The 1996 film was called Twister. The 2024 film is named Twisters. Which means, that among other things, the makers are guaranteeing 2x the chills and thrills, action and adrenaline. The good news (unlike the other ‘bad news’ that released on the same Friday) is that Twisters comes good on its promise of delivering a high-stakes man vs nature drama and bringing on a sense of catharsis in watching seemingly ordinary men and women harness extraordinary attitude and acumen when disaster strikes.
In Hollywood, the natural disaster genre has been one of consistent thriving and evolving status. Twisters reprises many of its precursor’s block-rockin’ beats. It delivers solid action set-pieces, stand-out special effects and two remarkably good-looking and charismatic leads in Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones. And like most others in its genre, it is a blast while it lasts, without taxing your brains too much. In other words, it is a classic summer blockbuster, best savoured with a huge tub of popcorn shared among a bunch of giggling, screaming pals on a night out at the movies.
Directed by Lee Isaac Chung — the man who gave us the deeply meditative and semi-autobiographical multiple Oscar-nominated film Minari a few years ago — Twisters benefits from a story written by Joseph Kosinski, who, after the billion-dollar-making action-packed Top Gun: Maverick powered by Tom Cruise, is all set to vroom into the box office next summer with Brad Pitt’s F1.
Following a horrible tragedy, meteorologist Kate Carter (Daisy Edgar-Jones) has spent years out of the storm-chasing business. She now lives in the largely ‘tornado-less’ New York City, using her innate understanding of storm systems to direct weather alerts. But when her old friend Javi (Anthony Ramos) almost begs her to join his privately-funded start-up, which is designed to use military-grade radars to learn more about tornadoes and save communities in Oklahoma, she agrees to give him a week of her time.
Once there, the duo meet “tornado wrangler” influencer Tyler Owens (Glen Powell) along with his ragtag group of weather enthusiasts, creating a competition between scientific research and entertainment. Each group races to be the first on the scene, with Kate and Javi seeking to model the tornado and Tyler trying to get the most likes on social media. But can the two groups find a way to work together or will the competition be more vicious than the tornadoes that are spinning out of control?
Designed for audiences of all ages whose sole priority is having a fun time at the movies, Twisters serves up your money’s worth. Even as he crafts scale and spectacle, Chung doesn’t forget to keep the humanity of the story alive, coming up with characters who we love and love to hate.
There are quite a few scenes which are an obvious nod to Twister — the rodeo moment is unmistakably a hat-tip — but it is to the credit of the makers that they have conjured a winner of a standalone sequel. Twisters is a film that packs in enough rewards for fans of the franchise but also has ample moods and moments to endear itself to first-time watchers. An upgrade in technology means that the 2024 update packs in more visceral viewing and so when the storm gets going, the energy gets cranked up many times over.
For a disaster movie, Twisters is not lacking in charm. That is mostly served up by Powell. The actor — who t2 recently hailed as the newest heartthrob on the Holly block — has the kind of rugged charisma and rakish attitude that always strikes box-office gold. After Richard Linklater’s irreverent Hitman, in which he pulled off a variety of characters (and looks), Powell once again brings in main character energy, often stealing the best lines in the film. That drawl always does the trick.
Twisters may not reinvent the summer blockbuster template, but it definitely is a worthy addition to it. A family-friendly crowd-pleaser with exciting action at every turn. It is fun, charming and, of course, silly. Just like it promised.
