Into The Storm begins with a group of teenagers gathered inside a car, talking, then suddenly a tornado becomes visible and hits them, leaving them with no chances of escaping. Similar to its opening scene, the rhythm of the film appears to be flat and filled with many unnecessary characters despite having nature as its main villain. What it lacks in character development though, the visual effect fills.
Here we see a stereotypical troubled family whose relationship will be tested by nature. Joining them are a group of storm chasers composed of an obsessed leader, a nervous newbie, an “I don’t care, as long as I do my job and get my pay” crew and a worried mom-teorologist. Alongside them to provide comic relief were two daredevils who will stop at nothing, just to document everything.
The film is full of potentials yet it fails to establish stability. Problem lies in the first and last act of the film due to its weak characterization. It lacks enough punch to devastate, more so affect the audience in terms of emotional connection. There’s this one particular scene (which I will not spoil) that has one of the film’s biggest casualty and yet I failed to care, at all. Another underdeveloped device was the found-footage, which has the biggest chance of salvaging the film if used prudently but this too was not successfully employed.
The visual effects however are worth seeing, if only for it. The pacing of the film to its climax hits a slow crescendo until the storms start appearing and they will win you over. The effects look and feel so true, it reminded me of Ondoy and Habagat when they wreaked havoc in Manila a few years back. There was never a second that I felt like I was being cheated with the visuals. If you’re in for a fun filled ride into the storm (sorry for the pun), then this film is worth it. Otherwise it will devastate you, perhaps in another way.
Rating: 5/10
First published on Flipgeeks.com.