U.S. DVD Release
DD is your average bachelor jerk-off with no apparent direction and seemingly no remorse for his occasionally cold-hearted actions until a young woman named Lova being chased by a few thugs enters his life and changes it forever. Forced to confront buried, and traumatic memories, DD begins to understand why he is the way he is and how he’s affected those around him. The past isn’t the only thing DD is forced to confront though, Lova has been kidnapped by unknown assailants and only DD has the power to unlock his past, save Lova in the present and quite possibly change the future for the entire world.
Maybe.
See, I’m not entirely sure because not much was clear in this slick, beautifully lensed sci-fi thriller from Sweden. Part of me wants to just dismiss the entire film as nothing more than a feeble attempt by a few Swedish filmmakers to “show the world” that Hollywood isn’t the only place fantastic sci-fi blockbusters like The Matrix are made and the other half of me wants to know and see more. I was simultaneously hooked and annoyed by this disjointed, odd little film.
Was this a sci-fi film about comic book characters come to life? Real characters crossing over from one dimension to another or is everything we see nothing more than the wild hallucinations of DD’s drug-addled mind? Were they angels and demons fighting foe DD’s soul? It’s hard to say as there was a comic book subplot, a drug subplot and even an alternate dimension subplot! Nothing here really offers viewers any real insight into what we, and the character of DD, are experiencing. Are we expected to make up our own mind or is it just all just a poorly written script?
While Storm and The Matrix may share a few similarities, I’m not entirely convinced it was made to simple ape the latter. There does seem to be an original concept here, unfortunately it just wasn’t executed clearly enough. A few of the special effects could probably be considered “Matrix-esque” but these days ANY film that features alternate realities, leather outfits and slow-mo, multi-angle gun play and fight choreography is automatically labeled derivative whether it’s even remotely similar to The Matrix or not. Ultimately, Storm features decent acting, brilliant cinematography and a few genuinely scary sequences involving DD’s past.
I can’t say Storm was fantastic or anything but it was an okay watch. I was a bit disappointed with the lack of special features as well as the English 2.0 stereo but the overall film was watchable. If a sequel were to be released I’d probably check it out. Is this a keeper? Well, do yourself a favor and rent first before buying this as it’s nowhere near horrible.
