★★★★ | Twister? I hardly know ‘er!
Twisters has the same essential structure as Twister, the Jan de Bont classic about storm chasers. It’s both a reboot, remake, and a sequel, yet it works entirely as its own thing. They could have called it Riders of the Storm and nobody would have known the difference. But we live in a world of IP and everything has to be connected to something, even if it’s a movie from 30 years ago that few thought needed a sequel.
Luckily, Twisters defies expectation more than once. It’s the kind of smart and compelling adventure drama they say Hollywood doesn’t make anymore. More than once I compared it to Jurassic Park in my notes and, for a change, it was as a compliment.
Daisy Edgar Jones plays Katie, a brilliant young scientist hoping to discover a way to dissipate tornadoes by unleashing scientific mumbo jumbo at them in vast quantities. This, naturally, requires driving right into their path for optimal spectacle. After an early test run goes wrong, resulting in the deaths of Katie’s crew, she leaves storm chasing and escapes to New York. Years later, her former colleague, Javi (Anthony Ramos), lures her back with a promise of making a difference. Only now, the business has changed, and new hotshot YouTube-stars like Tyler Owens (Glen Powell) dominate the field.
A film like Twisters lives on momentum. If you stop and think about the science or the logic for too long, it begins to lose steam. The science sounds fine, especially when delivered with charm and wit by Powell and Jones, but it is ultimately daft. Powell’s character even advises the audience to try not to overthink it. “Tornadoes are part science, part magic”, he intones, gazing into the blackened sky. It’s not just folksy logic; it’s to let us relax and go with the flow.
But there is an optimistic and infectious love for science in the film nonetheless. It’s what I call cheerleader science. Meaning, the film and the audience don’t have to understand it to appreciate it. We love it for what it represents, and the idea alone is enough to keep us engaged. A great example of this is Contact, another 90s classic featuring pop-science and wild ambition. If either of them stumble upon something real, it’s a happy coincidence.
On top of that, Twisters has a winning cast playing actual, well-developed characters who we want to root for. There is genuine drama, warmth, and camaraderie to their journey, and even in those rare quiet moments, where Twisters allows to audience to breathe for a minute, I was engrossed in seeing what happens next. Powell and Jones have an easy chemistry between them, and it’s nice to see a meet-cute story play out against conventions. Anthony Ramos is equally charming as Katie’s friend struggling with survivors guilt, and going all the wrong ways about it.
The visuals don’t disappoint, either. This is a handsome blockbuster, full of impeccable effects and stunt work that never feels gratuitous. Each set piece feels earned and logical, which isn’t always guaranteed when it comes to summer films. When the tornadoes hit, they are extensions of the story, instead of the other way around. In one spectacular sequence, our heroes attempt to save what they can of a small town as an F5 tornado — the biggest and baddest around — destroys everything in its path. The scene balances desperation with heroics beautifully, acknowledging that unlike traditional action films, there is no villain to defeat here.
If I had to gripe about something, it’s that at two hours plus, Twisters feels just a bit too long. A little trim would make it just about perfect. Now, it’s simply one of the better blockbusters we’ve had in years. A loving throwback in style to an era I thought had died out for good. Director Lee Isaac Chung has already made a humanist masterpiece in Minari, and while Twisters is not as good, it shows he’s more than capable of crafting big, smart spectacle on a Spielbergian scale.