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 "Into the Storm," out in U.S. theaters on Friday, starts with
a seemingly average day in the fictional Midwest town of
Silverton that quickly changes when a storm system sweeps
through, bringing the strongest tornadoes ever seen, including a
monster mile-wide twister.
"People are always drawn to what frightens them. They're
fascinated with the power and the destructive energy that
tornadoes or hurricanes or any big natural phenomena have,"
Quale said. "They want to experience that, but they want to
experience it in the safety of a movie theater."
Quale showcases much of the film through the eyes of storm
chasers to recreate the horrifying destruction a tornado
inflicts. Actors worked on set with 100 mile-per-hour (160
km-per-hour) wind machines with debris thrown into them to
replicate the chaos of a tornado and gauge real reactions from
the cast.
"It is something that feels real, you could be there and it
doesn't take you out and suspend disbelief," the director said.
As with many natural disaster films such as 2004's "Day After
Tomorrow," there is also an underlying message of real life
climate change in "Into the Storm" with subtle references to
Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy.
"It's worth investigating and having scientists trying to figure
out if there is a connection (to climate change), because if the
storms continue, we can't survive these types of natural
disasters because they're really taking a toll on the whole
planet," Quale said.
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The film produced by Time Warner Inc's Warner Bros studios, was made
on a budget of about $50 million, and is projected by BoxOffice.com
to make $14 million in its U.S. opening weekend.
"Into the Storm" follows numerous characters from different
backgrounds as they are thrust together in the storm. Gary is a
single father of two teen boys and vice principal at a local high
school. Allison is a scientist tracking storm behavior on the road
but eager to get back to her daughter and Pete is the documentary
filmmaker chasing the "shot of the century" in the eye of the
tornado.
British actor Richard Armitage, best known for his role as Thorin in
"The Hobbit" films, saw his character Gary go through nightmare
scenarios where he is called to save his children, his school and
the people around him as the twisters ravage his town. The actor
called Gary the "reluctant hero" of the film.
"I liked the idea that we could find something by the end of this
single day, that he has emerged as a hero without realizing it,
without knowing it, by instinct alone," Armitage said.
"One hopes one would react the same way given the chance."
(Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Patricia Reaney and Lisa
Shumaker)
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