"Into the Storm" plays like a special-effects demonstration in search of a movie, but you have to give it to the filmmakers: They take no half-measures.

The film, which, among other things, follows unlucky storm chasers as they hunt for tornadoes, doesn't just stop with one twister. There are follow-up tornadoes, defying the odds. There is the biggest tornado of all time.

All very impressive. But you know you've gone over the top when you see the FLAMING TORNADO.

There are strands of several stories scattered throughout the film, which is comprised mostly of fake found footage from various sources, but director Steven Quale and screenwriter John Swetnam are smart enough to know who their real star is: the funnel cloud.

Pete (Matt Walsh) is the aforementioned storm chaser. He has developed a tank-like vehicle that will withstand winds of up to 170 mph; he wants to film the eye of a tornado as it rushes over him. He has a crew that includes Allison (Sarah Wayne Callies), a meteorologist who gets her information from the Weather Channel.

They need a big storm, because they're in the middle of a yearlong dry spell and the money people behind the film they're making are threatening to pull the plug.

Meanwhile Gary (Richard Armitage), an assistant principal, and his sons Donnie (Max Deacon) and Trey (Nathan Kress) are getting ready for graduation at their high school. His sons are making video time capsules, so there are plenty of cameras on-hand.

Donnie gets sidetracked helping Kaitlyn (Alycia Debnam Carey) with a video project at an industrial site. So we've got storm chasers, a graduation in the middle of a field and a couple of kids isolated in a dilapidated building. Toss two nitwit would-be stuntmen (Kyle Davis and Jon Reep) with smartphone cameras into the mix, and you have plenty of tornado fodder.

There will be sacrifice and loss and heroism, in the manner of disaster movies. But mostly there are really strong winds. Remember in "The Wizard of Oz," when the twister hit and Dorothy saw all manner of things going up in the funnel? Imagine that, except with jets and tractor-trailers being sucked in and tossed around.

The story is just filler. Really, the effects are the only thing about "Into the Storm" that will blow you away.




Steven Quale's film plays like a special-effects demonstration in search of a story, but the storms are impressive. PG-13. 89 minutes.

Read or Share this story: