Lee Isaac Chung captures much of the magic that made the original Twister so special.
A couple of years after Jurassic Park redefined the modern blockbuster in 1993, cinematographer-turned-action director Jan de Bont delivered a movie unlike anything we’d seen to that point. Twister was able to create very realistic, very terrifying tornadoes and turn extreme weather into an action spectacle for the ages, cementing the film’s permanent spot in the hearts of moviegoers. Nothing since Twister has really been able to recreate that kind of weather spectacle, with unrealistic CGI taking over so many of the weather-related disaster movies over the years. Fortunately, director Lee Isaac Chung’s Twisters is able to rise to the occasion, giving audiences the throwback disaster blockbuster we’ve been craving since the ’90s.
Twisters is a sequel to Twister in name and concept, but the story has little connective tissue to its predecessor. So much of the DNA of Twisters, however, comes straight from the source. It begins in similar fashion to Twister, with a catastrophic tornado that takes the lives of people the protagonist cares about. This time, it’s Kate Carter, played by an undeniable Daisy Edgar-Jones. Kate and her young team of weather enthusiasts are trying out an experiment that could potentially stop a tornado and keep people safe, but they underestimate the storm and three of their five are killed in the process.
Five years later, Kate is approached by the other survivor, Javi (Anthony Ramos), who wants to bring her back to Oklahoma to help his very well-funded operation in the middle of a generational tornado outbreak. He sells her on using data they collect to keep people safe, but there are some ulterior motives at play. When they get to Tornado Alley, they meet YouTube storm chaser Tyler Owens, a.k.a. the “Tornado Wrangler,” played by the absolute freight train of charisma Glen Powell. Just like Javi’s operation, Tyler’s loud, in-your-face team isn’t exactly as it seems on the surface. As Kate grows closer to Tyler, and the storms continue to worsen, they look back at Kate’s “Tornado Tamer” plan from years past, thinking they might be able to stop the destruction after all.
Daisy Edgar-Jones and Glen Powell in Twisters
– Universal Pictures)
Twisters is a movie that knows exactly what it is and never tries to be anything else. There is an inherent ridiculousness that was present in so many of the memorable blockbusters from three decades ago that we continue to rewatch. Of course there’s a generational storm outbreak that sees multiple towns completely leveled in the span of a few days; of course the main characters are the only cool people in history to make their living on YouTube; of course rockets are being shot into tornadoes just for the hell of it.
Mark L. Smith’s script is packed with fun, engaging scenes, and Chung directs the mess out of each and every one of them. The many scenes of trucks speeding down muddy Oklahoma backroads bring you along for the ride in consistently innovative ways, while the tornadoes themselves will knock you on your ass. Seriously, these storms are unreal. But they’re thrilling in that exciting, “movies can do anything” kind of way. As someone who has been very close to actual tornado destruction, there wasn’t a moment of this movie that felt like it was too much.
Not only does it feel like a great blockbuster when it comes to spectacle, but Twisters boasts a cast that you cannot take your eyes off of. Each of them brings their character to life in a way that makes said characters seem just a little different from anyone else in other movies. Much like Phillip Seymour Hoffman in the original, Brandon Perea and Sasha Lane steal scenes with ease. Tunde Adebimpe gives the kind of subtle, hilarious performance we’ll be talking about for years. Anthony Ramos does what we know he can do: Anchor any scene and make you feel all the things.
But Twisters belongs to Daisy Edgar-Jones and Glen Powell, and boy do they deliver. At this point, Powell’s charm and effortless ability to sweep you off your feet should not come as a surprise. From the moment Tyler bursts onto the scene in that massive red pickup truck, you’re completely enthralled with his every movement. Yet, for my money, it’s Edgar-Jones who runs away with Twisters by the time the credits roll. Her performance isn’t over-the-top or in-your-face, but it’s filled with a balance that allows everyone around her to be larger than life. She’s the eye of the storm, so to speak, and her steadiness in the midst of chaos keeps the rest of the cast moving in the right direction.
Like Twister, and so many other great blockbusters from that era, Twisters has a small, but impactful message at its center. You come for the spectacle and silliness, both of which Twisters has no shortage of, yet the nugget of hope nestled beneath the surface is what elevates the film above most of its contemporary peers. This is a film about finding hope in the face of forces you can’t control, and being willing to let that hope drive you when your cynical nature kicks in. We tend to brush off the idea that we can make a difference. Twisters tosses that idea in the garbage can and kicks that can down a flight of stairs; the film’s entire thesis is, “Hope is real, hope is necessary, and hope is totally badass.”
In a world where hope feels sillier by the day, Twisters reminds us just how necessary hope can be for all of us. When you throw in some crazy storms, an all-star cast, and a soundtrack of top-to-bottom stellar jams, you’ve got yourself a recipe for the summer blockbuster we’ve been missing so much.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Twisters is now playing in theaters everywhere.
