Post by lizard7151971 on Aug 6, 2014 23:10:28 GMT -6
Personally I am unable to see this because it isn't playing near me. However, I seen a review from Reed and thought I would post it. Maybe some others can add to it, or post their own reviews...
Okay ladies and gents! A lot of you have been asking about Into the Storm (which I saw Monday night at its premiere), and I'll give you my spoiler-free thoughts:
First off, if you're a weather enthusiast, you owe it to yourself to see it on the big screen. They only make these movies occassionally, so I'd recommend watching it in a theater. Second, this is a very different movie than Twister. The whole approach is more of a documentary/found-footage style, which I found very interesting for a major release like this.
Tornado Chasers and Storm Chasers fans will see a lot of familiar ideas, such as the Titus (Dominator/TIV hybrid) and a follow research van. The cast is uniformly strong, with Richard Armitage (as a citizen hero), Sarah Wayne Callies (as a sympathetic version of Josh Wurman), and Matt Walsh (as a very classic and spot-on chaser, with shades of Sean Casey). I also enjoyed Arlen Escarpeta as chaser/photographer Daryl. Nathan Kress, Max Deacon, and Alycia Debnam Carey play sincere high school students caught in the action. And of course, the very entertaining Kyle Davis and Jon Reep (as "Jackass"-style chasers Donk and Reevis).
The movie is very well directed by Steven Quale, who directed Final Destination 5, and was 2nd Unit Director for Titanic and Avatar. Special attention has been given to the CGI recreations of the tornadoes, with a focus on convincing debris movement. In fact, Reed and I recognized some of the tornadoes in the movie as tornadoes we had chased in real life! Some of the moments hit emotionally close to home, such as a tornado hitting a school during graduation.
A couple of caveats: this movie is meant to be a fun, summer thrill ride, and it's not attempting to be scientifically accurate. Science purists might have trouble with the movie's fuzzy tech talk, as well as the memorably surreal moments. For me, these moments were similar to weather-geek fantasy ideas we joked about in meteorology class, so I enjoyed them.
Also, this movie was shot in 2012, before the controversies of 2013 regarding the dangers of fleeing devastating tornadoes in vehicles. There is a moment in the movie when the characters determine that the tornado is "too strong to survive" so they round up everyone into buses and try to flee the tornado's path. In 2014, this is recognized as the wrong (and potentially fatal) course of action, but we have to remember that the "must be underground to survive" language was used by news stations and NWS offices as recently as last year. I think we can give the movie a break here, but we'll need to reinforce the message that vehicles are perilous during tornado events -- people should always remain in their designated shelters.
So overall I had a lot of fun with the movie, and I'm looking forward to hear everyone else's reactions!
First off, if you're a weather enthusiast, you owe it to yourself to see it on the big screen. They only make these movies occassionally, so I'd recommend watching it in a theater. Second, this is a very different movie than Twister. The whole approach is more of a documentary/found-footage style, which I found very interesting for a major release like this.
Tornado Chasers and Storm Chasers fans will see a lot of familiar ideas, such as the Titus (Dominator/TIV hybrid) and a follow research van. The cast is uniformly strong, with Richard Armitage (as a citizen hero), Sarah Wayne Callies (as a sympathetic version of Josh Wurman), and Matt Walsh (as a very classic and spot-on chaser, with shades of Sean Casey). I also enjoyed Arlen Escarpeta as chaser/photographer Daryl. Nathan Kress, Max Deacon, and Alycia Debnam Carey play sincere high school students caught in the action. And of course, the very entertaining Kyle Davis and Jon Reep (as "Jackass"-style chasers Donk and Reevis).
The movie is very well directed by Steven Quale, who directed Final Destination 5, and was 2nd Unit Director for Titanic and Avatar. Special attention has been given to the CGI recreations of the tornadoes, with a focus on convincing debris movement. In fact, Reed and I recognized some of the tornadoes in the movie as tornadoes we had chased in real life! Some of the moments hit emotionally close to home, such as a tornado hitting a school during graduation.
A couple of caveats: this movie is meant to be a fun, summer thrill ride, and it's not attempting to be scientifically accurate. Science purists might have trouble with the movie's fuzzy tech talk, as well as the memorably surreal moments. For me, these moments were similar to weather-geek fantasy ideas we joked about in meteorology class, so I enjoyed them.
Also, this movie was shot in 2012, before the controversies of 2013 regarding the dangers of fleeing devastating tornadoes in vehicles. There is a moment in the movie when the characters determine that the tornado is "too strong to survive" so they round up everyone into buses and try to flee the tornado's path. In 2014, this is recognized as the wrong (and potentially fatal) course of action, but we have to remember that the "must be underground to survive" language was used by news stations and NWS offices as recently as last year. I think we can give the movie a break here, but we'll need to reinforce the message that vehicles are perilous during tornado events -- people should always remain in their designated shelters.
So overall I had a lot of fun with the movie, and I'm looking forward to hear everyone else's reactions!
