TWISTERS: Maximum Escapism, Endless Charm, But Same Old Twists

Reviewing a film that sticks to the formula makes it difficult to scratch that itch for a fresh take or unique angle, and Lee Isaac Chung’s Twisters doesn’t subvert any expectations. The film has its anticipated flaws: clunky dialogue, an over-the-top story, and shallow characters. But where it also shines is in its heart and effort. This isn’t a lazy cash grab—it’s a film brimming with energy and thrills from start to finish, sporting a cast fully committed to their roles. Some viewers might get caught up in the squall of its faults and be in for a rough couple of hours, but others will ride out the storm, suspend their disbelief, and find plenty of entertainment here.

Welcome to Tornado Alley

Twisters leans heavily into its world-building, and beyond the undeniable star power of Glenn Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones, the untamed and hilariously sensationalized setting of rural Oklahoma is one of the more exhilarating aspects of the film. It’s a version of the southern plains where massive tornadoes seem to happen by the hour and nearly every sector is somehow involved in the business of tornadoes. The weather service office operates with the same intensity as the trading room floor in The Wolf of Wall Street, storm chasers are of course pseudo-celebrities, scientists aim to kill tornadoes with chemicals, and members of the military possess new technology to track their evolution. There’s even a subplot about a property manager exploiting the storm’s destruction for financial gain. All these players converge in Tornado Alley in a “this town’s not big enough for all of us” situation. It’s ridiculous, it’s over the top, but it also manages to be a well-realized and immersive world-building experience, one that transports us to a unique and fresh corner of life—no matter how fictionalized it may be.

The main antagonist taking the form of a natural phenomenon undoubtedly presents some logistical filmmaking challenges. Chung, known for 2020’s Minari, either leveraged special effects knowledge from his time working on The Mandalorian, or surrounded himself with a stellar crew, because he rises to the occasion here. The twisters themselves look spectacular and are handled with finesse—a huge tip of the hat to the FX team that manages to create spectacle and make the cyclones dynamic. The team consulted with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as well as real storm chasers, resulting in sequences that are authentic enough to be intense and riling. Twisters does not skimp on the action, and in an era where big blockbusters often cut corners on VFX and set design to simplify action choreography, it’s refreshing to see a film fully embrace a special effects challenge—and it pays off in a big way.

Into the Eye of the Storm

The film ventures into the same territory as 2022’s smash hit Top Gun: Maverick, as another sequel to a classic that believes all it takes to evoke nostalgia is a recipe of bravado, Americana, and good music. That formula worked really well for Maverick, but Twisters operates a tier (or two) below, and while it still delivers a similar effect, it doesn’t quite capture the same magic.

Blending Nostalgia With Fresh Faces

Glenn Powell has already solidified his classic charm and magnetism, making him a shoe-in for a role like this, but Daisy Edgar-Jones steps up to the plate in her first big-budget leading role. As Kate Carter, she manages to be bold and charismatic even within her “girl next door” archetype. Powell’s turn as Tyler Owens, the “bad boy” of storm-chasing, works well within the scope of the story, bringing the needed light-hearted energy to cut through the density of meteorological jargon in the script. The character gives slight shades of Will Ferrell’s Chazz Michael Michaels from Blades of Glory (though less funny), as a self-proclaimed renegade existing within a completely ridiculous world.

Powell and Edgar-Jones deliver strong individual performances, but any romantic or sexual chemistry is substituted for a mutual love of the weather, which doesn’t exactly make the sparks fly on screen. I was a fan of the clever grand finale, but many are already expressing disappointment over the lack of an onscreen kiss, and the film certainly could have benefited from further fleshing out the relationship.

Conclusion:

While Twisters is pretty much exactly what you’d expect and is chock full of plot holes, it will warmly invite you into its merry world of meteorologists and storm chasers. Faults due to apathetic filmmaking stick out to viewers, but fortunately, Twisters cares about delivering a worthwhile summer theater experience, even if it has plenty of them.

Twisters released in U.S theaters July 19th, 2024