The 1996 mega blockbuster “Twister” is delightful in an almost childish way. It’s a monster movie where the monster is a tornado, which has no concept, nor any interest in the people desperately trying to chase it down. A tornado does not seek revenge on anyone and is not a flesh eating zombie that is ever hungry. It can be seen as very erratic but o its core, it is very simple: it spins, strengthens, destroys, and collapses.
That leaves the potential of drama from the human aspect of it and on that aspect “Twister”, sporting a generous amount of cliche mid90s style drama and an utterly ridiculous supporting cast, like Oscar winning Philip Seymour Hoffman, al ruck, Jamie Gertz and the future director of ‘Tar’ Todd field nails it. The fact that the movie is regarded a classic is a mystery but people speculate that it might have something to do with its recurring reruns on cable tv which even now are numerous. And that is fairly easy, especially for such films, because no matter when the movie is turned on, by midpoint a viewer already knows what is happening. “Oh, wacky ex girlfriend Helen Hunt and her ex husband Bill Paxton drive off to the tornado’s center to finally use the instrument called ‘Dorothy’ and save people’s lives.” No need to put in too many complicated backstories or any books of mythology.
It’s been almost thirty years and the time has finally arrived when the movie “Twisters” has hit the screens. The tagline for the movie is- A standalone sequel to the cult classic Twister. But one must admit that the film is up against stiff competition. The superheroes and franchises took over a long time ago so it’s quite unusual to make original cinematic chances. One can be sure that “Twister” attracted a fair number of audience, but it offered little in terms of character development beside the cyclone.
Tornadoes lost their superiority as well. Right after I exited the hall where I watched “Twisters” and switched on my device, I happened to receive an SMS from my mother who resides in a region where tornadoes are very seldom. The National Weather Service, as it turned out, was warning residents to look out for thunderstorms, torrential downpours and… tornadoes.
Surprisingly, there were no climate change activists in Twisters, but things have worsened, as everyone in the path of a severe storm understands. Predictions for this year’s hurricane season are grim and if we take Memorial Day weekend for instance, we don’t need to guess anymore. If that wasn’t enough tornadoes also come along in bunches and that’s the selling point of this film.
Mild inconveniences, such as terrible storms, can be categorized as an impediment. But tornadoes, and some other floods may make the inhabitants of the earth lead life from the base which is something that the sequel ‘Twisters’ is more interested in. The movie shows how entire regions devoid of any shelter, basic necessities of life, and their means of earning due to bad weather. It is also about others who capitalize due to that increased risk from investors to TikTok stars. So as to appeal to as many people as possible, Twisters, as the film is called, takes on this endeavor. It does manage to salvage it not at all.
“Tornados” was attended by Kate Carter Daisy Edgar-Jones, one of their lead roles, a meteorologist who has in her past been through the ordeal of tornadoes, similarly to Helen Hunt’s character from the previous movie. Presently, she works for the National Weather Service in NYC as an agent of sorts who soothes storms. Raised in Tornado alley, Kate seems to have some kind of a sixth sense about tornadoes’ actions: their direction, the winds’ speed, and the possibility of fighting them.
While in Florida, Jovi (Anthony Ramos), an old friend of hers whom Kate hasn’t seen in a long time, is the person responsible for contacting her and it is clear to him how much the impact of such frightening natural phenomena is worth considering. He asks her for help with his new project, to which he has invited her to help him hunt down tornadoes, which she does not seem thrilled about. Still, she grudgingly goes west. Reaching Oklahoma, Kate realizes that “the new tornado season is pretty busy” and the audience present for it is more akin to a circus. She is not alone; tornado chasers seem to be everywhere. The worst and most conceited of them all is of course Tyler Owens (Glen Powell). He goes to war with a disturbing array of tornado chasers who launch drones and fireworks right into the center of the cyclone to capture a great shot for YouTube. The So called “tornado wrangler” Directed by Tyler who wears cowboy shirts with logos and has a whole range of other merchandise. This angered Kate the moment she met him.
It is possible to speculate where this is heading. The film “Twisters” is directed by Joseph Kosinski, who also penned the screenplay for Mark L. Smith, who was originally set to direct the flick as a reboot of “Twister.” The fact that this is also supported by the old-fashioned approach makes the movie worth watching. After all, it is about an action adventure disaster film with a rather cliche plot kids try to do extraordinary things in a very ordinary world. Sounds easy enough, and it feels even better in the film! However, it is also a very modern film and part of the reason is due to Lee Isaac Chung’s vision. Chung is known for having directed miner, which received six Oscar nominations and is described as a quiet film about a Korean immigrant family. Mirani and twisters are entirely different genres, but the two do have a common thread: the American Midwest and the horrible storms; two ideas that are interconnected due to Chung’s upbringing in rural Arkansas. I cannot think of anyone more ideal than a director such as Lee Isaac Chung to carry out this idea and keep our focus on the survivors while not making the adventures seem dull.
That entertainment comes from the other most 2024 portion of “Twisters.” I mean so many people are talking these days about actor Glen Powell who, it isn’t a surprise: Glen Powell in most this year seems to be in the headlines after starring in three major movies this year so far, this is his third movie of this year’s big releases (after the hit romance meets comedy film who rom com movie ‘Anyone but You’ which started doing good box office after the new year and also the success of Netflix’s ‘Hit Man’). Powell may often appear having fun but there are moments in Twisters where it feels like he is almost in a completely different film from the rest of the cast and crews. He began as a reckless tornado wrangler turned romance hero who, you think at the start has no redeeming qualities, but surprises be revealed later on within the story.
Comparatively, Edgar Jones looks insipid next to Powell as the latter’s performance is all actions and no flash. In fact, their chemistry seems so weak that it practically fizzles out the minute Maura Tierney enters the screen as Kate’s mother. (One thing that should be pointed out is Ramos who does not have much in terms of screen presence, is perfect so there is no need for time watching him.) It seems like Edgar Jones in his performance hold back more than what is reasonable, all the audience is basically left watching the screen waiting for when will Powell be back on the screen.
That mismatch hampers “Twisters,” and the movie lags as a result. In this case, you can picture a completely different kind of Kate a woman who has some humor and is known to be a bit of a comedian which would make for a much more enjoyable time with Powell as they would complement each other more seamlessly. However, it’s not that “Twisters” does not succeed. It offers plenty of amusing if ineffective action sequences and enough peril to keep you alert.
This late moment in “Twisters” shows us something else, too. It’s stated to be a horror film about a monster: how it comes into being, NOT how it is born, but more a concept that this is a terrifying entity and requires the intervention of someone. In ‘Twister’ the storm was something present in the film and something to be pursued and understood according to the hopes of the protagonists. In ‘Twisters’ however, the aim is not only to understand where the creature will move to, science has resolved that aspect certainly. Rather, the aim is to battle it, deflate it, and weaken it. What is in question is the futility of such a quest.
And that is indeed scary, even if you’re not receiving tornado alert messages while watching the film. If we are not able to combat climate change, is there any way that we can begin to weather it? And if so, what are the audiences’ interests? In the future, who will use our weather and who will be hurt by it? The disaster aspect of ‘Twisters’ feels a tad more realistic. A tornado being a beast is a depiction. But the tornado itself, and the destruction that it causes, is most definitely real.
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