Lee Isaac Chung (Minari) directs this action-adventure about Kate (Daisy Edgar-Jones), a retired tornado-chaser and meteorologist who’s persuaded by Tyler (Glen Powell), a reckless tornado-chasing hotdog, to return to Oklahoma and join his team as they chase tornadoes armed with new technology. (122 min.)
Glen: I went into this film with low expectations. It’s been 28 years since the original Twister with Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt. Did we really need a sequel? And then there was the trailer with its cringe-worthy Glen Powell-uttered line, “You don’t face your fears. You ride ’em.” Was the entire film going to be that eye-rollingly dumb? Well, guess what? Twisters is a blast and a worthy successor. Yes, it’s ridiculous, but so was the Jan de Bont-directed original. Unlike the first film, this new one feels like the danger is more real. The tornado special effects are thundering and frightening. There’s also a tension-filled side plot about science and humanity over profit, and the chemistry between Edgar-Jones and Powell is palpable. Beautifully shot in Oklahoma, the film packs an entertaining punch. Summer blockbuster season is in full swing.
Anna: It is pretty tough to go up against the original Twister, and while for me nothing could rival the magic of Paxton and Hunt and those flying cows, Twisters is a fun ride. Kate is a young scientist with a knack for guessing what a storm is going to do, but when she makes a bad call on a storm’s power, she’s left alone and reeling. We catch up with her five years later when she’s working in New York for the National Weather Service. Her old pal and fellow chaser Javi (Anthony Ramos) shows up one day with amazing news—they’ve found a way to create a 3D scan of tornadoes, which will help them develop a way of predicting and warning people when a twister is headed their way. While Kate is reluctant, she agrees to a week of storm chasing with Javi and soon meets Tyler, a seemingly douchey YouTube star who has built a brand around his storm chasing team and persona. Brains, brawn, big-ass storms—this action/love story is fun from start to end.
Glen: I thought you were going to clock me when we left the theater and I said I think I like this one more than the original. Twister has a true cult following with fiercely protective members. You’d think they’d hate this attempt at a reboot, but look at you praising Twisters. Not only that, but most critics have been rating it positively, and audiences seem to be loving it. Powell’s especially good at playing cocky, which is no doubt why he was cast opposite Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick. He seems to be everywhere these days. He’s charming and douchey at the same time. I was sort of scratching my head when Tyler kept referring to Kate as “city girl.” He couldn’t hear her Oklahoma accent? Look, to enjoy this story, you don’t want to think about it too hard. What it has is the same sort of dumb magic as the first—a film equal parts good and bad that achieves a gleeful popcorn-movie balance.
Anna: Personally, Twisters doesn’t stand a chance at taking the place in my heart of the original, but that isn’t to say I didn’t have fun watching it! In fact, I won’t be surprised if I watch it again once it heads to streaming services. Kate has the same sort of trauma built in that Jo (Helen Hunt) did in the first film, and it works well to create a complicated but also completely cool character. Twister is one of my desert-island movies, and that will never change—but Twisters stands on its own as a fun, popcorn-poppin’ flick, and I love that we live in a universe with both!
New Times Senior Staff Writer Glen Starkey and freelancer Anna Starkey write Sun Screen. Comment at [email protected].
