What’s It About
Twisters stars Daisy Edgar-Jones and Glen Powell as opposing forces who come together to try to predict and possibly tame the immense power of tornadoes. Edgar-Jones stars as Kate Cooper, a former storm chaser haunted by a devastating encounter with a tornado during her college years who now studies storm patterns on screens safely in New York City. She is lured back to the open plains by her friend Javi to test a groundbreaking new tracking system. There, she crosses paths with Tyler Owens, the charming and reckless social-media superstar who thrives on posting his storm-chasing adventures with his raucous crew; the more dangerous, the better. As storm season intensifies, terrifying phenomena never seen before are unleashed, and Kate, Tyler, and their competing teams find themselves squarely in the paths of multiple storm systems converging over central Oklahoma in the fight of their lives.
MOVIESinMO REVIEW
Hollywood relentlessly rehashes old ideas to capitalize on nostalgia. Mean Girls resurfaced after twenty years. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny had a fifteen-year hiatus, and Inside Out 2 took nearly a decade. Gladiator 2, Beetlejuice 2—the list goes on. If it is profitable, a sequel is inevitable. Twister, released in 1996, was a box office hit, outperforming Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible, Mel Gibson’s Ransom, and Eddie Murphy’s The Nutty Professor. In the same year, Independence Day topped the charts. However, Twister still claimed the position of the second highest-grossing movie worldwide. While not critically acclaimed, it was undeniably entertaining and memorable. Now, twenty-eight years later, a standalone sequel has arrived. Kate (Daisy Edgar-Jones), a gifted meteorologist in New York City, is drawn back to Oklahoma’s wild and stormy plains by her old friend Javi (Anthony Ramos). Javi promises that his cutting-edge technology will unravel the mystery of tornado dissolution. However, a band of storm chasers led by celebrity YouTuber Tyler Owens (Glen Powell) continually thwarted their scientific endeavors. While Kate aims to save lives, Tyler seems more interested in thrilling his audience and amassing “likes.” Twisters opens with a tragic incident while deploying the “Dorothy” technology from the original film. This is why Kate retreats to New York. Five years later, Javi tempts her back with new high-tech charting equipment and a team, seeking her unparalleled tornado expertise to gather crucial data. Reluctantly, she agrees to join them for a week. Twisters special effects are impressive, but this isn’t a film to scrutinize deeply. Realism is sacrificed for spectacle, with numerous plot holes and characters making incredibly stupid, horror movie-like decisions. Despite the barrage of meteorological jargon, Kate comes off as a weather shaman, predicting tornadoes from the slightest breeze and gut instinct. The subplot involving financial misconduct is nonsensical, and many character actions defy logic, heightening the drama at the expense of believability. Throughout Twisters, watching small-town residents attending rodeos, street fairs, and baseball games amidst a record-setting tornado outbreak is frustrating. At one point, our protagonists even seek refuge in a movie theater showing the original 1931 Frankenstein, a nod to the film’s Universal origins. Despite the relentless destruction, the disaster movie offers few surprises. The heroes chase tornadoes at first, and by the end, the tornadoes pursue them. Add a sprinkle of romantic tension between Kate and Tyler, and you have a high-energy flick not worth the price of your popcorn bundle.
OUR RATING – A STANDALONE 5