The best thing that I can say about Lee Isaac Chung’s (Minari, Munyurangabo)Twisters is that it does very well at what it tries to do. In his first film since earning an Academy Award nomination for 2020’s Minari, Chung takes on a film that couldn’t feel any more different. Twisters is not a sequel or reboot to the commercially successful Twister, which earned $495 million worldwide, or more than five times its budget of $92 million. The 1996 movie was one of the most-hyped and anticipated movies in years, with its trailers ahead of their time and two of the newest Hollywood A-listers in Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton. Despite its commercial success, it had poor Rotten Tomatoes critics (66%) and audience (58%) scores.

The original marketing of the 1996 original left many with the impression that Twister would do for tornados what Jaws did for sharks. We expected tense moments, the deaths of some characters, and technology to make it feel like F5 tornados were spinning right toward us through the big screen. We expected the seriousness of a beloved film like The Thing. Instead, we got a popcorn flick that felt like a less effective Tremors. I like Tremors a lot. The film I received was the film I thought I would receive. To its detriment, the same could not be said of Twister.

The only connection between Twister and Twisters is the subject matter and the play on the film’s title. However, Chung capitalized on Twister’s style and reception. Twister was different from what we thought it would be, yet it was still highly successful. Though the films are independent of each other, audiences were always going to link to the two. Rather than making the mistake of its predecessor, Chung marketed Twisters in a way that catered to the campiness of the original. If nothing else, the trailer will not leave you feeling betrayed. With a budget of $200 million, Twisters were sure to be, if nothing else, highly entertaining with exhilarating special effects.

Daisy Edgar-Jones (Fresh, Where the Crawdads Sing) stars as Kate, our lead protagonist. Five years ago, Kate, Javi (Brandon Perea – Nope, American Insurrection), and three of their storm-chasing college friends experimented by releasing barrels of sodium polyacrylate into the eye of the tornado in an attempt to cool it down, weaken it, and ultimately cause it to collapse. The team underestimates a potent storm that kills everyone except Kate and Javi.

Kate now lives in New York City as a tornado specialist working for the National Weather Service, having given up storm-chasing completely after the tragedy. That is until Javi appears out of the blue. It had been five years since the two had spoken. He approaches her with a proposal. His employer is in the test phase of a new system that can use 3-D tornado scans to better predict their paths.

He works for a company called Storm Par, which has been testing a new system to scan for tornados in Oklahoma in the hopes that it can prevent them from causing further damage to areas hit by tornados. However, he must be close to the tornado to test the model accurately and set up the sensors. This is where he needs Kate. It also sets up the remainder of our story, where Kate returns and tries to find peace in the place she had previously called home. It is a challenging homecoming, as a once-in-a-generation series of tornados is ripping through Oklahoma. Kate comes face-to-face with the actions of that fatal night and new hurdles she must overcome.

So Kate joins Javi and his team in Oklahoma, where a “once in a generation” tornado outbreak has been tearing through the state. There, she meets Tyler “The Tornado Wrangler” Owens (Glen Powell – Top Gun: Maverick, Hit Man), a charismatic YouTuber who, with a small team, chases tornados while live streaming from his truck. He presents himself as a boisterous, lovable jerk, selling cheap t-shirts with likenesses to his fans one moment to sympathizing with Kate, someone he hardly knows, the next. In either case, Powell was the highlight of the film. He and Edgar-Jones had natural chemistry. Unfortunately, her character wasn’t as uniquely written. Many audiences were more interested in Tyler’s story than Kate’s. The script was poor and full of many cliches you’d expect in a summer blockbuster disaster movie that was designed to capitalize on its $200 million budget.

Twisters is the perfect summer popcorn flick. It’s hard to say if it’s more a comedy, drama, action, or adventure. I wouldn’t reduce it to one or two of those genres. Instead, I’ll say that it’s fun. If you suspend disbelief and enjoy the film for what it is, you will have a good time. Taking it a step further, If you liked Twister and enjoy movies like The Day After Tomorrow, San Andreas, and The Core, Twisters will be a rewardable experience.

Plot 8/10
Character Development 7/10
Character Chemistry 7.5/10
Acting 7.5/10
Screenplay 7/10
Directing 8/10
Cinematography 8.5/10
Sound 8.5/10
Hook and Reel 9.5/10
Universal Relevance 9/10
80.5%

C

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• Twister
• Geostorm
• The Day After Tomorrow
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• Into the Storm