Review of Into the Storm (2014) by Gaspar O — 19 Apr 2015

Let me start off by saying I'm fascinated by tornados - I've seen Twister 100+ times as a kid and it still holds up today. Why? Because it has relatable characters, great pacing, and a looming sense of danger that's always around the corner. I was hoping Into the Storm would be a modern day Twister but better - with technology the way it is, how hard can it be to create a worthwhile disaster film with such a simple premise? Well, Into the Storm makes it look damn near impossible.

The positives of this movie are as follows: the tornados. They look cool. That's it. Tornados on the internet look cool as well. No one should have to sit through an hour and a half of trash to see a few nice storm graphics. The characters in this movie are dreadful. I challenge you to care about a single one - hell, try remembering one of their names once the movie finishes. They're all awfully written, and the acting doesn't help at all. Richard Armatige was fantastic in The Hobbit movies but holy hell it's hard to believe it's the same person.

The story (or stories rather) are abysmal. Seriously, why make three separate storylines for characters we don't care about? Are we supposed to care if the dad gets forgiveness from his sons? Are we supposed to care if the kid gets the girl from school? How about whether or not the hillbillies make it big on Youtube? The answer is an overwhelming "Fuck no".

Also, this is a found footage movie. Why? Beats the fuck out of me. The gimmick is getting thin in horror movies, let alone a movie like this where they have to constantly make up excuses for these characters to be filming everything. In fact, nothing in this movie is believable. Twister had characters with depth - you believed that these people were storm chasers, and you believed in the sexual tension between Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt. Here, everything is so blown out that the imminent threat of what's happening on-screen doesn't phase the audience at all. We're supposed to believe that a tornado can rip through a concrete building in two seconds but can't suck up someone holding onto a car door? The moviemakers take unbelievability to new levels here. Into the Storm is a collection of disaster scenarios loosely connected by multiple underwritten stories being carried by unlikable characters. The most unbelievable thing about this movie is the fact that I actually made it to the end.

If you want to see tornados, go on the internet. Stay away from this disaster at all costs.