Lou Diamond Phillips, Nicole de Boer get sucked into the ‘Metal Tornado’
If you’re in search of subtlety, a movie titled Metal Tornado is probably not the best DVD to pick up on May 22. If you don’t mind 90 minutes of brainless action, then the movie has its rewards.
Lou Diamond Phillips plays Michael Edwards, a scientist at the up-and-coming Helios Project. With his fellow scientists — including Star Trek’s Nicole de Boer as Rebecca Adler — Michael tries to harness the sun’s solar flares into a renewable energy. The science in the movie is fairly simplistic (solar flare hits satellites, which then transmit energy down to special locations around the world). The first official test of the project goes horribly wrong (literally within seconds of the movie beginning), and it’s up to Michael and his team to stop the deadly aftermath: a hellish energy field that takes the shape of a tornado and magnetically draws metal objects into its violent swirls.
The movie features some decent special effects, which is perhaps the most surprising aspect of the film. The metal tornado and the many scenes of household items getting sucked into its folds all appear real and authentic. The production value strives to keep us both interested and believing.
Phillips does his best job with a script that’s about 430 steps below Shakespeare. Most of the lines of dialogue are shouts from one character to another. They go something like this:
“Is that what I think it is?”
“Yes … that’s a metal tornado. And it’s headed right for us.”
It’s difficult to work in some genuine acting chops when the script is stilted, but Phillips keeps everything respectable enough. De Boer, always a pleasure to see, is equally stuck with a difficult role, but she does her best to keep a straight face.
Honestly, the movie is enjoyable on a very elemental level. It will remind viewers of the old monster/adventure flicks from the 1950s and 1960s. Take out the metal tornado and plug in any creature you’d like. The structure is nearly identical: assessment of problem, identification of heroes and villains, a few innocent bystanders thrown in for collateral damage, and then total destruction one town after another.
Interestingly, Metal Tornado sets its sights on Henderson, Pa., and Paris, France. Typically, Los Angeles or New York City are the first to go up in flames, but not this time. Sorry to the poor folks of Henderson. Although the French connection feels like a stretch, it’s great seeing a globally-recognized landmark get sucked into the tornado (I’m sure you can guess which Paris metal structure that is).
Director Gordon Yang and screenwriters Andrew C. Erin and Jason Bourque have cut out any sense of humor from the film. Instead, they take themselves very seriously, and this proves to be the movie’s strongest point. Too often these films have tongues stuck in their cheek. If you’re going to make B-movie popcorn entertainment, why not just be sincere? One can lob many critiques at Metal Tornado, but “lack of trying” is not one of them.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
-
Metal Tornado
-
2011
-
Directed by Gordon Yang
-
Written by Andrew C. Erin and Jason Bourque
-
Starring Lou Diamond Phillips, Nicole de Boer and Greg Evigan
-
Running time: 90 minutes
-
Rated PG for disaster action/peril and mild language
-
Rating:
