Storm is a fantasy-adventure drama from Sweden that almost no one has heard of, which is too bad, its quite entertaining and ultra-stylish (the directors have a studio deal in the US already). It was a big hit in its native country and recently it was part of the Philadelphia Film Festival’s “Danger after Dark” series of extreme foreign films and it doesn’t skimp on the gore and violence. Storm starts as a flashy actioner (dressed up like Matrix and Nightwatch) but quickly becomes a psychological study of one man facing his demons (and trying to save the world from evil with the help of a raven-haired warrior chick). Storm plays out as more of a drama with action elements, similar to Nightwatch, but it has a unique style all its own.
Storm is about a young slacker journalist cruising through life named DD. One dark night while he’s out drugging and clubbing he meets a raven-haired woman named Lova, on the run from some nasty looking creatures and their master, a metrosexual smoothie. She tells him she’s stolen a box, a very important box that somehow is connected to DD. DD uses the box to unlock his repressed memories and its at that point that the film becomes an unexpectedly powerful psychological study of a bruised (and not very likable) slacker who unwittingly has become part of a larger battle between good and evil. The acting is very good and making the lead something of a jerk is a brave choice in a film like this, he’s not easy to like, let alone root for. Storm is a deft mix of psychological drama and kick-ass action. The DVD has a terrific widescreen transfer and is both dubbed in english and subtitled.
Storm is a must-see for fans of fantasy action films such as Nightwatch and Matrix, but don’t expect an all-out action fest. There’s a good amount of drama and solid storytelling along the way. My only complaint is that the ending is not conclusive at all, and the film feels more like the prologue to a longer story than a complete film. Lets hope the sequel to Storm is like Daywatch, a film that improved on its predecessor and added more action to the mix.
Film Grade:Â B+
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