On an unusually rainy May day here in San Diego, we recently took some friends visiting from Pennsylvania to the impressive Reuben H. Fleet Space Center's domed IMAX theater to see Tornado Alley. The admission was a steep $14.95 per person, but included all of the exhibits in the museum -- which, frankly, I could have done without. The museum is definitely of interest to school kids, or parents with kids -- all fine, of course, but it would have been nice if there were a "film only" price for those of us only interested in seeing the movie.
Once we waited for what seemed an incredibly long time for them to empty the theater from the previous showing (although the place was not crowded), we finally got seated. While I found the film interesting, and appreciated the "behind the scenes" look at what the tornado chasers do, I have to say that the overall impression was that the end credits started rolling just when the action seemed to get going. I realize this is a documentary and not Hollywood's version of tornado chasing, but for all the build-up, there were just a few seconds of actually being surrounded and inside a tornado, and then boom -- film over.
Don't get me wrong -- if you are a science lover, or have kids and love those kind of exhibits and museums, this is a great thing to do. But for four adults, I'd have to say we felt a little short-changed.
