1996’s Twister, to this day, remains one of the all-time greatest disaster movies ever made, complimented by two core performances from Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton. In the years since, it has become something of a cult classic. For this nearly three decades later spiritual sequel, director Lee Isaac Chung blends the charisma of Glen Powell, a wonderful performance from Daisy Edgar-Jones, and the outrageous spectacle of Mother Nature wreaking havoc into a satisfying blockbuster of titanic proportions. Twisters is an organic evolution of what the original offered, complete with exciting technological advances and pulse-pounding suspense. Chung’s eye for the beauty of nature and the intimacy of character work leaves an imprint on a potential new franchise. In the words of tornado wrangler Tyler Owen, “If you feel it, chase it!”
Five years ago, Kate Carter (Edgar-Jones) and her team of researchers led a theoretical Tornado Tamer Project. The goal: decrease the moisture within a tornado to make it collapse. Unfortunately, their attempt to actually execute their plan catastrophically takes out the majority of Kate’s team, as a deadly EF5 tears through everything in its path. Now, Kate has seemingly left tornado chasing behind for a quieter life in New York City. Another survivor of her previous group, Javi (Anthony Ramos), comes to Kate with a promising proposition. His new prototype can develop three-dimensional scans of tornadoes, and could be used to save lives. Only Kate can get Javi and his STORM PAR team close enough to get the data.
Daisy Edgar-Jones leans into the trauma of her character’s past, clearly still haunted by what tore her apart at the film’s beginning. What better way to follow the trajectory of her character development than with an obvious love interest? Enter: eye candy Tyler Owen (Powell), a walking commerical with his likeness plastered on T-shirts. Tyler’s crew work in tandem with STORM PAR, racing to track down the same tornadoes with decidedly different tactics. The “tornado wrangler” swoops in on his hefty pickup truck, drills down into the ground to stay in place, and sets off fireworks or other dangerous stunts directly into the center of the storm. Tyler’s every action then gets live-streamed to his millions of YouTube followers, thanks in large part to his enthusiastic wingman, Boone (a scene-stealing Brandon Perea). Tyler quite literally drives into danger, painting him as a textbook bad boy.
Tyler sets sights on Kate from early on, at first through simple glances and cutesy dialogue back and forth. The film dodges opportunities to pit Kate and Tyler against one another, instead opting for a casual flirtation that only balloons as their desires become more intertwined. Did we really need another movie where someone gets double crossed, or even tries to take advantage of the opposite sex? Tyler is a proper gentleman the entire time, taking every chance to tell others about Kate’s greatness. There is a wholesome quality about their blossoming love story that feels so classic Hollywood popcorn flick.
Filmed on world-famous “tornado alley” in Oklahoma City, Twisters establishes its chicken-fried Southern sensibilities with the help of a surprisingly good soundtrack pumped with country music. Without the haunting visuals though, there wouldn’t be as much to bite into. Chung directs massive action sequences with ease—the fact that he went from a drama as intimate as Minari to a big-budget disaster movie is honestly astonishing. The set pieces are ferocious, and arrive at a steady clip. My personal favorites this time around are the rodeo and town/movie theater scenes, all of which take full advantage of the massive scope and devastation of these storms. Aerial overhead shots spanning the damage left behind emphasizes the suddenness of the tragedies.
As with Twister before it, Twisters takes full advantage of its ensemble cast. Our central couple are the stand-outs, but Perea’s Boone impresses with his manic energy, as do the cultural and emotional nuances added by Anthony Ramos to his Javi. David Corenswet also does well in a smaller role as Javi’s right-hand man at STORM PAR. Underneath the flashy surface, a story about profiting off the suffering of others emerges. The messages are particularly prescient now, especially in the wake of 2023’s terrible wildfires in Hawaii. Lee Isaac Chung’s assured hand behind the camera still leaves room for the quieter moments, discovering the beauty in the mundane. Danger always lurks just underneath the surface, in every stray gust of wind. Powell and Edgar-Jones ultimately steal Twisters with their contagious, light-hearted romance, and an unforgettable finale. Witness the birth of a new kind of Twister—one can only hope we are afforded further sequels to see more crazy storms and sexual tension! Keep an eye out for franchise easter eggs, too. Fans of the 1996 film will love this fresh spin on a childhood classic.
Embrace the chase for Twisters, in theaters everywhere on Friday, July 19th.
