Twisters Review

If it ain't broke, don't twist it

There is something admirable about committing to who you are. I wouldn't necessarily say that makes something good by any means, but when you treat something with sincerity and care, it's commendable to acknowledge. Twisters knows who it is, and it's a fun disaster flick with lots of charm and heart. That's what summer blockbusters are all about. It's not groundbreaking, nor does it do much to change the beats of the source material, but it precisely executes what we love most about legacy sequels. It keeps the same framework as the original but with a new cast of lovable characters and enhanced effects, which I think you'll be in for a great wild ride for anyone who is a fan of the cult classic. Are there tons of flaws with the film? Oh definitely. Poor subplots that don't feel flushed out, such as real estate moguls' disaster exploitation or a weird love triangle that felt so forced, combined with some general generic feeling story beats and dialogue, are all here. Thankfully, Glen Powell's jawline and a flaming tornado were able to push those issues aside at that moment.

Twisters follow Kate Cooper (Daisy Edgar-Jones), who is called back to Oklahoma to chase storms after a tornado had wrecked her life years prior. She joins up with her friend Javi (Anthony Ramos) and his corporate team of storm chasers to gather data on tornados that could get people to safety quickly. On the way, she encounters the hottest YouTuber ever, Tyler Owens (Glen Powell), and his rag-tag group of adrenaline junkies and outcasts as they make a name for themselves online, wrangling tornadoes and shooting fireworks up them. On this adventure to chase down tornados, Kate learns that Javi and his crew might not have the best intentions, and she starts to fall for the smooth-talking glass of water of Tyler Owens as they try to use Kate's research to stop tornados in their tracks.

Daisy Edgar-Jones and Glen Powell steal the show here. Edgar-Jones's performance is haunted but ultimately triumphant. Her ambitions to save those around her and make the world safer are earned by the film's end. Her sincerity and drive to chase down tornadoes for the greater good make me wish I cared about something as much as she did! Glen Powell can chew up some scenery. He has that movie star's ability to dominate a scene but also allows himself to be vulnerable and let his fellow cast have their moments to shine. The chemistry between the two feels passionate for the storm as much as it is for each other, and I wish the film focused way more on this because when the two were just together in the second half of the movie, I was like, oh why didn't they do more of this. This works. The rest of the cast was less memorable than the 1996 classic, except for maybe Brandon Perea's character Boone, who had some great lines and energy that felt right for the YouTube crew.

I loved the direction and beautiful filmmaking in Twisters by the excellent director, Lee Isaac Chung. I was a massive fan of his masterful Minari (2020), and you can see some of the earnestness of that film trickle into this one. Every shot is lovely to watch, and I love that I always know where I am or what's happening in a scene, which can be tricky in a crazy disaster movie. The effects are phenomenal and intense, and if you are a fan of the disaster movie genre, you'll be into this one. You are given a real sense of scope and destruction here and feel as though any character can be killed at any point, enhancing the tension of the action. I love that all the debris and things flying through the air have actual weight! The pacing is excellent, and we only spend a little time idling by waiting for the next storm to chase.

I wish it spent less time on what I like to call "fake movie science goobly glob." There are many scenes where characters say boring science nonsense, and I wanted to know if we could please return to the fun summer blockbuster. I do not care. Other issues include just some flat and uninteresting characters and dialogue. These scenes are supposed to be funny, not really landing, a missed opportunity to look at the exploitation of those who have faced natural disasters, and just a bizarre decision to do a love triangle in the film. I've also heard criticism that the film should have addressed more climate change issues. Go watch First Reformed if you want some climate existential dread! Twisters isn't that movie, and it's not its intention. I have no problem with it not addressing it; frankly, you shouldn't either. I'm not doing the Top Gun: Maverick is military propaganda discourse again. (Which it is, but it's also really fun and good, so whatever)

Twisters isn't reinventing the wheel, and that's fine. It's a good time at the theater this summer, carried by its spectacular and terrifying effects and a cast with a lot of heart and spirit. I will be quoting in my normal everyday life, “IF YOU FEEL IT, CHASE IT,” for the next few months, so in that regard, the film won.

Final Score: 7/10

Written by: Kevin J. Pettit