‘Into the Storm’ won’t blow you away

Is it wrong to think that “Into the Storm,” the new movie about tornadoes could use a good dose of sharks?

Coming almost 20 years after the blockbuster tornado movie, “Twister,” “Into the Storm” has a lot to live up to considering the advances in CGI over the years.

The film truly does only have its special effects to rely on to draw audiences since there is absolutely no characterization so you don’t care if any of them live or die. In fact, there was a scene where I wished a couple of characters would just die already because I didn’t give a crap about them and wanted to get back to the tornado destruction. That’s the huge obstacle disaster movies face – how to balance characterization with the action scenes. The good ones succeed at making you care whether or not people live or die. “Into the Storm” is not one of the good ones.

The film isn’t helped by its confusing storytelling style. Some parts are filmed with the overused “found footage” style with characters shooting video of what’s happening around them. Other parts are filmed with a traditional camera style. It’s frustrating enough to try to understand why characters continue to tape footage while all hell is breaking loose around them, but what’s even more puzzling is the director’s decision to jump back and forth between the two techniques.

As for the special effects, I will admit that there were a few shots that were kind of cool, but overall they weren’t that impressive. I kept hoping to see something I hadn’t seen before in films like “Twister,” but the film never delivered.

Perhaps “Into the Storm” could have worked if it didn’t take itself so seriously. All of the characters are so grim and somber (except for these two idiots who are supposed to provide comic relief) that they suck all the fun out of watching the action. Movie audiences have seen so many disaster films by now that any new ones would really have to introduce something new to be memorable. Maybe if the film was willing to poke a little fun at itself I could’ve enjoyed it more.

So where are those sharks again?