Twisters isn’t a remake or a sequel, but like its 1996 predecessor, the extreme weather film does embody the spirit of a fun summer blockbuster.
Directed by Minari’s Lee Isaac Chung from a screenplay by Mark L. Smith, the new film is once again set in Oklahoma and follows a mixture of researchers and storm chasers (or both) who seek to profit from the art of getting up close and personal to tornados.
Following a cold open that establishes her tragic back story, Kate Cooper (Daisy Edgar-Jones) is lured away from her safe New York desk job by former colleague Javi (Anthony Ramos) and back into the field. Since they last spoke, Javi has founded a company, Storm Par, backed financially by shifty Marshall Riggs (David Born) and co-owned by ruthless business partner Scott (David Corenswet), but it’s Kate’s uncanny weather-reading skills that he needs most.
Javi isn’t a villain, though the film makes it clear that his priorities have shifted since the days of Kate’s altruistic PhD work, which aimed to diminish or even destroy an active twister.
Javi’s state of the art equipment and dubious financier is put in strict contrast to the charismatic, reckless behaviour of YouTube phenomenon Tyler Owens (Glen Powell) and his team, whose mantra is “if you feel it, chase it!”
Tyler is something of a minor celebrity, hocking t-shirts and other merchandise at truck stops and storm-devastated towns alike, and his flirty provocation of Kate at each stop makes for a solid will they/won’t they rom-com vibe.
Much like the original Jan de Bont film, Twisters lives and dies on two shared traits: the chemistry of its romantic leads and the technical marvel of its extreme weather set pieces. In both capacities the film is a success, though judging from the film’s flat energy before Powell appears onscreen, it’s clear which actor is doing the heavy lifting in terms of screen presence and charisma.
And while the $200M film boasts more bombastic sequences than its 90s predecessor, the truth is that the FX doesn’t look significantly better. Outside of a few dodgy moments, the ‘96 film holds up; while the new film is impressive, it doesn’t look that much better except when it comes to reveal the largest EF-5 storm that ends the film in spectacular fashion.
Enthusiasts of the OG film will find lots to love about the new film’s reverence for the original, with plenty of homages (both subtle and obvious). Beyond the character archetypes (many of which are an intriguing amalgamation of the first film’s counterparts), there are lines of dialogue and even types of twisters (the sisters/twins) that make a repeat appearance (sadly no cows, though; just chickens).
As the lead, Edgar Jones is *fine*. The Fresh actress does what she needs to do to provide the requisite emotional stakes as Kate overcomes her fear and survivor’s guilt, but Edgar Jones never truly pops. It’s Powell who runs away with the film. Blame the drawl, the smarmy charm, and even the way his crew, particularly Brandon Perea’s videographer Boone, gaze at him with unabashed idolization.
Where the original film had a deep bench of character actors it didn’t always know how to use, Twisters fares slightly better by stripping down the size of its cast. Perea and Sasha Lane’s drone operator Lilly fare best, though Tunde Adebimpe and Katy O’Brian are mostly lost in the shuffle.
There’s plenty of good comedy beats, including a delightful cameo by Maura Tierney as Cathy Cooper, Kate’s no-bullshit mother, plus some outsized reactions by Ben (Harry Hadden-Paton), a London journalist profiling Tyler, who is spectacularly (and entertaingly) ill-prepared for life as a storm chaser.
Technical elements are solid, with a special shout-out to Benjamin Wallfisch’s score, which includes a ridiculous solo section just for Kate’s moments of weather (a nice callback to Bill Paxton’s Bill from the original). It’s silly, a little bit dumb, but also fun – which are all apt descriptors for this entertaining summer blockbuster overall.
Twisters isn’t doing anything new, but it is a good time at the movies. When the mercury rises and the summer storms brew, what more do you need? 4/5
Twisters is now playing in theaters