REVIEW — “Twisters”

A sequel to 1996’s Twister with only a few connective threads, Twisters throws everything at you: Charm, Action, Thrills, and TWINS!

From Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment, Twisters follows Kate Cooper (Daisy Edgar-Jones, Where the Crawdads Sing), a traumatized former storm chaser by a devastating encounter with a tornado years earlier. Currently living a quiet life studying storm patterns in New York City, Kate is lured back to the plains of Oklahoma by old friend, Javi (Anthony Ramos, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts), to test a groundbreaking new storm tracking system.

There, she encounters self-proclaimed “Tornado Wrangler” Tyler Owens (Glen Powell, Top Gun: Maverick), a reckless viral YouTuber and closeted meteorologist who drives straight into dangerous storms with his caravan of adrenaline junkies. As storm season intensifies, Kate, Tyler and their competing teams find themselves in the paths of multiple storm systems converging over central Oklahoma.

From swirling fireballs and twin tornadoes to explosive destruction and catapulting debris, the film’s impressive visual effects are astounding to witness. Director Lee Isaac Chung (Minari) puts his own stamp on the franchise by utilizing today’s technological advancements, like drones, dash cams, and selfie sticks, to his advantage, giving the production a more fast-paced and handheld visual style.

Edgar-Jones is intriguing as Kate, a woman with an instinctual fascination with the weather. However, she is reluctant to step back into the world of storm chasing, haunted by her past and suffering from survivor’s guilt from failing in the field.

As Tyler, Powell (Hollywood’s charming “man of the moment”) charges into the film with all the thunderous bravado and untamed confidence of an F5 tornado. His natural chemistry and blossoming on-screen romance with Edgar-Jones feels authentic and real as their two opposing characters form a close bond amid the chaos of Mother Nature.

The film also features an exciting ensemble cast of characters including Brandon Perea (Nope), Sasha Lane (American Honey), Katy O’Brian (Love Lies Bleeding), Daryl McCormack (Peaky Blinders), Kiernan Shipka (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina), Nik Dodani (Atypical), and future Superman Legacy star, David Corenswet.

There are, however, a few missed opportunities in the film: Maura Tierney admirably plays Kate’s understanding, matchmaking mom in a role that most audiences will likely wish was played by Twister’s Helen Hunt. While such a move could have easily connected the two films and added an extra layer of dramatic depth, it, understandably, would have required additional exposition that could have taken away from the central story this film was trying to establish.

It seems the filmmakers deliberately wanted to set this film apart from its mid-90s predecessor as a current-day chapter in the Twister universe. In fact, the only thing that links this standalone sequel to the first film is the “Dorothy” tornado tracking technology used in the film’s opening. The film also doesn’t focus too much on why Oklahoma is suddenly inundated with an outbreak of terrifying tornadoes, a devastating phenomena the likes of which have never been seen in the Sooner State. Instead, the two leads work together to try and tame the tornadoes by disrupting their dynamics with super absorbent powders that will dry out and suffocate the powerful cyclones.

Fortunately for the filmmakers, Twisters lands at a time when audiences are hungry for good old fashioned American escapism that entertains and doesn’t preach. Surprisingly, for a severe weather disaster film, climate change is not mentioned even once. Irresponsible? Maybe, but that’s entertainment! Ultimately, Twisters is a nonstop, hold-on-to-your-seat, whirlwind of entertainment that mirrors much of the original in terms of pacing, but stands on its own as an enjoyable and pulse-pounding disaster epic. 4/5

Twisters is rated PG-13 for intense action and peril, some language and injury images. With a running time of 2 hours, 2 minutes, Twisters opens in theaters on July 19, 2024.