If only the characters and plot were as well constructed as the special effects surrounding them. Computer generated tornadoes have come a long way since 1996's Twister, but other than the found-footage angle, this film doesn't offer us anything the 90's version didn't. Watching this film, I couldn't help but think of similarities between it and Jan de Bont's Twister. Sure, a film about storm chasers is going to easily be compared to its predecessor, but it specifically features new technology one of the main characters has waited his whole life to try out: for Twister it was the Dorothy II, designed to study the center of a tornado, and for this one there was the Titus, a heavily armed vehicle designed to study the center of a tornado. There were countless action-sequence setups that were similar throughout, and unsurprisingly the film's climax is about a gigantic F5 tornado, bigger than any seen before. Once the main characters are securely anchored to the ground they get to witness something miraculous, the center of the storm. We've seen this film before, only the previous incarnation had more heart, story, better acting, and a great score. Into the Storm is held back by its quasi-found footage style and its lack of moral footing. It sometimes comes off as a high-budget Sharknado, but that doesn't mean it isn't some fun disaster porn.
2.5 Stars (out of 5)
The all-star cast does a good job of grounding this outrageous dramatic comedy whenever it starts to go off the rails. The story, based on a best-selling book, is pretty solid, but the film is made in such a by-the-numbers way that hardly anything is ever a surprise when it happens. This is most evident with Jason Bateman's character's story with his old flame being rekindled, which plays out like an old rom-com and hardly seems to fit the style of the rest of the film. The wacky family is entertaining and the cast hilarious, but the movie falls flat on its face too many times to count.
