Into the Storm Review

Into the Storm

Release Date: 4th September 2014 - Australia

Production Companies

Broken Road Productions

New Line Cinema

RatPac-Dune Entertainment

Village Roadshow Pictures

Distribution

Roadshow Films

Genre: Thriller

Rating: M

Runtime: 89 minutes

Budget: $50,000,000

Box Office Gross: $161,515,959 (Worldwide)

Plot Summary

An unprecedented onslaught of tornadoes begins to ravage the entire town of Silverton, where a group of storm chasers is busy tracking the storms, and a widowed vice-principal of a high school with two teenage sons is organising the graduation ceremony. These people must get to a safer haven even if they seek shelter or get sucked into the vortex.

Cast

Richard Armitage - Gary

Sarah Wayne Callies - Allison

Matt Walsh - Pete

Max Deacon - Donnie

Nathan Kress - Trey

Alycia Debnam-Carey - Kaitlyn

Arien Escarpeta - Daryl

Jeremy Sumpter - Jacob

Lee Whittaker - Lucas

Kyle Davis - Donk

Jon Reep - Reevis

Scott Lawrence - Principal Thomas Walker

David Drumm - Chester

Brandon Ruiter - Todd White

Jimmy Groce - Studious Male

Linda Gehringer - Linda

Keane Wayne Winterhalt - Grace

Maryann Nagel - Ms. McGee

Crew

Director - Steven Quale

Writer/Co-Producer (Uncredited) - John Swetnam

Executive Producers - Bruce Berman, Richard Brener, Walter Hamada, Dave Neudstater and Jeremy Stein

Executive Producer/Unit Production Manager - W. Mark McNair

Producer - Todd Garner

Casting Director - Mindy Marin

Production Designer - David Sandefur

Art Director - Marco Rubeo

Set Decorator - Baren Rosenfeld

Costume Designer - Kimberly Adams-Galligan

Director of Photography - Brian Pearson

"B" Camera Operator/Director of Photography:

Second Unit/Second Unit Director (Uncredited) -

Ronald Hersey

Production Supervisor - Matthew Hirsch

Production Supervisor: Second Unit - Jennifer Conroy

First Assistant Director - Richard Cowan

Second Assistant Director - David Waters

Stunt Coordinators - Bob Brown and Scott Workman

Special Effects - Joe Pancake, Donnie Dean,

Rich E. Cordobes and Steve Austin

Visual Effects Supervisor: Digital Domain -

Jay Barton

Visual Effects Supervisors: MPC -

Guillaume Rocheron and Anders Langlands

Visual Effects Producer - Randy Starr

Digital Effects Supervisor: Digital Domain -

Nikos Kalaitzidis

Visual Effects: Cinesite - Simon Stanley-Clamp,

Carrie Rishel, Jane Ellis, Jamie Wood,

Joel Bodin and Rafal Kaniewski

Editor - Eric A. Sears

Supervising Sound Editor - Per Hallberg

Sound Designers - Christopher Assels

and Jon Title

Supervising Dialogue Editor - Daniel Saxlid

Supervising ADR Editors - Chris Jargo

and Anna MacKenzie

Re-Recording Mixers - Steve Pederson

and Brad Sherman

Music - Brian Tyler

Review

There's a reason why INTO THE STORM is not the best disaster movie of the year. It's very similar to another disaster film, Twister, which came out 18 years before this film. Interestingly, this movie proved different from what we expect from a Hollywood feature.

Most of it is in found footage, which gives the film a natural look, besides using regular and modern cinematography for additional effects. Unfortunately, the movie is much too reliant on its visual aspects than the characterisation and writing, which is short on energy. Director Steven Quale, known for directing Final Destination 5, was probably not to blame for helming this feature, but his efforts are nothing special.

One thing that also bothered me in the film is that two of its minor characters are amateur daredevils, given that they chase these storms, as the title suggests. They are misplaced, and they should have been in a different movie. They weren't necessary for INTO THE STORM. The film could have been a Michael Bay movie. For example, these two characters would have worked as comic relief. If those hillbillies could have died by getting sucked into a tornado, they should have stayed dead, given how useless they were in the plot.

There are non-recognisable names in the cast except for Richard Armitage, Sarah Wayne Callies, Nathan Kress and Matt Walsh, who were the only known actors in the film. Armitage does give in to a subdued performance in this movie rather than any of his co-stars.

Not in the way I expected, but it had its flaws. INTO THE STORM is a decent movie. Its entertainment value will probably suit average moviegoers.

Star rating: (6/10) Fair Movie

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