More a second chapter than a sequel, Twisters comes 28 years after Jan de Bont’s storm-chasing classic, Twister. Starring Daisy Edgar-Jones and Glen Powell, Twisters captures the excitement and peril of the 1996 film while injecting fresh energy and stunning visual effects. Helmed by Lee Isaac Chung, the Oscar-nominated director of Minari (2020), Twisters is an absolute entertainer that delivers on the promise of popcorn-munching fun.
Daisy Edgar-Jones steps into the shoes of Kate, an ambitious meteorologist with an uncanny instinct for wind and weather patterns who is determined to free her home state of Oklahoma from its cyclone troubles. Her plan involves chemically dissipating swirling air masses, and Kate is on the brink of a breakthrough when a mistake during storm chasing kills her friends.
Five years later, the former fun-loving storm chaser is cooped up in a New York office from where her old friend Javi (Anthony Ramos), the only other survivor in that twister accident, entices her back to the field. He promises a new technology for mapping tornadoes and close-up insights into weather phenomena. Javi, along with the uniformed, bluetooth-equipped staff of his company (including David Corenswet as the stern and amusing Scott) Storm Par, aims to encircle tornadoes and capture images from all angles, utilising Kate’s predictive abilities.
Storm Par competes with a daring group of storm-chasing YouTubers led by Glen Powell’s charismatic cowboy, Tyler Owens. With his rustic, bohemian crew, Tyler embraces nature’s fury for his millions of subscribers, sparking a rivalry with the pragmatic Kate and her disciplined team.
Currently basking in the success of two back-to-back hits in Anyone but You and Hit Man, Powell exudes a confident charm and brings a surprising vulnerability to Tyler, revealing the motivations that drive his daredevilish pursuits. His dynamic chemistry between Daisy is delightful.
The true stars of the show, however, are the tornadoes themselves. Chung and cinematographer Dan Mindel have crafted some awe-inspiring twisters using CGI that writhe and roar across the screen. From the terrifying funnel clouds descending from ominous grey skies to the debris-filled behemoths carving a path of destruction, these storms feel real and visceral. The film doesn’t explicitly talk about climate change, although the implications are referred to multiple times — these storms have become more destructive than before, signalling a worrying trend for the future.
Aside from building tension when the storm approaches, the camera also focuses on intimate, terrifying moments when chaos erupts, capturing debris and heavy machinery flying in the air. Twisters isn’t just about the spectacle of destruction, though. The film delves into the emotional toll these storms take on those who chase them. Kate’s past trauma adds emotional depth to her character, making her journey of overcoming fear all the more compelling.
But the romance subplot between Kate and Tyler feels a bit rushed, and the excellent supporting cast is largely unutilised. Talented actors like Sasha Lane (Loki), Katy O’Brian (The Mandalorian), and Brandon Perea (Nope) — all members of Tyler’s gang — barely get any screen time. The only standout performance comes from Harry Hadden-Paton, who plays a London-based journalist visiting Oklahoma to cover storm chasers.