‘Twisters’ Review: This Is What Blockbusters Are Supposed To Be

“If you feel it, chase it.“

If you’re looking for a summer blockbuster, look no further. What Lee Isaac Chung accomplishes with Twisters is more than just a great time at the movie theater; it’s an emotional journey through the trauma associated with natural disasters. While Jan de Bont‘s Twister from 1996 follows a much more personal story between Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt, Twisters takes a broader (and more modern) approach by focusing on the communities affected by these tragedies and those who may want to capitalize on the misfortune of others.

That’s not to say that that aren’t personal stakes, either. Daisy Edgar-Jones‘ Kate spends the majority of the film’s 117-minute runtime running from her past before deciding to confront it in time for a climax that deserves to be seen with the thunderous sound of your local cinema. Of course, Glen Powell continues on his generational run and oozes charisma like he was dropped off the same assembly line that churned out the likes of Tom Cruise and Matthew McConaughey. The pair’s chemistry coasts throughout the film, laying a comforting baseline amidst the chaos of Mother Nature that also simmers so hot, you’ll be glad for all the rainy storms when they come.

Lee Isaac Chung Honors Jan de Bont’s ‘Twister’

And the storms will come. The film opens with the life-changing event that tragically separates Kate from her team (all except Anthony Ramos‘ Javi, who continues to chase storms after a brief stint with the military) and sends her to New York to monitor weather anomalies from a safer distance — with a new haircut that fools Southerners into calling her “city girl.” After it’s established there’s a once-in-a-generation tornado outbreak (we’re talking multiple naders per day — when you need one, it comes), Javi seduces her back to Oklahoma under the guise of helping folks recover from the acts of nature.

Once Powell’s Tyler Owens is introduced, a self-proclaimed tornado wrangler who live-streams his hijinx to YouTube, the film turns into a similar vein as the original. That is, it becomes a race between the adrenaline-fueled chasers and the science-driven enthusiasts (with a corporate-backed faction and all) and the two are at odds, like two government agencies searching for the same criminal and arguing for jurisdiction.

The difference here is the well-funded scientists are played as “the good guys,” with the newest imaging tech and white trucks to symbolize their virtue (it helps that they have the future Superman, David Corenswet, high on the totem pole of command) while Cary Elwes‘ team in the original were made to ride in sleek black vehicles by comparison. Twisters takes an agonizingly long time to work this storyline out, and when it finally does, there don’t seem to be any negative consequences for the unethical leveraging of capitalism because of the “good intentions” behind them.

‘Twisters’ Has a More Grounded Focus

There’s a lack of weight to Ramos’ character that never truly makes him a player in the love triangle the film attempts to prop up amidst the weather disasters. Chung, however, does a magnificent job adding personal perspective to the communities and people affected by these tragedies, no doubt taken from his experience on 2020’s Minari. This is something the original lacks, never really getting into the true devastation these events leave in their path. If you’ve never actually heard a tornado siren, let alone experienced a tornado, it’s something that stays with you forever, and Twisters, thankfully, leans into that, rather than shying away from it.

The love story within comes from the bond of helping people deal with this trauma, and it’s also that inflection point that leaves Javi 50 paces behind in the race (that Kate doesn’t even seem to know he’s running, mind you). Jones exceptionally unpacks this trauma, growing from running away from her fears to driving truck-first into them. Similarly, Powell’s transition from knucklehead YouTuber to meteorology stud/philanthropist also takes a natural turn, almost seducing us at the rate it does Jones’ Kate — and eventually her mom (Maura Tierney).

The team that Powell’s Owens assembles easily rivals Paxton’s from the original. All quirky characters, Sasha Lane does particularly well with what she’s given, and Katy O’Brian is always amazing, which is a bummer that she isn’t involved more. On Javi’s team, only Corenswet and Ramos have any importance, and their combined personality isn’t enough to rival even Brandon Perea‘s Boone, Tyler Owens’ enthusiastic cameraman.

The Glen Powell & Daisy Edgar-Jones-Led Flick Sticks the Landing

The film falters in its pacing, with a middle section that almost can’t bear the weight of all of Chung’s characterization. Even though that perspective is needed to balance against the levity of the romance and the depth of the capitalistic undertones, it also feels like the film opts for the neutral ground instead of treading any ideologies that might end up affecting its bottom line at the box office. In doing so, it leans a bit too far into the often confusing science and meteorology and character interplay.

None of this really matters, though, when the film barrels toward its epic conclusion, which masterfully balances the story’s emotional beats with an EF-5 tornado that threatens to rip away everything the audience has grown to love in the past two hours. It’s a jaw-dropping thrill ride that delivers on everything promised in the marketing and seen up until that point. I laughed, I damn near almost cried more than a few times, and I genuinely cannot wait to watch this movie again and again.

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