By: Cynthia Ayala
Into the Storm delivers strong thrills with amazing cinematography and perfectly sculpted scenes to construct a natural disaster film that brings heart to the audiences via strong character dynamics.
Directed by: Steven Quale
Written by: John Swetnam
Starring: Richard Armitage, Sarah Wayne Callies, Matt Walsh, Max Deacon, Nathan Kress, Alycia Debnam-Carey, Arlen Escarpeta & Jeremy Sumpter
Genre: Action, Thriller
A storm is coming to the small town of Silverton. But these are not the tornadoes that this small town are accustomed to. Erratic and deadly cyclones are touching down on the small town, destroying buildings and homes, sending the people on a run for their lives.
Into the Storm is more than meets the eye. An incredibly thrilling film, it will push the viewers to the edge of their seats. No, there isn’t jaw dropping action in this film, but instead, it follows characters, students, thrill seekers and storm watchers as they study these tornadoes that keep on coming to form this singular tornado that crushes everything beneath it.
The movie is really separated into three parts that ultimately converge together, symbolically showing the coming of community. This movie takes place in a small town that is usually plagued with tornadoes out in the mid-west and begins with a teenager filming graduation events for before taking on a side excursion to help his longtime crush finish the film part of her internship application. Events are tied in with the tense relationship between him and his father, the vice-principal, since the death of their mother. Then the tornado hits and the two are separated and it turns into a father seeking his son.
That aspect of the film has a lot of heart to it. As the sequences shift between scenes with Vice Principal Gary Fuller, played by Richard Armitage, and his on-screen son Donnie Fuller, played by Max Deacon, viewers get a more in-depth view at their relationship and the strain between them, making the ending come full circle as it brings these two estranged characters together. Additionally, it is not just the story that achieves that but also the heart the actors put in to develop their characters and give their lines emotions. The slightest twitch and the rise of a voice strengthened the dynamic between the characters.
The other side of the story that follows storm chasers as they document the upcoming storm. The dynamic between the characters is also tense, as their funding is cut and they are struggling to document at least one storm. When they arrive in Silverton, they get more than what they bargain for. Within that aspect of the movie, the team is struggling to even be a team, but by the end, when their lives are in peril due to this super storm, their characters grow, especially after the loss of one of their own.
Furthermore, a disaster film that switches between first person camera and third person visuals adds a lot to the film as far as style. Viewers are really seeing the events as they unfold for the characters and are seeing these characters through the eyes of other characters. ★★★☆ (B)