Into the Storm

What ever happened to the 80s style disaster film? Some might flippantly say that the skies have been clear of the genre for some time. But a peppering of recent offerings such as ‘Day After Tomorrow’, ‘2012’ and now ‘Into the Storm’ prove that at least Hollywood screenwriters can benefit from the creative reservoir of the climate change phenomena.

The Al Gorian philosophy is not too heavy-handed in ‘Into the Storm’, after all the film’s audience has come to gawk at apocalyptic destruction rather than hear a sermon on the ethical implications of industrialisation on global ecology. The hardship inflicted upon, rather than caused by, humans is the main focus of ‘Into the Storm’, as reflected in the orations of the Obama-like school principal and references to Hurricane Katrina.

Another aspect of the film’s message is the idea of technological hubris. This is epitomised in the Titus, a kind of storm chasing version of Batman’s ‘Tumbler’ from Nolan’s 'Dark Knight' trilogy. This vehicle (an inexplicably expensive purchase for a bunch of maverick meteorologists and documentary makers) is supposedly equipped with all the accessories to withstand the force of any tornado. The ‘MTV Cribs’-like inventory of its many features by Matt Walsh’s character, a kind of climatological Captain Ahab, proves how man can underestimate the power of nature.

Voyeuristic obsession with recording the tornadoes is another reoccurring theme in ‘Into the Storm’. From Gonzo film crews with a mandate to document whirlwinds to YouTube thrill-seekers who seek fame and fortune through a camera lens, it is hard to have sympathy with characters whose raison d'être is to place themselves in danger. Nor is it easy to forgive them for giving the director free rein to abuse shaky-cam cinematography.

But the audience has come (or not come judging from the film’s box office reception) for the storm itself rather than incidental characters. Some visually impressive if ridiculous things are shown such as aeroplanes yanked into the sky and funnels of flame that laugh in the face of probability and science. While there may be no CGI-rendered cows flying across the screen with a trailing ‘moo!’ à la ‘Twister’, ‘Into the Storm’ risks everything by playing it straight with passable, if disappointing, results. After all, in a world where a film like ‘Sharknado’ can be made, it is hard for an audience to take lines such as “this storm is the biggest one that has ever been!” straight without a few eyebrows being raised.