Hopefully the title of this review sums up how trite most of this movie's plot points are... I will say this, however. After watching this movie, a lightbulb suddenly lit up in my head over why so many disaster movies are so poorly received. More than anything, it always feels like they're building the characters around the disaster. Instead, why can't we just have a movie with a built up story in it's own right, and then just inflict a disaster upon it? Unfortunately that would go against the reason of being, for most of these films.
In that respect, this is a film that seems fairly competent and soundly put together until you start picking it apart for what it is. The fact is, it has no heart or essence, and as stated previously, has no real reason to exist other than to showcase a disaster. So, what do they do to make up for this? They try to be relevant by finding a way to cram EVERY single hot button social issue into the plot somehow.
You have the sub plot about a gay son in a macho household; you have a sub plot about the illegal immigrant struggling to be treated equitably; you have the subplot about a pregnant mother deeply questioning a possible abortion; and you have the sub plot about a special needs disabled girl. Back to my previous point: why can't we just do a film about a GUY, just an average normal guy. "Hi my name is Zeke, I mostly like girls. I blew my friend back in college, but those days are far behind me. Now I'm married, and my wife just gave birth to a completely healthy baby. I learned Spanish in high school, which I've put to good use with all my latin friends who all live here legally."
Further still, just the fact that all of these characters with a bright shining, and oh so resonant social issue attached to them, all have interwoven lives, seems a little strange. I mean sure, if you're an artistically and intellectually shallow person who thinks the ONLY way someone can be interesting as a human being, is to be the physical embodiment of a hot button social issue, then OF COURSE you could cherry pick a bunch of individuals in any city to represent each issue. Would be a little hamfisted if they all lived on the same street block though, no?, Well that's this movie, and not to mention the fact that all these DEEPLY resonant social issues all seem to come to a head RIGHT at the same time, RIGHT when a tornado hits.
Now let's talk about the tornado itself, and the portrayal of the disaster, which comes across as extremely puerile in the exact same KIND of way as the social messaging: "Oh no, I hurt my hand, so now I'm on a stretcher and can't walk, and the fact that I'm on a stretcher shows you I'm hurt, because that's what hurt people do. They lay down on stretchers, immobile and useless so you visibly know they're hurt even though they only hurt their hand," even though he was able to free himself from his car without any assistance...
So there's that one... and then there's, "Oh no, dad was out in the tornado, and his heart dun stopped... because that's what happens when you're visibly hurt by something in a generic way that's hard to visibly establish... Your heart just stops... so we better perform cpr. Oh would you look at that, we dun brought him back to life as a pair of non medical professionals valiantly displaying our meagre means of resource! Much heroics; much enginuity; many lives saved, and much clumsily piled debris briskly pulled away with little effort."
Here's another thing... The fact that none of the people who got caught in the tornado die, feels pretty hamstrung too. At least let the gay dude die so his ultra conservative parents don't have to be ashamed of him anymore, but no, everyone is just piled under rubble with scrapes and bruises, happily rescued within a couple hours, no fuss, no muss. It's like they're trying to deal with hardship without actually dealing with it... on EVERY level.
They even go so far as to dedicate the film to "victims of extreme weather," as hilariously vague and generic that is. Like, what do you mean? Flooding? Do you mean forest fires? Do you mean mudslides? Do you mean global warming? ...or is it just everything? It's EVERYTHING isn't it? ANYONE who's EVER been in a precarious weather situation... One time I got caught out in a thunderstorm, and got soaked to the bone. I was uncomfortably wet for a good three hours. What about me? Do I count? Am I a victim of extreme weather? Maybe I feel like a victim... and I guess to feel like a victim is to be a victim to some people, at least the type of people who promote a victim cult for EVERYY single issue that's SLIGHTLY uncomfortable to talk about and to live through. Just stop it. You're not relevant. You're not impactful. You're the champion's voice that no one asked for.
Again, hilarious how the type of person who makes a movie like this thinks that to embody depth and sensitivity, all they had to do was showcase their superficial concept of social issues. It's a bit like how the social elites are trying to convince you that the trans issue is THE most important thing, and that you should REALLY REALLY REALLY care about it, even though it barely affects anyone you know, and the current discourse certainly doesn't do anything to impact people's fundamental human needs, by redefining them. People really haven't changed much in the past thousand years...
For the mostpart, you're conditioned to react to these issues based on fear, self-preservation, perceived social taboo, and most of all, as a means to define your own self worth, so you can establish to yourself and to others that you're a "good person." Films like this rely on that same reflex. You're supposed to be impressed by hot button issues. You're supposed to think that this film is more than what it is, because of their presence. Luckily, in this particular case, more people seem to know better than not, and in closing, I would put it to you that regardless of your own level of depth on these issues, you can't ever really be a "good person" if you're relying on other people to define what a "good persoh" is, for you.
Sometimes "I don't know," or "I don't care." is the correct answer, and yeah in the big picture, I don't really care about any of the issues presented on screen, don't give a damn about them, at least not any more than say my love of music, my need for food, sleep, love, diversion, sport etc. TRUE value has to be personal, and by definition it has to be completely devoid of what society tells you it is. Again, if you need someone to tell you what value is, you're deluding yourself, and you are by definition shallow i.e. The opposite of value: films like this in a nutshell.
In that respect, this is a film that seems fairly competent and soundly put together until you start picking it apart for what it is. The fact is, it has no heart or essence, and as stated previously, has no real reason to exist other than to showcase a disaster. So, what do they do to make up for this? They try to be relevant by finding a way to cram EVERY single hot button social issue into the plot somehow.
You have the sub plot about a gay son in a macho household; you have a sub plot about the illegal immigrant struggling to be treated equitably; you have the subplot about a pregnant mother deeply questioning a possible abortion; and you have the sub plot about a special needs disabled girl. Back to my previous point: why can't we just do a film about a GUY, just an average normal guy. "Hi my name is Zeke, I mostly like girls. I blew my friend back in college, but those days are far behind me. Now I'm married, and my wife just gave birth to a completely healthy baby. I learned Spanish in high school, which I've put to good use with all my latin friends who all live here legally."
Further still, just the fact that all of these characters with a bright shining, and oh so resonant social issue attached to them, all have interwoven lives, seems a little strange. I mean sure, if you're an artistically and intellectually shallow person who thinks the ONLY way someone can be interesting as a human being, is to be the physical embodiment of a hot button social issue, then OF COURSE you could cherry pick a bunch of individuals in any city to represent each issue. Would be a little hamfisted if they all lived on the same street block though, no?, Well that's this movie, and not to mention the fact that all these DEEPLY resonant social issues all seem to come to a head RIGHT at the same time, RIGHT when a tornado hits.
Now let's talk about the tornado itself, and the portrayal of the disaster, which comes across as extremely puerile in the exact same KIND of way as the social messaging: "Oh no, I hurt my hand, so now I'm on a stretcher and can't walk, and the fact that I'm on a stretcher shows you I'm hurt, because that's what hurt people do. They lay down on stretchers, immobile and useless so you visibly know they're hurt even though they only hurt their hand," even though he was able to free himself from his car without any assistance...
So there's that one... and then there's, "Oh no, dad was out in the tornado, and his heart dun stopped... because that's what happens when you're visibly hurt by something in a generic way that's hard to visibly establish... Your heart just stops... so we better perform cpr. Oh would you look at that, we dun brought him back to life as a pair of non medical professionals valiantly displaying our meagre means of resource! Much heroics; much enginuity; many lives saved, and much clumsily piled debris briskly pulled away with little effort."
Here's another thing... The fact that none of the people who got caught in the tornado die, feels pretty hamstrung too. At least let the gay dude die so his ultra conservative parents don't have to be ashamed of him anymore, but no, everyone is just piled under rubble with scrapes and bruises, happily rescued within a couple hours, no fuss, no muss. It's like they're trying to deal with hardship without actually dealing with it... on EVERY level.
They even go so far as to dedicate the film to "victims of extreme weather," as hilariously vague and generic that is. Like, what do you mean? Flooding? Do you mean forest fires? Do you mean mudslides? Do you mean global warming? ...or is it just everything? It's EVERYTHING isn't it? ANYONE who's EVER been in a precarious weather situation... One time I got caught out in a thunderstorm, and got soaked to the bone. I was uncomfortably wet for a good three hours. What about me? Do I count? Am I a victim of extreme weather? Maybe I feel like a victim... and I guess to feel like a victim is to be a victim to some people, at least the type of people who promote a victim cult for EVERYY single issue that's SLIGHTLY uncomfortable to talk about and to live through. Just stop it. You're not relevant. You're not impactful. You're the champion's voice that no one asked for.
Again, hilarious how the type of person who makes a movie like this thinks that to embody depth and sensitivity, all they had to do was showcase their superficial concept of social issues. It's a bit like how the social elites are trying to convince you that the trans issue is THE most important thing, and that you should REALLY REALLY REALLY care about it, even though it barely affects anyone you know, and the current discourse certainly doesn't do anything to impact people's fundamental human needs, by redefining them. People really haven't changed much in the past thousand years...
For the mostpart, you're conditioned to react to these issues based on fear, self-preservation, perceived social taboo, and most of all, as a means to define your own self worth, so you can establish to yourself and to others that you're a "good person." Films like this rely on that same reflex. You're supposed to be impressed by hot button issues. You're supposed to think that this film is more than what it is, because of their presence. Luckily, in this particular case, more people seem to know better than not, and in closing, I would put it to you that regardless of your own level of depth on these issues, you can't ever really be a "good person" if you're relying on other people to define what a "good persoh" is, for you.
Sometimes "I don't know," or "I don't care." is the correct answer, and yeah in the big picture, I don't really care about any of the issues presented on screen, don't give a damn about them, at least not any more than say my love of music, my need for food, sleep, love, diversion, sport etc. TRUE value has to be personal, and by definition it has to be completely devoid of what society tells you it is. Again, if you need someone to tell you what value is, you're deluding yourself, and you are by definition shallow i.e. The opposite of value: films like this in a nutshell.