I love disaster movies and this one is just that, a DISASTER! To be honest, its not all that bad if you're into b-rated movies. In this one the disasters i.e. tornadoes are really an afterthought. Its more about the drama. In summary, this liberal leaning movie is more about free spirited, high attitude kids and chics with no emotional control. Basically its a bad attempt as a drama cloaked in climate change. Watch it to kill time and to tick this one off of your apocalyptic movies list. Who knows, if you're into that type of stuff, you just may enjoy it.
21 Reviews
Lame even by genre standards
Leofwine_draca17 January 2014
STORM CELL is a bad disaster movie even by TV movie standards. It stars Mimi Rogers (THE X-FILES) as a dedicated storm chaser who must fight against time to save her family from a series of super-powerful twisters that threaten to wreck much of middle America, yet the film fails to build on that premise at any point.
Due to budgetary constraints, no doubt, this film ends up more as a family drama than a disaster flick. Much is made of Rogers' obnoxious and stuck-up teenage daughter who keeps getting herself into peril, to the degree that I was hoping Rogers would simply cut her losses and forget about the dumb kid; no such luck.
Meanwhile, a few scenes show a twister wreaking havoc on some homesteads with the aid of some dodgy CGI. The two plots never gel, there's no plan on the part of the heroes, they just sort of amble from place to place and survive mainly through luck. It's all very boring and uninteresting; I expected something cheesier, and more entertaining, from this genre, but it's almost laid back in it's approach. Watch out for the great Michael Ironside in a cameo role.
Due to budgetary constraints, no doubt, this film ends up more as a family drama than a disaster flick. Much is made of Rogers' obnoxious and stuck-up teenage daughter who keeps getting herself into peril, to the degree that I was hoping Rogers would simply cut her losses and forget about the dumb kid; no such luck.
Meanwhile, a few scenes show a twister wreaking havoc on some homesteads with the aid of some dodgy CGI. The two plots never gel, there's no plan on the part of the heroes, they just sort of amble from place to place and survive mainly through luck. It's all very boring and uninteresting; I expected something cheesier, and more entertaining, from this genre, but it's almost laid back in it's approach. Watch out for the great Michael Ironside in a cameo role.
Run for Your Life!
wes-connors9 August 2012
About 30 years ago, eight-year-old Ryan Grantham (as "Little" April) and teenage sister Kristy Dinsmore (as "Little" Sean) are driving with their parents in Oklahoma during a terrible storm. A man foolishly stands on his truck and is struck down. They family stops and tries to save him, leading to even more tragedy
Presently, storm tracking professional Mimi Rogers (as "grown-up" April Saunders) specializes in the study of tornadoes and how to manage them safely. A single mom, Ms. Rogers has one daughter - pretty but bratty Elyse Levesque (as Dana). Ms. Levesque is rehearsing "Romeo and Juliet" at her high school when a storm hits, then blames her frantic mother for not arriving in time to provide comfort...
Somehow managing to refrain from slapping her ungrateful child, mother Rogers takes Levesque go to visit brother Robert Moloney (as "grown-up" Sean Saunders) in Seattle. Now a policeman, he lives with pregnant wife Tracy Trueman (as Molly). She's a good hostess. Rogers finds romance with local TV weatherman Andrew Airlie (as Travis Jones), an old college boyfriend. They have a secret. Levesque is attracted to new college boyfriend Ryan Kennedy (as Ryan Laswell), who likes his women willing and able - well, maybe not always willing. Naturally, a terrible "Storm Cell" threatens the entire cast...
This "Lifetime" TV-movie does not convince with the storm as a "monster" (complete with growling sound effects), which isn't used effectively with the surprise villain. You can see how it might have been better.
**** Storm Cell (3/19/08) Steven R. Monroe ~ Mimi Rogers, Elyse Levesque, Robert Moloney, Ryan Kennedy
Somehow managing to refrain from slapping her ungrateful child, mother Rogers takes Levesque go to visit brother Robert Moloney (as "grown-up" Sean Saunders) in Seattle. Now a policeman, he lives with pregnant wife Tracy Trueman (as Molly). She's a good hostess. Rogers finds romance with local TV weatherman Andrew Airlie (as Travis Jones), an old college boyfriend. They have a secret. Levesque is attracted to new college boyfriend Ryan Kennedy (as Ryan Laswell), who likes his women willing and able - well, maybe not always willing. Naturally, a terrible "Storm Cell" threatens the entire cast...
This "Lifetime" TV-movie does not convince with the storm as a "monster" (complete with growling sound effects), which isn't used effectively with the surprise villain. You can see how it might have been better.
**** Storm Cell (3/19/08) Steven R. Monroe ~ Mimi Rogers, Elyse Levesque, Robert Moloney, Ryan Kennedy
Wow... just.... wow...
BMovieMogul30 April 2008
This one hurt. And I'm usually a sucker for really bad Twister ripoffs made for cable. We've seen this plot before, twice. Estranged parent-child relationship, because said parent is too devoted to chasing that big storm. Parent is obsessed with storms because of a tragedy in their childhood. Parent predicts The Big One will hit right where estranged child lives. Child doesn't believe them. Child has has several tense emo moments with parent. Big tornado predictably hits, key characters survive, and everyone is happy. See "Devil Winds" and "Tornado Warning" for this by -the-numbers plot as well. Amusingly, they use global warming for an excuse to "move" Tornado Alley to the pacific northwest so they could shoot cheaply in Vancouver. As expected, the tornado effects are lackluster. The CGI crew just rendered the same tornado for every scene. I think what really got to me was the darkness of the movie. By that I do not mean a grim undertone to the story... but rather how literally dark the image was throughout. I spent a lot of time straining to make out various details like character faces and locales. The environment around a tornado can be very dark, but this was done throughout the movie. I can only recommend this to people who didn't think it could get any worse than Atomic Twister.
just about the stupidest movie ever
Jenna92-15 August 2008
I'm a storm chaser, which means I'm usually avid for any sort of storm-disaster movie, no matter how stupid. But this one not only wasted the fifteen minutes I spent watching it, it's compelling me to waste yet more time writing this review. That's how strongly I feel about it.
In this day and age, with so many weather websites available, there's no excuse whatsoever for a writer not to go see what a tornado looks like on radar--clue: It's not a hurricane! And FYI, storms do not growl. Chasers and storm fans and TV watchers, oh my, do yourself a favor and rent Twister again instead.
In this day and age, with so many weather websites available, there's no excuse whatsoever for a writer not to go see what a tornado looks like on radar--clue: It's not a hurricane! And FYI, storms do not growl. Chasers and storm fans and TV watchers, oh my, do yourself a favor and rent Twister again instead.
I Can't Even Laugh, This is So Horrible
Kevin_J25 April 2008
Warning: Spoilers
The premise of this show is completely unrealistic. And it rips off other movies, such as "Twister" and really bad shows like "Night of the Twisters." Mimi Rogers basically plays the same character Helen Hunt played in "Twister"; someone who experienced a family death during a tornado when she was younger. Now she's obsessed with storms. But she has to prove "the big one" is coming.
Plus, the science is in no way based on fact. Tornado Alley CAN NOT "move" to Seattle. Where were the fact checkers for this show? But what should one expect - it IS "Lifetime" channel.
So watch something better. Like an old-fashioned test pattern.
Plus, the science is in no way based on fact. Tornado Alley CAN NOT "move" to Seattle. Where were the fact checkers for this show? But what should one expect - it IS "Lifetime" channel.
So watch something better. Like an old-fashioned test pattern.
If this movie was meant to send up a storm, then I am as angry as thunder and lightning!
TheLittleSongbird9 April 2012
Now I actually wanted to like this movie. I wasn't expecting much from Storm Cell, but no way was I expecting it to be this bad. It doesn't even look good, with wretched scenery, further disadvantaged by dull lighting, unfocused editing, awkward camera work and cheap tornado effects, even more cheapened by sound effects that are just as disturbing as those in the Gene Dietch Tom and Jerry cartoons. The story is predictable and utterly ridiculous, with scientific errors that make even the worst SyFy disaster movie credible in comparison(and their disaster movies are riddled with those), the script is unnatural in both dialogue and the delivery of it and cheesy to the point you get toothache from gritting your teeth and the characters are either annoying or uninteresting. The acting is also wooden, with Mimi Rogers looking uncomfortable with her hard-edged persona here coming across as forced. Overall, a terrible movie, not in about two months now have I been so angry watching a movie. People will say that they get novelty value, but most assets are so badly done and inexcusably that I couldn't find myself entertained. 0/10 Bethany Cox
Shoulda killed this dog before it was in the can . . .
aerovian23 February 2008
Warning: Spoilers
A very fifty-something-looking Mimi Rogers cast as a thirty-something college prof is just the FIRST of many absurd incongruities that make this film hard to stomach. Much of the script and action are so completely inane that suspending disbelief enough to enjoy the story for its timely dramatic premise is just not do-able. For example, we cut in one scene to the lead (Mimi Rogers') character's teenaged daughter sitting forlornly in front of her school, which -- despite its rather formidable-looking concrete and steel construction -- has just been torn to shreds by a not particularly strong tornado. Even though mom arrived minutes after the tornado hit (and had to evade a police roadblock to do so) the daughter -- who had, by the way, ignored an earlier cellphone message from weather-guru mom warning of the impending twister -- tears a strip off mom, apparently for not being there with her while the school was being torn apart ("Where were you? I was here by myself! I was sooooo embarrassed!")
Storm Cell
Locksleyfair129 May 2008
First of all I had to view this movie at a friend's home because despite the fact that I emailed Lifetime several times, they did not provide the option for "Every Woman Counts" on my Charter on demand to select that movie although they have been advertising it for weeks.
It was interesting although the Science and Meterology data was faulty and at times just made up to suit the occasion. But nevertheless I enjoyed it. The story was engaging and the action scenes had something for everyone.
The acting was very good. Direction although problematic with the subject at hand, caused the story to unfold and flow very well.
It was interesting although the Science and Meterology data was faulty and at times just made up to suit the occasion. But nevertheless I enjoyed it. The story was engaging and the action scenes had something for everyone.
The acting was very good. Direction although problematic with the subject at hand, caused the story to unfold and flow very well.
BAD doesn't even begin to describe it.
linda-plant212 October 2020
When I realised it was yet another movie with yet another ill-mannered and ungrateful teen who needed a good slap, then I gave up. It was clearly low budget, and despite all the technical jargon dialogue, I knew it was going to end up a predictable story.
Why must scriptwriters make all teens so insolent and downright rude to their parents ? Had I spoken to my Mum or Dad like this (well, I wouldn't I was raised to be polite) I would have been given the almighty telling off, but movie parents end up practically saying 'sorry' to their own offspring ! ridiculous.
Why must scriptwriters make all teens so insolent and downright rude to their parents ? Had I spoken to my Mum or Dad like this (well, I wouldn't I was raised to be polite) I would have been given the almighty telling off, but movie parents end up practically saying 'sorry' to their own offspring ! ridiculous.
A great movie, it kept me on the edge of my seat.
cross7995324 September 2008
Actually, I found the movie quite interesting. It was exciting, thrilling and while not quite factual, it kept my attention. Sure it was not real, no sci-fi movies are and their not meant to be. The story is about an adult women who experienced a life changing tragedy as a very young girl that killed both her parents and now she feel compelled to try and help others who could be caught in a life changing event in today's world. Forecasters today are like fortune tellers. Always predicting some type of weather that will happen but never able to accurately predict where it will happen. They say there is a fifty percent chance of rain which means it may rain or it may not. And they forecast that it may rain in your area but what they don't tell you is how big of an area they are referring to. They really tell us a lot. This movie is full of advanced wizardry and special computer effects which provide the viewer with a more real life view of what forecasters wish technology would provide them instead of having to guess at raw data readings when predicting the weather. I lived in Florida for the past 19 years where forecasters claimed we should prepare for the worst during hurricane season. The retailers loved it as we would always run out and spend our money buying hurricane supplies only to have the storm go else where. Sorry people, but this is not a reality show nor is it supposed to accurate show what forecasters really do. Its science fiction drama meant to keep people interested in the fake movie plot and now that I've recorded it, I intend to keep it for future viewing. The water spout that formed on the lake which turned into a tornado was especially interesting, kind of reminders me of Andrew back in 92. Been there, done that.
Occasionally exciting, but don't look for scientific accuracy, or quality dialogue
vchimpanzee13 July 2010
13-year-old April and 8-year-old Sean lose their parents in an Oklahoma tornado. At least the parents were trying to save someone's life.
Thirty years later, April is a published author and a professor at River Point University, supposedly in Oklahoma, since her daughter Dana is in high school in Wyattsville, Oklahoma. She is known as "Tornado Lady" because she is a storm chaser, and she lectures on how global warming has made the planet's weather more violent.
April takes Lew, a student newspaper reporter, out on one of her adventures. Little does she know that this one will involve her daughter Dana, who is rehearsing "Romeo and Juliet" at her high school.
What happens when April and Dana meet is truly shocking.
Sean is the sheriff of Shiloh Hills, outside Seattle. His wife Molly is pregnant, and she invites April and Dana to visit. Dana is basically a good kid, but she has an attitude and doesn't want to go. April persuades Dana to come along by pointing out that Garfield College has a great drama program and Dana might want to go there.
The last thing Dana wants is for this to be yet another of her mother's adventures. But it just so happens that the Seattle area is about to get hit with the worst storm systems in its history. Unbelievable hail, tornadoes like the area has never seen. Oh, by the way, April went to college with Travis, a TV meteorologist in Seattle.
Dana is constantly arguing with her mom, but she does have some fun, as it turns out. While in Washington she meets Ryan, the bad-boy son of a local developer who is being harassed because he doesn't build houses up to code. (The father is being harassed for his business practices; the son for his overall behavior.)
Sean and April don't get along, because April doesn't think Sean is grieving enough for the parents they lost thirty years ago, and because Sean left Oklahoma. He is not affected in the least when he sees a mother of a young boy who has died--at least not enough for her.
There is occasional excitement, especially toward the end, and it's not all because of the tornadoes. Even at the end, though, the dialogue leaves something to be desired.
Elyse Levesque is beautiful and has her moments (no, playing Juliet is not one of them), but I don't think anyone will win awards for this movie. Mimi Rogers is pretty for her age.
The visual effects are impressive for about five seconds, and for a little longer in the final scenes. I guess the budget was limited.
But for scientific accuracy this movie falls short. Is a storm system that produces tornadoes supposed to resembled a hurricane in satellite photos? Not unless it was a hurricane to begin with. This one seems to have come in from Canada, and even if it formed over water, hurricanes don't form off Seattle. Yes, I know, global warming. Weather is supposed to have gone crazy.
Also, Travis' weather maps don't make sense. I've been looking at how warm fronts and cold fronts are supposed to be drawn. If the fronts are depicted accurately, this is wacky weather. Besides, I thought cold fronts were supposed to be blue and warm fronts red, not the other say round. But then these fronts aren't behaving how they're supposed to.
Is it worth seeing? Well, I had a good enough time.
Thirty years later, April is a published author and a professor at River Point University, supposedly in Oklahoma, since her daughter Dana is in high school in Wyattsville, Oklahoma. She is known as "Tornado Lady" because she is a storm chaser, and she lectures on how global warming has made the planet's weather more violent.
April takes Lew, a student newspaper reporter, out on one of her adventures. Little does she know that this one will involve her daughter Dana, who is rehearsing "Romeo and Juliet" at her high school.
What happens when April and Dana meet is truly shocking.
Sean is the sheriff of Shiloh Hills, outside Seattle. His wife Molly is pregnant, and she invites April and Dana to visit. Dana is basically a good kid, but she has an attitude and doesn't want to go. April persuades Dana to come along by pointing out that Garfield College has a great drama program and Dana might want to go there.
The last thing Dana wants is for this to be yet another of her mother's adventures. But it just so happens that the Seattle area is about to get hit with the worst storm systems in its history. Unbelievable hail, tornadoes like the area has never seen. Oh, by the way, April went to college with Travis, a TV meteorologist in Seattle.
Dana is constantly arguing with her mom, but she does have some fun, as it turns out. While in Washington she meets Ryan, the bad-boy son of a local developer who is being harassed because he doesn't build houses up to code. (The father is being harassed for his business practices; the son for his overall behavior.)
Sean and April don't get along, because April doesn't think Sean is grieving enough for the parents they lost thirty years ago, and because Sean left Oklahoma. He is not affected in the least when he sees a mother of a young boy who has died--at least not enough for her.
There is occasional excitement, especially toward the end, and it's not all because of the tornadoes. Even at the end, though, the dialogue leaves something to be desired.
Elyse Levesque is beautiful and has her moments (no, playing Juliet is not one of them), but I don't think anyone will win awards for this movie. Mimi Rogers is pretty for her age.
The visual effects are impressive for about five seconds, and for a little longer in the final scenes. I guess the budget was limited.
But for scientific accuracy this movie falls short. Is a storm system that produces tornadoes supposed to resembled a hurricane in satellite photos? Not unless it was a hurricane to begin with. This one seems to have come in from Canada, and even if it formed over water, hurricanes don't form off Seattle. Yes, I know, global warming. Weather is supposed to have gone crazy.
Also, Travis' weather maps don't make sense. I've been looking at how warm fronts and cold fronts are supposed to be drawn. If the fronts are depicted accurately, this is wacky weather. Besides, I thought cold fronts were supposed to be blue and warm fronts red, not the other say round. But then these fronts aren't behaving how they're supposed to.
Is it worth seeing? Well, I had a good enough time.
Not bad at all
girnun_101-732-49489011 July 2013
Warning: Spoilers
I liked "Storm Cell" a lot, it was emotional and i was glued to my TV while watching. Other movies of its genre have terrible and unrealistic effects, and besides the occasional unrealistic effects in this movie, it seemed real. Yet, its not always about the effects, and how good they are, because the acting in this movie was superb. A lot of emotions were shown and castes out well. I liked the beginning of the movie, it gave the movie a good opening. I felt that the cast were very suitable with their characters, Mimi Rogers did a great job as the mother, she was very understandable, but also gave the movie a good backbone. There was a specific type of mood in this movie, it was a very dull mood, but it was thrilling too, because you cant stop watching. There are some good syfy movies out there, but this one had the best acting out of all that i have seen in them. I recommend it to any 'end of the world' movie addicts, fans of Mimi Rogers, but mostly those who want to watch a nice action/drama!
Lifetime Tornado
kairingler8 July 2013
first off the teenage girl in this movie was so irrating and annoying the tornado should have taken her. with that being said the rest of the movie wasn't bad to watch at all, now everyone needs to watch this with a grain of salt because after seeing movie's like twister, and night of the twisters. how much more innonvative and new can you get. Mimi Rogers does an okay job with it.. there is some excellent tornado footage, and some characters that are worth caring about in this movie. there is some neat newsroom , weather related stuff that was cool to look at,, didn't care so much for the love interest stuff between the characters,, mainly what I liked was about the chase and how is everyone gonna find a way to get to safety,, find a shelter,, lowest level in you're home.. not a bad TV movie, right about average.
A storm movie without much of any gust of wind...
paul_haakonsen30 April 2021
I was given the chance to sit down to watch the 2008 movie "Storm Cell" here in 2021. And since it was a movie that I hadn't already seen before, of course I took the time to sit down to watch it.
Now, with this being a natural disaster movie, I must admit that the movie could go either way; either be just another one of those lousy special effect disaster movies that is a disaster in itself, or it could actually prove to be an entertaining movie with proper special effects. And with the likes of Mimi Rogers and Michael Ironside on the cast list, I must admit that I had hopes for "Storm Cell".
Turns out that "Storm Cell", as written by writers Michael Konyves and Graham Ludlow just didn't have what it took to be a proper disaster movie. It wasn't a terrible movie, so I wouldn't categorize it in that particular genre of disaster movies that are so bad that they become terrible. However, the storyline told in "Storm Cell" was just horribly bland, and I never really got fully submerged and drawn into that particular storyline.
The movie was less than mediocre in terms of being entertaining, but at least it had heart and spirit, and that counted for something. Ultimately, though, then the lack of an interesting storyline just killed the movie off for me.
Visually then "Storm Cell" didn't really impress. The special effects were good enough, I suppose, albeit bordering on being inadequate at times, though. If you sit down to watch the 2008 movie "Storm Cell" and expect to be blown away - pardon the pun - by a display of amazing CGI and special effects, then you will find yourself sorely disappointed.
The acting in "Storm Cell" was adequate, although the character gallery was about as interesting as a field overgrown by weeds. The characters in the movie were rather bland and pointless, actually. Most of them didn't even display proper motivation, and the dialogue wasn't really all that impressive either, so that didn't help much.
Director Steven R. Monroe didn't manage to huff and puff enough to make a lasting impression with "Storm Cell", and it was a movie that had managed to elude my radar, and it is a movie that will just as quietly fade into oblivion.
My rating of "Storm Cell" lands on a mere three out of ten stars. There are far better disaster movies out there.
Now, with this being a natural disaster movie, I must admit that the movie could go either way; either be just another one of those lousy special effect disaster movies that is a disaster in itself, or it could actually prove to be an entertaining movie with proper special effects. And with the likes of Mimi Rogers and Michael Ironside on the cast list, I must admit that I had hopes for "Storm Cell".
Turns out that "Storm Cell", as written by writers Michael Konyves and Graham Ludlow just didn't have what it took to be a proper disaster movie. It wasn't a terrible movie, so I wouldn't categorize it in that particular genre of disaster movies that are so bad that they become terrible. However, the storyline told in "Storm Cell" was just horribly bland, and I never really got fully submerged and drawn into that particular storyline.
The movie was less than mediocre in terms of being entertaining, but at least it had heart and spirit, and that counted for something. Ultimately, though, then the lack of an interesting storyline just killed the movie off for me.
Visually then "Storm Cell" didn't really impress. The special effects were good enough, I suppose, albeit bordering on being inadequate at times, though. If you sit down to watch the 2008 movie "Storm Cell" and expect to be blown away - pardon the pun - by a display of amazing CGI and special effects, then you will find yourself sorely disappointed.
The acting in "Storm Cell" was adequate, although the character gallery was about as interesting as a field overgrown by weeds. The characters in the movie were rather bland and pointless, actually. Most of them didn't even display proper motivation, and the dialogue wasn't really all that impressive either, so that didn't help much.
Director Steven R. Monroe didn't manage to huff and puff enough to make a lasting impression with "Storm Cell", and it was a movie that had managed to elude my radar, and it is a movie that will just as quietly fade into oblivion.
My rating of "Storm Cell" lands on a mere three out of ten stars. There are far better disaster movies out there.
Terrible, terminal
glenn-major3 August 2020
Don't expect scientific accuracy or high quality in this tornado flick
marshalphipps12 May 2017
Warning: Spoilers
30 years after April's parents death due to a tornado she is a author and a professor at River Point University. She is known as "Tornado Lady" because she is a storm chaser and she lectures on how global warming has made the planet's weather more violent. Really? Couldn't the producers think of something more interesting than global warming that is causing more severe weather? They could have used HAARP as the blame, that would have made the movie a little more interesting.
The movie pretty much consists of drama between April and her daughter over a boyfriend along with tornado chaos here and there, but those doesn't stop the film from being dull.
There is occasional excitement, but it's all because of the tornadoes. There's one part where there's a waterspout which reminded me of Twister, whether it was meant to be an homage or not it was a nice change.
The visual effects are less than impressive, but I was expecting that since it's a low budget film. I thought there was supposed to be a tornado in a big city because of the DVD cover art, however that never happened.
In regards to scientific accuracy this movie trembles. For example, the satellite photos of the storm cell that produces tornadoes resembles a hurricane, the only way that is possible is if the cell was a hurricane to start with which it wasn't. Once again there are roaring tornadoes, I've noticed this low budget tornado film cliché with Nature Unleashed: Tornado and Mega Cyclone, it unnecessary.
The movie comes off as nothing more than cheap popcorn entertainment.
The movie pretty much consists of drama between April and her daughter over a boyfriend along with tornado chaos here and there, but those doesn't stop the film from being dull.
There is occasional excitement, but it's all because of the tornadoes. There's one part where there's a waterspout which reminded me of Twister, whether it was meant to be an homage or not it was a nice change.
The visual effects are less than impressive, but I was expecting that since it's a low budget film. I thought there was supposed to be a tornado in a big city because of the DVD cover art, however that never happened.
In regards to scientific accuracy this movie trembles. For example, the satellite photos of the storm cell that produces tornadoes resembles a hurricane, the only way that is possible is if the cell was a hurricane to start with which it wasn't. Once again there are roaring tornadoes, I've noticed this low budget tornado film cliché with Nature Unleashed: Tornado and Mega Cyclone, it unnecessary.
The movie comes off as nothing more than cheap popcorn entertainment.
Horrible Acting, Horrible Plot, and Sexist
onlyinname24 May 2010
Warning: Spoilers
This movie is dreadful. It has a boring plot, seeded with cliché; horribly written dialogue; and acting that is equivalent to a high school film project or a local commercial. There's even an unnecessary "lost father" bit thrown in that "ties up" at the end when the father says to his daughter "that's a long story." It's even sexist. The selfish daughter runs away from home to get attention, punches a guy in the face, and he's carted off to jail for it; I wish she was caught by the tornado and impaled on a telephone pole---then the story would have made sense. The only thing good about this movie are the storm graphics which are fairly well done, but even this is ruined by the sound effects---stock monster groans that are repeated over and over again. Perhaps having the storm sound like a demon would have been effective if (1) they used something I haven't heard before in every monster movie or video game I've ever watched or played, and (2) they played it only once and very quietly so it's a subtle comment on how nature can sometimes mirror the hellish nightmares we thought were confined to our imaginations, not my Spooktastic Halloween Sound Effects Vol. 2 CD stuck on the part where the werewolf attacks.
Not a disaster movie, just a disaster
its_ridley9 December 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Bad acting, bad plot, bad special effects, bad science; this movie has it all. If it were worse it might qualify as "so bad it's good" but alas. One of the overarching problems of this movie was that it had so many subplots that it couldn't focus on any of them and constantly jumped between parts that had little or nothing to do with each other.
Much of the plot (and I use the term loosely) of this movie is ripped off from Twister, quite blatantly in at least two scenes. It somehow manages to make the elements from Twister into something almost silly. Of course this movie tries to explore the common plot of the parent ignoring her child by obsessing over work, but it doesn't even pull that off. Considering that April knows what is going on in a life-threatening situation, it would have been wrong of her not to become involved. Rather than an uninvolved parent who favors work over family, I got the impression of a concerned scientist surrounded by morons. Dana is not sympathetic at all, but comes across as overly demanding and bratty.
Then there is the old romance with Travis the meteorologist, which was just thrown in. The revelation that he is Dana's father could have made for an interesting plot, had it not come up at the most random point in the movie, been forgotten almost as soon as it was mentioned, and not brought up again until the very end. This was on top of the fact that it was so predictable that I initially dismissed the notion.
The earlier part of the movie, introduced after the death of April's parents, seems to have simply been thrown in and really has nothing to do with the rest of the movie. Global warming is discussed in this early sequence but isn't mentioned again. Then there is the student who accompanies April on the chase. He is introduced as if he is going to be a major character, only to be never seen or mentioned again after April goes to Washington.
The special effects were cheesy. The CGI was about the same quality as you'll see in home-made animations. The tornadoes were basically the same funnel copied and pasted into different scenes. Some of the satellite images show clouds swirling to one of the most basic effects of photoshop. Movies more than a decade older than this easily surpass the effects of this one. The quality of science in Storm Cell makes Twister look like a documentary. Among other things, the tornadoes were spinning the wrong way, the titular "storm cell" looked more like a hurricane spinning the wrong way(except for one scene), and weather maps that didn't make any sense. Somewhere a meteorologist is crying. Strangely, the way people took cover was fairly accurate which leads me to suspect that the research for this movie did not go any further than a quick google search of tornado safety.
It is a bad movie in every area. The plot is fragmented into unrelated pieces, the acting and effects are cheap and cheesy, and the science is an unfunny joke.
Much of the plot (and I use the term loosely) of this movie is ripped off from Twister, quite blatantly in at least two scenes. It somehow manages to make the elements from Twister into something almost silly. Of course this movie tries to explore the common plot of the parent ignoring her child by obsessing over work, but it doesn't even pull that off. Considering that April knows what is going on in a life-threatening situation, it would have been wrong of her not to become involved. Rather than an uninvolved parent who favors work over family, I got the impression of a concerned scientist surrounded by morons. Dana is not sympathetic at all, but comes across as overly demanding and bratty.
Then there is the old romance with Travis the meteorologist, which was just thrown in. The revelation that he is Dana's father could have made for an interesting plot, had it not come up at the most random point in the movie, been forgotten almost as soon as it was mentioned, and not brought up again until the very end. This was on top of the fact that it was so predictable that I initially dismissed the notion.
The earlier part of the movie, introduced after the death of April's parents, seems to have simply been thrown in and really has nothing to do with the rest of the movie. Global warming is discussed in this early sequence but isn't mentioned again. Then there is the student who accompanies April on the chase. He is introduced as if he is going to be a major character, only to be never seen or mentioned again after April goes to Washington.
The special effects were cheesy. The CGI was about the same quality as you'll see in home-made animations. The tornadoes were basically the same funnel copied and pasted into different scenes. Some of the satellite images show clouds swirling to one of the most basic effects of photoshop. Movies more than a decade older than this easily surpass the effects of this one. The quality of science in Storm Cell makes Twister look like a documentary. Among other things, the tornadoes were spinning the wrong way, the titular "storm cell" looked more like a hurricane spinning the wrong way(except for one scene), and weather maps that didn't make any sense. Somewhere a meteorologist is crying. Strangely, the way people took cover was fairly accurate which leads me to suspect that the research for this movie did not go any further than a quick google search of tornado safety.
It is a bad movie in every area. The plot is fragmented into unrelated pieces, the acting and effects are cheap and cheesy, and the science is an unfunny joke.
No new twists
Bernie44448 February 2024
The actor's cell their soul-making this movie. Mimi Rogers. Playing April overacts (almost like a silent movie) as a storm chasing global warming fanatic. It is enough to give storm chasers a bad name. April has stormy eyes that flash of the sound of lies.
Sometimes this movie can be hail.
Elyse Levesque gets to play Dana the drama queen. Her character needs to be eaten by a crocodile, oops, wrong movie, a twister of fate.
Michael Ironside with over 250 credits gets to play James the evil building developer who wants to make a buck at everyone's expense.
We have to listen to dramatic trauma music all through the movie. It may be worth it to turn the sound off and use "closed caption".
Sit back and watch while eating your funnel cake.
Sometimes this movie can be hail.
Elyse Levesque gets to play Dana the drama queen. Her character needs to be eaten by a crocodile, oops, wrong movie, a twister of fate.
Michael Ironside with over 250 credits gets to play James the evil building developer who wants to make a buck at everyone's expense.
We have to listen to dramatic trauma music all through the movie. It may be worth it to turn the sound off and use "closed caption".
Sit back and watch while eating your funnel cake.
It is more beneficial to stare at the wall for an hour and a half
olcayozfirat10 January 2024
Warning: Spoilers
Mediocre television movie from 2008. I'm trying to comment on the movie with good intentions, but there's nothing tangible. The animations are a disgrace. The characters are very repulsive.
There are two siblings who lost their parents in a tornado in childhood. The woman becomes a meteorologist. The little one is the police. The woman also has a stupid daughter who is the queen of trip. This girl seems to be attracted to people who walk around with a glass of ice in their hand. Yes, you won't believe it, but ice that never melts has been invented. Woman, while that storm is following you, this hurricane is mine, like a hunter, it is as if the storm has haunted this family to finish its unfinished business. I swear, I got bored even writing about this topic.
Sister, if you had waited another 15 years to tell the man that he was your daughter's father.
There is no sexuality or nudity in the movie. But don't watch it. Let me save at least an hour and a half of your life.
There are two siblings who lost their parents in a tornado in childhood. The woman becomes a meteorologist. The little one is the police. The woman also has a stupid daughter who is the queen of trip. This girl seems to be attracted to people who walk around with a glass of ice in their hand. Yes, you won't believe it, but ice that never melts has been invented. Woman, while that storm is following you, this hurricane is mine, like a hunter, it is as if the storm has haunted this family to finish its unfinished business. I swear, I got bored even writing about this topic.
Sister, if you had waited another 15 years to tell the man that he was your daughter's father.
There is no sexuality or nudity in the movie. But don't watch it. Let me save at least an hour and a half of your life.
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