Into the Storm Blu-ray Review

”Into the Storm” (Blu-ray) – Reviewed by Kris Deering

Synopsis

A group of storm trackers stumble upon the storm of the century as it wreaks havoc on a small town. The film follows multiple experiences using a found footage perspective from some high school students, YouTube nuts, and a team of storm trackers. But all of them end up in a situation they never planned for and find themselves fighting for their lives against nature’s fury.

Commentary

It would be nearly impossible to watch a film like this and not compare it to Jan De Bont’s tornado thriller Twister. Obviously this modern storm thriller features a bit more cutting edge special effects, but it was surprising that it didn’t look that much better than the thriller of yesteryear. This story lacks the great characters or emotional weight of the previous storm thriller and that is its biggest drawback. Despite all the peril there is little to no emotional heft as you find yourself indifferent to the fate of the characters. Still there is some pretty impressive storm effects here and if that is what you’re after it is worth taking a look.

Technical

Into the Storm is shot like a documentary with the majority of its video being captured by handheld digital cameras that the actors are hauling around or have mounted to their vehicles. This robs the image of a “cinematic” look but also gives it a massive amount of fine detail and a clean asthetic. Some of the CGI doesn’t blend quite as well with the digital imagery as I’ve seen in other films, but it is hardly an issue of the video master. Some mild compression artifacts are noticed on occasion but not enough to distract from the overall image.

The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix is pretty fantastic and what you’d want from this type of film. The low end presence really adds to the more exciting sequences though I was surprised that it didn’t extend down as deep as I would expect given the subject. Surround activity is first rate and only a touch below the best mixes I’ve heard this year. Dialogue sounds natural enough and the balance within the mix is solid.

Extras

Extras are a little sparse but commensurate with a catalog style release. There is a short feature on tornadoes that would appeal to storm geeks alongside some production features that take a look at making the movie and the “Titus”, which was the vehicle used in the movie by the storm chasers.