It's an odd choice, and honestly, I don't think it works.
We all know the bit from the trailer where Jonathon tells young Clark he maybe should have let the children on the bus die in order to prevent exposing himself. The context of the movie doesn't change this much. It's also pretty different from any iteration of Jonathon I can think of, int he movie Jonathon seems more worried over Clark exposing himself and the implications it would have. Not that, you know, children would have died if Clark didn't act. And, for what it is worth, the child Clark saved whose mother is a bit pissed off about it (?!) is Pete Ross.
But the other thing I suspect the review is speaking of is how Jonathon dies. After a "you're not my real father!" fight on the highway Jonathon pulls over as there's a tornado nearby. He and Clark help the people on the highway to make it to an underpass for "safety" (in actuality this is not a good idea, but people have done it including in a notable event in Andover, Kansas in 1991.) After everyone is "safely" in the underpass Jonathon heads back to the family truck to get the dog (?!!) but doesn't have enough time to make it back. Clark moves like he's going to run and get Jonathon but he holds up his arm, gives Clark an "it's okay" look and allows himself to be killed by the tornado rather than Clark exposing himself. Which, really, felt dumb because, frankly, it's over a dog and one thing you're told when it comes to these disasters, any disaster, is not to risk yourself to save a pet.
Now, sure, it wasn't a situation where Clark could have easily made it over to Jonathon and back without exposing himself but it would have meant a bit more if Jonathon was trapped. Say Jonathon and Clark were working together to save a trapped child, in the process of freeing the child Jonathon himself trips and stalled for a moment. He sends Clark back to the underpass with the child saying he'll be right behind Clark, but when Clark makes it back and turns to his father is trapped as a gust of wind has moved a car/some debris in a way to pin Jonathon. He moves like he's going to rush in to rush in and lift the car out of the way but NOW Jonathon makes his "don't" gesture and Clark nods in a bit of understanding and stands down, beginning to weep.
That would have made some more sense than what happened.
But the other thing I suspect the review is speaking of is how Jonathon dies. After a "you're not my real father!" fight on the highway Jonathon pulls over as there's a tornado nearby. He and Clark help the people on the highway to make it to an underpass for "safety" (in actuality this is not a good idea, but people have done it including in a notable event in Andover, Kansas in 1991.) After everyone is "safely" in the underpass Jonathon heads back to the family truck to get the dog (?!!) but doesn't have enough time to make it back. Clark moves like he's going to run and get Jonathon but he holds up his arm, gives Clark an "it's okay" look and allows himself to be killed by the tornado rather than Clark exposing himself. Which, really, felt dumb because, frankly, it's over a dog and one thing you're told when it comes to these disasters, any disaster, is not to risk yourself to save a pet.
Now, sure, it wasn't a situation where Clark could have easily made it over to Jonathon and back without exposing himself but it would have meant a bit more if Jonathon was trapped. Say Jonathon and Clark were working together to save a trapped child, in the process of freeing the child Jonathon himself trips and stalled for a moment. He sends Clark back to the underpass with the child saying he'll be right behind Clark, but when Clark makes it back and turns to his father is trapped as a gust of wind has moved a car/some debris in a way to pin Jonathon. He moves like he's going to rush in to rush in and lift the car out of the way but NOW Jonathon makes his "don't" gesture and Clark nods in a bit of understanding and stands down, beginning to weep.
That would have made some more sense than what happened.
