Some say the nature knows the time to control anything and everything on this earth. Proving that many natural disasters have taught us we are not the masters but merely another species that have taken the solace of mother nature.
The recent movie 'In to the Storm' is based on the impact of a massive tornado and the destruction it creates in the small town of Oklahoma. It is directed by Steven Quale and starring Richard Armitage, Sarah Wayne Callies, Matt Walsh, Nathan Kress and Jon Reep. "In to the Storm' revolves around two main groups of people and their pursuit for survival.
This catastrophe brings several random people together who has nothing in common. The small town they live in is named as 'tornado alley' making it a hot spot in the tornado movement. A meteorologist (Sarah Wayne Callies,) who researches on the behaviors of tornadoes partner with another storm chaser named Pete during the storm to gather information. They use a tornado proof vehicle named Titus (designed by Pete himself) in their journey of creating a movie about tornadoes. Pete describes that Titus is capable of staying on the ground even when the wind is at 170 kilometers per hour and it is capable of protecting the people inside the vehicle. He believes if he can record this tornado, its going to be the biggest achievement of his life.
Richard Armitage on the other hand is an assistant principal of a high school. He is on his way to find his son who is caught in between the tornado area. After the loss of his wife he started taking care of the two sons Donny (17) and Trey (15) although his busy life has made him distant from his children. The tornado started creating on the day he suppose to have the graduation at the high school. While the tornado hits, Donny is at a chemical plantation helping his long time crush without knowing a tornado is on the move.
Both of the groups get together in saving the people who took refuge at the school building as well as Donny and the girl who are stuck in a pile of debris in the plantation.
The use of visuals in presenting the impact of the tornadoes is at a remarkable level. The movie shows one main tornado which is 2 miles in length moving destroying everything on its way. And there are several small other tornadoes that moves in a higher speed than the larger one which are unpredictable in the roots they take. Making the situation worst there is a fire tornado that burns anything and everything on its way. The graphics looks so realistic that you will hold your breath when seeing the destruction it causes.
The wind that blows in a high speed taking almost everything into the sky makes it look scarier and the way the buildings and planes disappear into the swirls will give you chills. It again and again reminds even though we live in a highly developed era, nature can become so unpredictable and devastating at times.
Its a fresh and unique experience in this summer because 'In to the Storm' carries a different theme than all the movies that came out recently. I had my list of questions before viewing the movie as there is a higher tendency for it to appear as a average documentary. And surprisingly no one does overacting which happens in most disaster based movies.
Nevertheless I do wish that there should have been some moments of rapport between the main characters to show the increasing level of trust and dependability. You won't feel it anyway as the amount of tornadoes that appear from no where seems too fascinating.
As the after impact there is no strong bond between the survivors is shown. And I find it bit unauthentic and hanging. Because it is known that after surviving a catastrophe most survivors tend to create a strong bond as they have shared a life threatening event together. I find that a drawback as the viewers expects more than that. Again it can be director's decision to give more importance to the tornado itself than looking into each and every characters' mindset before and after.
I think the crew took a great gamble on representing a natural disaster in a movie (as there's a higher chance to end up as a loosely connected distasteful documentary) and to keep people amused throughout the running time. And I put my money on it because they have proven that a movie based on a catastrophe also can be refreshing and informative as never before.
May be why hell not watching this movie to get an idea on how to react at a moment like this. You might end up thanking for watching it. Just saying!
And I am going to leave you with a great big thank you note to Nuffnang for giving out a pair of premiere screening passes.
Director :Steven Quale
Starring : Richard Armitage, Sarah Wayne Callies, Matt Walsh, Nathan Kress, Jon Reep
Running Time : 89 minutes
Rating: 8/10
Premiere Location : TGV, 1 Utama
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