Starring: Richard Armitage, Sarah Wayne Callies, Jeremy Sumpter, Nathan Kress, Matt Walsh, Arlen Escarpeta
Director: Steven Quale
Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Warner Home Video
Release Date: November 18, 2014
Run Time: 89 minutes
Film: 2 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3 out of 5 stars
All year, I was waiting for this film to come out in theaters. I was hoping for the next big thing for tornadoes since “Twister” but I was left very disappointed. This film has literally no plot, besides a tornado hit this town. The characters have little to no appeal to the audience. The visual effects though are outstanding for sure. I wish they didn’t take the handheld camera approach because the tornado shots seemed to be down-scaled being only able to be shown like that. Big pass here!
Official Premise: In the span of a single day, the town of Silverton is ravaged by an unprecedented onslaught of tornadoes. The entire town is at the mercy of the erratic and deadly cyclones, even as storm trackers predict the worst is yet to come. Most people seek shelter, while others run towards the vortex, testing how far a storm chaser will go for that once-in-a-lifetime shot.
“Into the Storm” stars Richard Armitage, Sarah Wayne Callies (TV’s “The Walking Dead”), Matt Walsh (“Ted”), Alycia Debnam-Carey (“The Devil’s Hand”), Arlen Escarpeta (“Final Destination 5”), Max Deacon (“TV’s Hatfields & McCoys”), Nathan Kress (TV’s “iCarly”), Jeremy Sumpter (“Soul Surfer,” TV’s “Friday Night Lights”), Kyle Davis (“Friday the 13th”) and Jon Reep (“Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay”).
The 1080p transfer is impressive despite my taste for the film. I think this would have benefited from a 3D presentation for sure. The DTS-Master Audio 5.1 track is also very impressive. So aside from the film itself, this Blu-ray is a home-run. The special features are decent including three featurettes. “Into the Storm: Tornado Files” features famed storm-chaser Reed Timmer talking about scientific conditions behind these tornadoes. “Titus: The Ultimate Storm-Chasing Vehicle” talks about how they built the storm-chaser. “Fake Storms: Real Conditions” focuses on physical effects created in the film.
Own “Into the Storm” on Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD, and Digital HD on November 18th
