"Into the Storm" Is A Fun, Special Effects-Driven Thrill Ride

   This weekend marks the opening for a handful of new films. More than likely the newly released Michael Bay-produced "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" will dominate the box office (unless "Guardians of the Galaxy" has anything to say about it). Its fellow new releases, I don't feel, have a chance. The only one that would probably come close is the disaster flick "Into the Storm", which is unfortunate because it was pretty good. But that's the way the movie industry cookie crumbles sometimes.

   "Into the Storm" follows a group of storm chasers, a couple of crazy thrill-seekers, and a ton of townspeople in the midst of the largest storm ever recorded...not based on a true story. It mixes the straight-forward linear filming of every other movie along with "footage" shot by the characters as they document the craziness they find themselves in. There's two areas where this movie really shines. The first being the integration of first-person documentation within the linear story. We see this style so often now with movies like "Cloverfield", "Paranormal Activity", and the more recent "Earth to Echo". It's become a craze within the industry because it reflects the way our society, essentially, perceives itself. Within a society where a majority of young people find their entertainment from the internet and social media, it's no wonder that this aspect of everyday life would be incorporated and reflected in today's films. It brings a more intimate viewing experience, when done right. In the case of this film, it was done right. Most of the "documentary" filming is done through the cameras of the storm chasers as well as the cameras used by a group of youth charged to film interviews for a school time capsule. Not only are you as a viewer watching the events of the film unfold, you are taken into the thick of it with the characters themselves.

   The other area where this movie succeeds is in the special effects. I remember when the epic disaster movie "Twister" came out, I was blown away at how real the tornadoes and storms were. Granted I was in grade school at the time, but it was still an awesome experience. Jump ahead almost 20 years later where technology has taken a huge leap forward and now you've got yourself a disaster movie with extremely realistic tornadoes doing extremely realistic damage. Every time you see a tornado it's almost eerie how real it looks. The destruction and other weather elements are really well done and it makes for a really fun experience. It's not very difficult to get lost within the various situations that the characters are presented in.

   Outside of these two aspects, the movie is essentially "Twister 2.0" just without as much character development. The cast in this film is quite impressive to note. Sarah Wayne Callies, who most would recognize from the epic show "The Walking Dead" plays Allison, a meteorologist within the storm chaser team. There's a bit of an arc with Allison as she deals with being gone for months on end away from her 5 year old daughter. Of the storm chasers, she's the most intriguing. The other notable cast member is the ever-so talented Richard Armitage. Yes, Thorin Oakenshield from "The Hobbit" is in a disaster movie! It's weird to see him without long hair and a beard among other portly, bearded men, but I digress. Richard plays a vice principal at a local high school. His two sons are the camera-wielders charged to film the graduation ceremony and subsequent interviews for a time capsule project. The troubled relationship between the two boys and their father are really the only source of drama and emotion outside of the mayhem and destruction. With that said, they do a good job at creating a realistic environment to a fairly cliche plot. Probably the most fun characters to watch are a couple of thrill seekers hoping to make it big on YouTube. Watching them is like watching a YouTube video. They're a lot of fun and they supply most to all of the laughs.

   All in all "Into the Storm" is a really fun thrill ride of a movie. The special effects are great, the characters give you just enough to stay invested, and it makes for a good summer movie. However, with "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" and "Guardians of the Galaxy" fighting for your dollar, I can see how this film might get the back burner. A matinee might be the best bet. Seeing this on the big screen will be much more rewarding than seeing it on your TV screen.