Supercell Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Supercell Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 3, 2023

Supercell is a film at least ostensibly about storm chasing, but considering tragic circumstances for two of the film's marquee stars, there may be evidence that "storms" of one sort or another can also do the chasing. This is just one of actually several films that have either already debuted or will in the coming weeks and months that serve as a posthumous homage to Anne Heche, whom many suspect of having more or less committed suicide in 2022 courtesy of a high speed car crash directly into a house. As if that subtext of tragedy weren't enough, the film also offers a glorified cameo to Alec Baldwin, who as of the writing of this review is at least off the hook criminally for the 2021 shooting death of Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust, but who is still reportedly facing some civil liabilities in that horrifying tragedy. These casting choices give Supercell a perhaps unwanted amount of collateral "information" if not outright damage, and they may actually unhelpfully distract from a film that wants to be one part (low budget) Twister and one part intimate family drama.

Once again the synchronicity divinities are having a field day with my review queue, because as weird as it may seem, Supercell in its own way connects to the recently reviewed Spinning Gold, in that both productions offer a filmmaking son attempting to come to terms with his father's legacy. As is disclosed in a nice making of featurette included on this Blu-ray, co-writer and director Herbert James Winterstern (great surname for a project like this) has a "personal" connection to this tale, and in fact this is in at least some ways a fictionalized autobiography.

William (Daniel Diemer) is for the bulk of the film a young man who wants to follow in his late father's storm chasing footsteps, and the story basically is his coming of age tale, with his troubled (in more ways than one) mother Quinn (Anne Heche) trying to keep up with him, both figuratively and literally. Two grizzled storm chasers played by Skeet Ulrich and Alec Baldwin also play into the story, which seems not to have had the budget to create CGI wonderment in terms of cows flying in hurricanes and the like, but which may have helped in the long run by keeping the focus on the personal interrelationships.

Supercell Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Supercell is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. The IMDb doesn't offer much technical information, and the sampling I did of the commentary didn't really disclose anything useful, but this is a competent digital capture that I'm assuming probably had a 2K DI (as always with my reviews, if anyone can point me toward verifiable technical information, private message me and I'll happily update things). There's a good deal of low light material here in some of the storm sequences where things can intermittently look a bit on the noisy side, but in better lighting conditions, the palette pops agreeably and detail levels remain consistent. A few brief moments of banding can be spotted in some of the storm material when lighting intensity changes suddenly.

Supercell Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Supercell features an intermittently bombastic DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. Probably for budgetary reasons, the storm sequences are not as overwhelming as in films like Twister, and that includes the sound design, but there is some really nice, forceful LFE that erupts during lightning and thunder explosions, and whipping winds create considerable immersion and engagement of the side and rear channels. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English and Spanish subtitles are available.

Supercell Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary with Co-Writer / Director Herbert James Winterstern, Composer Corey Wallace and Cinematographer Andrew Jeric


• Inside the Bear's Cage: Making Supercell (HD: 19:18) is an above average EPK which gets into some of Winterstern's own history with storm chasing.


• Proof of Concept Teaser (HD; 2:34)

Additionally, a digital copy is included and packaging features a slipcover.

Supercell Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If you come to Supercell expecting a typical "weather disaster movie", you'll probably come away disappointed. The real impact here comes not from out of control winds and rain but the equally unpredictable relationships that families often encounter. Technical merits are generally solid and the supplements enjoyable for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.