Greetings again from the darkness. Those that have lived through one often describe it as sounding like the roar of a freight train. Of course, they are referring to a devastating tornado … or “twister”. Oscar nominated director Lee Isaac Chung (MINARI, 2020) and writers Mark L Smith and Joseph Kosinski take on the follow up to Jan de Bont’s fan favorite TWISTER (1996). The earlier film featured a screenplay from renowned writer (the late) Michael Crichton and his then-wife Anne-Marie Martin, and the cast included the late Bill Paxton, the late Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Helen Hunt, Cary Elwes, and Lois Smith. In that one, we learned Aunt Meg’s gravy is a food group, and are left with the memorable line, “We got cows”.
Chung’s opening sequence is frenetic and powerful … just as we’d hope and expect. Oklahoman Kate Carter (Daisy Edgar-Jones, WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING, 2022) is leading her team dangerously close to a tornado so that she might obtain enough data to earn the grant needed to keep her dream alive. Hers is a dream of affecting tornadoes in such a way to minimize their power, and thereby minimize the death and destruction. The team is young and smart and passionate; however, they pay the price for the unpredictability of the same storms they are chasing and studying.
Five years later, we find Kate stuck in a NYC cubicle as a bullpen meteorologist. She’s given up on her dream of minimizing the effects of tornadoes. Well, at least until her old storm chasing teammate Javi (Anthony Ramos) shows up with a funded and credentialed team. All they need is Kate’s extraordinary ability to read storms so they can realize the dreams they had years ago.
Once in Oklahoma, Kate realizes that storm chasing is now entertainment for locals, and a social media ego trip for root’n toot’n cowboy Tyler Owens (Glen Powell, who has seemingly appeared in every single movie over the past two years, including TOP GUN: MAVERICK, 2022). Owens is a cult figure with one million followers as he broadcasts live while creating a spectacle in the storm. Soon enough we and Kate (although she’s a bit slow on the uptake) figure out that Javi’s well-funded team, including snooty MIT grad Scott (future SUPERMAN David Corenswet) is not what it seems (rich guys are evil), and of course, neither is Tyler Owens (there’s a tender heart buried in that ego).
The storm effects here are quite stunning. We feel the power and danger. It’s a remarkable technical achievement. Admittedly, this is a wild and fun ride … one filled with tense action and breathtaking visuals. On the other hand, most of the non-storm parts didn’t work for me, often dipping into a cheesy level. Daisy Edgar-Jones comes across as an Anne Hathaway knock-off, while Glen Powell re-deploys his 1970’s Burt Reynolds imitation filled with grins, smirks, struts, and self-satisfying charm. Both actors are lovely to look at, however, the connection comes across as fabricated. The character interactions and story depth stand in contrast to the original, and it’s impossible to avoid comparison.
Director Lee Isaac Chung last delivered a beautiful film with MINARI. In my review of that film, I called it “gentle story grounded in realism”. Obviously, his latest film was never meant to be that, but it’s a shame some of that couldn’t have been captured here. Perhaps the easiest way for me to explain this is by noting the similar feelings I had for the recent ROAD HOUSE remake of the 1989 original. Both of these new versions have exaggerated characters and hyper-action scenes. On the bright side, this difference is likely one that will only bother me and a few others, as I expect TWISTERS will be a massive late summer hit and one most will find thoroughly entertaining … despite replacing cows with chickens.
Opening in theaters on July 19, 2024
Movie Reviews from the Dark 
Excellent reviews as always. I wasn’t planning on seeing this movie initially but may give it a chance after reading your review. I honestly wasn’t a fan of the 1996 original film. I remember seeing in a high school class and being awestruck by how bad it was. I found the special effects outdated, storytelling messy and characters rather wooden. That being said, this new version definitely does seem to be far better. I’m a fan of Lee Isaac Chung whose previous film “Minari” was my personal favourite film from 2020. I was deeply moved by the depiction of immigration in that movie which was true to reality. So, I may check out “Twisters” when I find the time solely for the filmmaker. Thanks as always for the strong film recommendations.
Here’s my thoughts on why I loved Lee Isaac Chung’s “Minari”:
Yes, MINARI was an impressive film, and it’s surprising that Chung has moved on to a special effects thriller. I think he gives the fans what they want with this one.
Good review. I was surprised how much I liked this movie. Wasn’t super excited to see it, so I guess my expectations were quite low, especially thinking that this was going to be another “soulless” remake from Hollywood. However, I was genuinely surprised how much I liked it. Yes, some parts were a bit too much and several pacing issues do occur within the broad story / characters melodrama, but the feature was incredible fun to watch and the improved visual effects sure help build the tension of these powerful cyclones. Definitely one of the better spiritual sequels of late.
Agree, I was equally surprised (since my expectations are usually low on remakes and sequels). Sorry for the delayed response. For some reason this went to spam initially.
An excellent review once again. I had a chance to see this movie recently and was really surprised by how much I did appreciate it. It’s a spectacular disaster blockbuster. The movie was a massive improvement on the 1996 film which I as I mentioned before was not impressed with. That film had a lot of spectacle but little storytelling. In this regard, this sequel was a far better film. I also really like Glen Powell who seems to be a new Tom Cruise with his charisma. Overall, a really fun film I’m glad that I watched in a theatre.
Here’s my thoughts on the original 1996 “Twister”:
Great review once again.I recently had a chance to finish my write up for this movie and thought that I would share it here. A spectacular summer blockbuster, it truly blew me away. I wasn’t expecting it to be so good. I also thought that it was a huge improvement on the 1996 film which I found overrated. It found a nice balance between spectacle and storytelling I wasn’t expecting.
Here’s my thoughts on the movie:
It’s always nice when a movie is a pleasant surprise.