in which the storms were simulated with giant rain towers, wire suspension and fans.
Blu-ray Exclusives
- Into the Storm: Tornado Files – We get some interviews with some experts as well as the filmmakers’ insights into creating these miracles of nature and their subsequent role in the film.
- Titus: The Ultimate Storm-Chasing Vehicle – The ultimate storm chaser is dissected here, giving us a look at both the interior and exterior of this behemoth.
- DVD/Digital HD Copy
