Into the Storm (2014)

Directed by Steven Quale. Starring Sarah Wayne Callies, Matt Walsh, Richard Armitage, Max Deacon, Jeremy Sumpter, Arlen Escarpeta, Alycia Debnam-Carey, Nathan Kress, Kyle Davis, Jon Reep, Lee Whitaker, Stephanie Koenig. [PG-13]

Storm-chaser Walsh and his documentary team are traveling through Oklahoma, trying to track down and record data on tornadoes using a Tornado Intercept Vehicle, when they end up in a small town in the path of a major storm system with round after round of tornadoes—good luck for them, bad luck for the all-too-mortal locals. At a glance, you’re sure to think, “So, it’s just a rip-off of Twister?” but since it doesn’t have a bickering separated couple front and center or a headache-inducing Jami Gertz-type in the wings, it can’t be as bad as all that, right? Nope! There’s a much bigger cast of hackneyed, oft-separated characters (including earnestly horny teens and redneck yahoos), the pacing is more erratic, the switches between traditional photographic coverage and found-footage-style camerawork is a strain on the eyes, the last-ditch efforts to raise the stakes are as laughable as its meteorological physics, its cynical stabs at heavy and tragic emotions are revolting, and the visual/aural effects are downgrades across the board. At least it’s…shorter? The filmmakers deserve a little credit for not throwing a few thousand sharks into the mix, but that’s about it.

23/100