Directed by Herbert James Winterstern, ‘Supercell’ is a disaster action film, now streaming on Hulu. Starring Skeet Ulrich, Anne Heche, Daniel Diemer, Jordan Kristine Seamón, and Alec Baldwin, it tells the story of a teenager trying to reconnect with his father’s utmost love and fascination toward storm-chasing. To honor his father’s legacy, he decides to go on an adventure despite all the opposition. The film feels like a fusion of the awe-inducing early works of Steven Spielberg with a generic teenage drama. You see a kid following his dreams despite all the odds in a film beautifully shot by Andrew Jeric.
*Spoilers Ahead*
Supercell (2023) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
What is ‘Supercell’ about?
The film is primarily about William (Daniel Diemer) trying to live up to the legacy of his late father, Bill (Richard Gunn). Bill was a well-known storm-chaser, fascinated by the way storms function. Due to his years of interest, he had also started to work on a device that can help a person to hear a tornado’s breaths. Unfortunately, during one of his excursions, Bill loses his life. Ten years later, we see William in his mid-teens helping his mother, Quinn (Anne Heche), with a cleaning job. Although he was intrigued by the storms as Bill’s father was, he purposefully kept his distance so that they did not encounter the same fate.
William’s Curiosity
One day, William gets called to his principal’s office. He sneaks out through the window, gets up on the roof, and turns the alarm on to monitor a thunderstorm through a microphone. His mother does not promote such behavior since it resulted in Bill’s death. However, his classmate Harper (Jordan Kristine Seamon) supports his hunger for knowledge. Later on, William discovers Bill’s diary filled with notes about his research. It leads to his mother arguing with him for his safety.
In that diary, he finds a letter that leads him to an address. So, he reaches there, without telling his mother, to find his uncle Roy (Skeet Ulrich). The uncle now guides tourists on their trips during the storm seasons. While Roy initially refuses to take care of the kid, he eventually obliges.
Meanwhile, Quinn gets upset by William’s disappearance. She finds the letter with Roy’s address and decides to drive there with Harper. Back at Roy’s place, William comes across Zane (Alec Baldwin), who acts like a wise caretaker of everyone. During the journey, he shares his years’ worth of wisdom about the storms. Roy shares the rules they need to follow for their own safety.
‘Chasing is 90% driving and 10% getting closer to nature’s wrath,’ claims Zane. They eventually stop at a place where they can keep a watch on a tornado slowly appearing in front of their eyes. Moments after, Roy senses a potential threat and decides to lead them elsewhere. The rain wrecks the vehicle, leaving them on foot.
William’s Journey
Skeet Ulrich, Alec Baldwin, and Daniel Diemer in Supercell (2023)During their drive, Quinn and Harper share their views about William’s curiosity. Quinn is still just as concerned about her son’s state and considers his rebellious escape immature. On the other hand, Roy tells William about Bill’s organic inclination toward storms. After Bill’s death, Bill and Quinn’s Brody Storm Labs went bankrupt and so became Brody Storm Tours. That led to Roy being an employee from being a business partner. Later, when the tour vehicle is on its way to the next site, William enters a shop. Zane forces Roy to leave without the kid. Soon after, William exits the store to witness a storm in person. He seeks shelter inside a payphone box and saves himself.
Zane returns to the destroyed shop and tries to steal the spotlight from William. Roy recognizes Zane’s selfish attempt to use the kid for his business. After his minor scuffle with his nephew, Roy sees the device that Bill had started working upon. It can pick up the sound inside a storm when it is set to a particular frequency. Quinn figured out the frequency when they could hear a storm breathing.
Seeing him get sentimental toward Bill’’s inclination toward storms, Roy drives him away at night. On the way, William briefly opens up about his crush on Harper. Roy takes the kid to a plot of land to witness lightning thunders up close. It brings back William’s memories of the times he spent similarly with his late father. Now, it gives a necessary boost to follow his dreams.
The Supercell
Quinn still cannot forgive herself for Bill’s death. She recounts all the precautions they could have taken to save his life. Meanwhile, William starts learning more about the storms and Bill’s legacy. Zane is hellbent on using William over Bill’s legacy. He claims that people take scientists more seriously than adrenaline junkies like them. Soon after, William becomes almost a celebrity in the area. The locals seek Roy’s suggestions to be safe from an upcoming storm. While William decides to take the initiative to chase the storm, Roy opposes it. But that does not stop the kid from pursuing it on his own.
William gets in a car with Zane and two tourists. Zane uses Bill’s legacy to impress the folks toward what they are about to witness. He talks about a man who discovered how all the storms function like human lungs. However, a particular storm called ‘Supercell’ would rotate its rain out of its throat under particular conditions, allowing it to breathe in and out for hours. While they drive away, Quinn meets Roy and confronts him for leading his son to danger. They shout out their anger at each other while Harper directs them to go chase her friend instead.
Supercell (2023) Movie Ending Explained:
Does Quinn manage to hear the breaths of a supercell?
William stops by a spot where he can try to intercept a storm’s pattern. After an initial failure, Zane starts driving away, to finally witness a supercell. He asks the kid to use his headphones to find the storm’s pulse. William intercepts something through the device and then starts walking toward the tornado. He eventually senses the danger and starts running back to the van. Since the vehicle cannot start, Zane gets out to help others leave. He sadly sacrifices his life to secure these people.
William attempts to drive the van even if he has not driven one before. After hearing the breaths of a supercell, William manages to safely escape the life-threatening marvel. The ending shows Quinn accepting William’s curiosity and possibly helping it promote in the foreseeable future.
Read More: Everything Coming to Hulu in August 2023
Supercell (2023) Trailer:
Supercell (2023) Movie Links: IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, Wikipedia
Supercell (2023) Movie Cast: Skeet Ulrich, Anne Heche, Daniel Diemer, Jordan Kristine Seamón, Alec Baldwin
Supercell (2023) Movie Genre: Adventure/Mystery & thriller, Runtime: 1h 40m
Where to watch Supercell
