Everyone needs to be inside the cinema, whether you're there to enjoy the whirlwinds of a summer blockbuster or to escape a natural disaster that is mowing down everything in its path. Disaster thriller Twisters, which is a standalone sequel to 1996's 'Twister' and based on characters created by that film's writers Michael Crichton and Anne-Marie Martin, asks you to get your popcorn and put on your windbreakers as it hands over the reins to director Lee Isaac Chung.
Kate Carter (Daisy Edgar-Jones) is a former storm chaser and current meteorologist who we see in the prologue witness a bunch of her friends and boyfriend getting killed by a tornado they were chasing together. A few years later, Javi (Anthony Ramos), the only other survivor of that incident, visits her in New York City and manages to get her back to Oklahoma to test new tornado tracking systems he has developed with his new crew. Kate and Javi's adrenaline-fuelled pursuits face competition from Tyler Owens (Glen Powell), a rambunctious cowboy and popular YouTuber known for his daring stunts during the chases, as well as his crew that includes his sidekick Boone (Brandon Perea). But when the storms seem to get more and more destructive, Kate and Tyler might have to find some common ground in order to make it out alive.
Chung is working with a screenplay written by Mark L. Smith and a story by Joseph Kosinski, and the director himself is miraculously saving the movie's life even though the writing is constantly putting it in jeopardy. While the script is at times confused about its identity, the direction of the piece is well aware that this is supposed to be a breezy and a somewhat silly disaster thriller that will hopefully have big performances and big sensations. It's not often that filmmakers go from intimate indie dramas to an effects-heavy spectacle and beat the odds, but the control over what unfolds on the screen here is genuinely impressive. It's hard to say when the SFX (supervised by Scott R. Fisher) take a back seat and the VFX (supervised by Ben Snow) take over—excluding the massive tornadoes—or when production designer Patrick Sullivan's practical sets end and the VFX start. In terms of said spectacle, you're in capable hands.
Twisters delivers on the disastrous scale and designs a lot of thrilling sequences that work because Chung and cinematographer Dan Mindel shoot all of it intimately on 35mm, which allows you to enjoy the performances from the passenger seat. Powell quickly becomes the main draw in that regard, putting on display a highly entertaining and charming act that these kinds of movies require, although the writing again sabotages the character as it can't even bother to learn about Tyler's profession (it's clear that no one involved has shot, edited or published a YouTube video or live stream but, alas). It's an endlessly watchable star outing with a great introduction, wet clothes and enough twinkle in the eyes; the energy of it is infectious throughout.
Edgar-Jones' strengths as an actor better serve more low-key stories rather than four-quadrant ones, and Twisters is another proof of that, but she also occasionally rises above Kate's uneven characterisation since she excels in one-on-one conversations, which is beneficial when Kate and Tyler's friction is supposed to take you on this thrill ride. Supporting players on their adventures, such as Ramos, Perea, Sasha Lane (as Lily), Harry Hadden-Paton (Ben) and Maura Tierney (Cathy, Kate's mom) delightfully add different flavours to the scenes, none of them overstaying their welcome either thankfully.
These different, surprisingly fun elements make you wish that they would have a more firm base to stand on but the story is often going through the motions. The cast and crew are clearly having fun with all the cheesy romance moments, and yet the movie doesn't fully go there and sometimes opts for uninteresting love triangle bits instead. Chung also adds flashes of the devastation that normal people have to encounter but Smith doesn't find anything worthwhile to say about how climate change and American capitalism together affect them negatively. It's right there for you to explore, what are you afraid of?
To be fair, the clashes between characters, as well as half of the romantic developments, do seem like a Hollywood studio algorithm dictated the exact pages and motivations for them, perhaps based on all the successful blockbusters of the last 30 years. The problem is that that sort of formula can't predict that they will be well-written or emotionally charged, and not turn out to be unoriginal such is the case here. As it stands, Twisters sacrifices its full potential of having something to say about its bigger themes, while also being a ludicrous phenomenon, for a possibility of a safer run at the box office. Perhaps unintentional commentary about capitalism can count as commentary, too. Perhaps, indeed.
Maybe we ought to be delighted that the film is much more impressive and entertaining than it has any right to be, with strong artistry, thrilling sequences and Glen Powell leading the charge. Even knowing that it has plenty of flaws, it's somehow easy to have a great time with it. And as you know, if you feel like you'll have a great time with a dumb summer movie where people try to punch and run away from tornadoes, you should probably chase that feeling.
Smileys: SFX, VFX, production design, Glen Powell
Frowneys: Some issues with originality and characterisation
You'll never predict the twist.
4.0/5
Where to watch:
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