IMDb RATING
6.8/10
3.7K
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It is graduation day in Joplin, Missouri. As the Class of 2011 collect their diplomas, their hometown is hit by a rare EF-5 tornado. Believing it could be the end of the world, a group of te... Read allIt is graduation day in Joplin, Missouri. As the Class of 2011 collect their diplomas, their hometown is hit by a rare EF-5 tornado. Believing it could be the end of the world, a group of teenagers find themselves in the eye of the storm.It is graduation day in Joplin, Missouri. As the Class of 2011 collect their diplomas, their hometown is hit by a rare EF-5 tornado. Believing it could be the end of the world, a group of teenagers find themselves in the eye of the storm.
Mike Bettes
- Self - Meteorologist
- (archive footage)
Anderson Cooper
- Self - Correspondent, Piers Morgan Tonight
- (archive footage)
John King
- Self - Host, John King, USA
- (archive footage)
Don Lemon
- Self - Host, CNN Newsroom
- (archive footage)
Will Norton
- Self - Joplin Tornado Victim
- (archive footage)
Barack Obama
- Self - 44th President of the United States
- (archive footage)
Tracey Presslor
- Self - Will Norton's Aunt
- (archive footage)
David Weersing
- Self - Steven's Father
- (archive footage)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
This documentary captures the raw devastation caused by the disaster-destruction that is heartbreaking for so many people.
What stands out most is the incredible strength of the Joplin community. Despite the overwhelming tragedy, the film highlights the city's strong support system and resilience.
While there are many blurry videos and images, this actually enhances the film's authenticity. Rather than using staged footage, these visuals genuinely reflect the extent of the damage and the chaos that unfolded.
Ultimately, this documentary tells a powerful story of unity in the face of horror.
What stands out most is the incredible strength of the Joplin community. Despite the overwhelming tragedy, the film highlights the city's strong support system and resilience.
While there are many blurry videos and images, this actually enhances the film's authenticity. Rather than using staged footage, these visuals genuinely reflect the extent of the damage and the chaos that unfolded.
Ultimately, this documentary tells a powerful story of unity in the face of horror.
Someone committed how they were disappointed about premise being about people, not the tornado. They even said the characters were annoying. What's wrong with you?! This wasn't doesn't done for your entertainment. These people were not actors. This was incredible first accounts about people who experienced one of the worst tornadoes in history. The fact that they LIVED to tell it was amazing enough.
I felt this documentary was well done! My heart was racing through most of this documentary. I was emotional and driven to tears. This was shown 13 years after the event. The way they pulled together cell phone footage and actual sound. They were able to create the experience intertwined and was so descriptive, your mind could fill in the rest.
I can't believe society is so jaded by Hollywood, they are unable to feel the real.
WATCH THIS!!
Be prepared. If you live in the Midwest, you will NEVER ignore those warning sirens again!
Hope this documentary wins an Oscar!
I felt this documentary was well done! My heart was racing through most of this documentary. I was emotional and driven to tears. This was shown 13 years after the event. The way they pulled together cell phone footage and actual sound. They were able to create the experience intertwined and was so descriptive, your mind could fill in the rest.
I can't believe society is so jaded by Hollywood, they are unable to feel the real.
WATCH THIS!!
Be prepared. If you live in the Midwest, you will NEVER ignore those warning sirens again!
Hope this documentary wins an Oscar!
If you find tornadoes to be intriguing, you will generally like this documentary. The first hand accounts were the best and most frightening parts of the show. There wasn't much point to the kid meteorologist wanna be though. I didn't think it was relevant. There was a lot of build up and then it seemed very rushed. The ending with a little blurb about global warming and more intense storms was unnecessary. The producer could have done a quick search and learned that 2011 had the most F4 and F5s then the last F5 was in 2013 and hardly none since then. So that little ending info really wasn't necessary. I liked ending on a positive with the football game but it could have also included a better look at how the city looks now and how it recovered.
Your enjoyment of this documentary of the historic tornado in Joplin will largely depend on whether you prefer more personal stories with amateur shaky footage or if you would rather see a glossy production with lots of expert talking heads and raw data. I tend to prefer the former because it takes a massive event and scales it down to the personal level which to me is much more powerful. I can relate much more to individual experiences compared to boring discussions of weather patterns and historic precedent
I'm not sure why they picked these individual stories to tell. Almost all the accounts are from people that were teenagers at the time, but I think it was a good choice. When you are that age big events like this can completely alter your outlook on life and the future. I wasn't equally interested in all the accounts, but it gave the story a decidedly emotional element that would be missing from many documentaries
The footage is chaotic and a lot of it is just cameras pointing at the sky with no particular focus on the tornado, but it highlights the chaotic nature of the event and helps build tension. You won't see a lot of footage of the tornado ripping through houses or CGI reenactments of its path, but it goes along with the personal nature of this story as a lot of the footage was taken by those being interviewed or camera footage from the areas they were at
However, it could have used a little more context information. It really didn't accurately portray the sheer devastation and destruction of the town. Most of the time is spent building up to the tornado and the moments during with very little time spent on the aftermath. There are no maps showing its path or any overhead shots of the whole town with the line cut through it, so it's a little hard to put the whole thing in perspective for someone not familiar with the area
Ultimately, I got unusually emotional watching it which is my sign that it worked. Many documentaries explain everything in a clinical way with lots of facts and talking heads, which can be good, but I tend to prefer these more intimate stories that I can connect to on a personal level.
I'm not sure why they picked these individual stories to tell. Almost all the accounts are from people that were teenagers at the time, but I think it was a good choice. When you are that age big events like this can completely alter your outlook on life and the future. I wasn't equally interested in all the accounts, but it gave the story a decidedly emotional element that would be missing from many documentaries
The footage is chaotic and a lot of it is just cameras pointing at the sky with no particular focus on the tornado, but it highlights the chaotic nature of the event and helps build tension. You won't see a lot of footage of the tornado ripping through houses or CGI reenactments of its path, but it goes along with the personal nature of this story as a lot of the footage was taken by those being interviewed or camera footage from the areas they were at
However, it could have used a little more context information. It really didn't accurately portray the sheer devastation and destruction of the town. Most of the time is spent building up to the tornado and the moments during with very little time spent on the aftermath. There are no maps showing its path or any overhead shots of the whole town with the line cut through it, so it's a little hard to put the whole thing in perspective for someone not familiar with the area
Ultimately, I got unusually emotional watching it which is my sign that it worked. Many documentaries explain everything in a clinical way with lots of facts and talking heads, which can be good, but I tend to prefer these more intimate stories that I can connect to on a personal level.
This documentary details the utter devastation caused by a tornado in Joplin back in 2011.
Unfortunately for some viewers who left reviews complaining about how awful the footage was, the awful people that were interviewed the religious aspect and whatever else they could find to moan about. It's indicative of the damage social media has on weak minds, zero attention span chasing that dopamine hit because they were bored by the survivors stories of being trapped inside a tornado with footage to boot. Evidently it's not enough to satiate the next generation of people that will find something to complain or be offended by. Not one of them stopped to think of the 114 people dead, the inpact on the survivors some with life changing injuries and let's not forget the entire community of Joplin that was basically erased of the map. Family homes local businesses. None of that was considered, they just moaned about the lack of entertainment and the 'grainy' 'YouTube quality footage' Why are so many people so selfish and lacking in empathy nowadays? This is a documentary about lives and a community devastated by a REAL tornado. You do not have the right to criticize and refer to the interviewees as 'yokels'.
Look at your own lives before criticizing others for sharing their story! Shame on you.
Unfortunately for some viewers who left reviews complaining about how awful the footage was, the awful people that were interviewed the religious aspect and whatever else they could find to moan about. It's indicative of the damage social media has on weak minds, zero attention span chasing that dopamine hit because they were bored by the survivors stories of being trapped inside a tornado with footage to boot. Evidently it's not enough to satiate the next generation of people that will find something to complain or be offended by. Not one of them stopped to think of the 114 people dead, the inpact on the survivors some with life changing injuries and let's not forget the entire community of Joplin that was basically erased of the map. Family homes local businesses. None of that was considered, they just moaned about the lack of entertainment and the 'grainy' 'YouTube quality footage' Why are so many people so selfish and lacking in empathy nowadays? This is a documentary about lives and a community devastated by a REAL tornado. You do not have the right to criticize and refer to the interviewees as 'yokels'.
Look at your own lives before criticizing others for sharing their story! Shame on you.
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAll entries contain spoilers
- ConnectionsFeatures The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Tornado: Atrapados en la tormenta
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 29 minutes
- Color
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