Ice Twisters (2009)

Instant Favorite.

Good movie but grossly overrated

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

Most days, I've learned to avoid SyFy channel movies. Most are utter garbage . . . this one was pretty decent.Many of the reviews note the similarity with Twister, and there is some of that. They then added in a few of the standard themes of SyFy movies, mostly the pseudo-science that fills most of these types of films, whether done for release in the cinema or released straight-to-video/TV. Still, they mostly made the premise work in this one.The result was a engaging story with some pretty good (and some awful) FX. Most of the acting was pretty good, with Mark Moses and Ryan Kennedy providing strong performances.In conclusion, I would watch it again given the opportunity.

"Charlie Price" (Mark Moses) is a former scientist who has quit his profession in order to write science-fiction books. One day while at a book signing ceremony in a small Oregon town the weather suddenly changes and a tornado rips through the main street. Not long afterward he notices a former colleague named "Joanne" (Camille Sullivan) taking water samples and immediately connects the bizarre change in weather to her sudden appearance . After coaxing her and another scientist by the name of "Frank" (Robert Moloney) he finds out that they work for the Federal Science Foundation and that that have indeed been manipulating the weather as part of their research. Yet, while they have been able to change the weather they gradually realize that they cannot control it and this leads to disastrous consequences. At any rate, rather than detail the rest of the story and risk spoiling the film for those who haven't seen it, I will just say that even though the formula was pretty standard it was a fun movie all the same. Naturally, as a made-for-television movie there really isn't anything too graphic or risqué but then it wasn't necessary anyway. Although I didn't care for the rather far-fetched ending I thought that the overall action and special effects were essentially okay and the actors played their parts pretty well. That said, while this certainly isn't a great movie by any means I still found it to be a satisfactory movie all the same and I have rated it accordingly. Average.

I have made no secret of disliking a lot of movies that air on the SyFy channel, but seeing as I have seen some good disaster movies in the past. Ice Twisters is not the worst I've seen on that channel by a long shot, however it is a very bad movie. The film does have some nice locations/sets, the concept was somewhat interesting and Ryan Kennedy was decent. But that's it. The script may have been corny and derivative, the story predictable with so many unrealistic elements to it, the direction lethargic, the pace dull, scenes ending abruptly with few suspenseful or dramatic build ups and the acting especially from the very bland lead patchy, but it is the special effects that bring the film down, most of them such as the ice twisters themselves look ridiculously fake. In conclusion, not a good movie. 3/10 Bethany Cox

Let us begin our journey in a small town in Oregon. And by town, I really mean set of open tents in a field. This dramatic backdrop can only lead to unbelievable suspense, and the movie doesn't disappoint.The character whom I sympathize with the most is the first character to die (within the first five minutes). Unfortunately he misses the rest of the movie, to his great loss. On the bright side, though, the actor who portrays him probably got great close-ups of the action (heart-pounding!), and you really can't put a price on that.Charlie Price is portrayed by Mark Moses, who, like his namesake, parts the seas of confusion throughout this epic film. In the inaugural ice twister, Charlie's insight and wit are fundamental in fighting through the subterfuge brought on by the government, and he also rediscovers the love of his life, who kind of looks like a cross between Moses's wife and Jesus.The FSF (Federal Science Foundation) vans help give the audience a glimpse into the convoluted mind of director Steven R. Monroe, who, unlike his namesake, was not a president. (Footnote: James Monroe was 5 ft. 4 inches tall). The countless plot twists and turns leaves the viewer as dizzy as if he had just been sucked into one of the ice twisters himself.The buckwild dialogue relies mainly on dramatic pauses and oftentimes the buckwild lack of dialogue. Samuel L. Jackson* plays an incognito role as the assistant to the main nemesis, Frank, mysteriously left without a last name. Matt Damon, protruding into the film frequently from the other side of commercial breaks, really helped bring a note of lightness to the often quite grotesquely ginormous sexual tension present amongst any combination of two or more characters at any point in the film. (Spoiler: there is a three-person hug which does NOT lead to an Eiffel Tower scene.) Once again, SyFy has created an instant classic, following the footsteps of their last ice/rogue-science-gone-bad/government blockbuster, Ice Spiders. To wrap up, I won't tell you not to get your loved ones any other presents this holiday season, but this movie's presence on your DVR just might be enough.*Dion Johnston is actually merely a poor man's Samuel L. Jackson, but a personal recommendation is to watch the movie and mentally substitute Samuel L. Jackson any time Johnston is on screen.