Into the Storm - C

Rated PG-13, 89 minutes

If you enjoy big (CG) storms, then throw yourself "Into the Storm"

Sarah Wayne Callies

Not to disappoint you, but Ian Ziering and those sharks from "Sharknado" do not cameo in the new action storm thriller "Into the Storm," a mildly entertaining "Twister" knockoff updated with the overused "found footage" premise that finds itself in so many movies today, but their presence would've probably made it more fun. The intensity of tornadoes is enjoyable, but everything in between is far less sturdy. In the span of a single day, the midwestern 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. Seen through the eyes and lenses of a brave few storm chasers and townspeople, it will show Mother Nature at her worst. Directed by Steven Quale ("Final Destination 5") and written by John Swetnam (writer of another film opening this week, "Step Up: All In"), the  strong CG visuals are palpable as they wreak havoc on the small town, but the cardboard characters and plotting are so weak the tornadoes blow them off course quickly, even with a largely unknown but talented cast: the lovely Sarah Wayne Callies (pictured above), best known from TV's "The Walking Dead" and British actor Richard Armitage from "The Hobbit" movies. The unoriginal storm chaser plot was used to better effect in the flawed but energetic 90's blockbuster "Twister," while the found-footage style premise is just downright annoying and often ridiculous, with a camera always in reach at pivotal moments; it's also rather useless to introduce us to the names of these characters when we don't care much about their lack of common sense (I'm being swept up in a tornado but I still need my camera!) or their inane ability to get that close to the twister and remained mostly unscathed. Thankfully, those huge tornadoes steal the show in "Into the Storm" as they're unleashed in considerable CG fury toward the townspeople, the cameras and the audience, providing much more satisfaction and less contrivance than the dumb story or people who inhabit it. Don't get me wrong, the silly "Sharknado" movies are about as stupid (and in a weird way, a lot of fun) as they get, but at least they don't take themselves as seriously as "Into the Storm" does, whose main lesson for its audience is: as long as you have a camera handy to film it all, everything will be just fine, right? If you're into it, go for it. If not, rent "Twister" for a better storm.

Wes's Grade: C