TWISTERS (2024) review

written by: Mark L. Smith (screenplay) and Joseph Kosinski (story)
produced by: Mark L. Smith
directed by: Lee Isaac Chung
rated: PG-13 (for intense action and peril, some language and injury images)
runtime: 122 min.
U.S. release date: July 19, 2024

“Twisters” isn’t a comedy, but I did chuckle when a character shouted, “We’ve gotta get everyone into the movie theater!” during one of the many tornadoes that plowed through Oklahoma. That doesn’t turn out to the be greatest idea for anyone in the movie. Still, I’d like to believe that’s definitely what the folks over at Universal Pictures, Warner Brothers Pictures, and Amblin Entertainment had in mind back in 2020 when they got together with writer Joseph Kosinski. When he pitched the idea of a sequel to 1996’s megahit “Twister”, I can imagine him touting…” this time there’s plural and that’s bound to get butts in seats.”

The title to this standalone sequel is funny when you consider there wasn’t one lone tornado with a vendetta hunting down storm chasers played by Helen (ahem) Hunt and Bill Paxton. However, at one point, you could swear that Hunt’s character is staring up at storm clouds, convinced that’s the one that consumed her father. But there’s more than just “more tornadoes” to attract viewers. There’s the rising power of Glenn Powell as the Next Big Thing and a soundtrack loaded with country music. Without a mention of climate change, this is undoubtedly a ‘Murica movie.

Despite the naysayers dismissing this standalone sequel, I felt “Twisters” would be a summer hit, especially considering there would be particular interest from American sports fans, country music followers, and the NASCAR crowd. At least, that’s the primary target demographic for most of the marketing.

While Kosinski came up with the story, screenwriter Mark L. Smith (“The Revenant” and “The Boys in the Boat”) came in and essentially applied the same formula that Michael Crichton and Anne-Marie Martin used back in the ’90s. That’s okay, though, since there’s only so much you can do following storm chasers in the American Midwest. At the helm is Lee Isaac Chung, who may seem like an unlikely fit for a summer blockbuster, considering his last feature was “Minari”, but that semi-biographical drama did have a tornado watch in it and the director grew up in rural Arkansas. So, he knows a thing or two about weather patterns that menace wide-open farmland.

Like the previous movie, “Twisters” opens up with a tragedy from the protagonist’s past. That’s how and when we’re introduced to meteorologist/storm chaser Kate Carter (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and her crew, consisting of Addy (Kiernan Brennan Shipka), Praveen (Nik Dodani), Javi (Anthony Ramos), and Kate’s boyfriend, Jeb (Daryl McCormack), as they follow a tornado in Oklahoma. She might as well be the daughter of the characters played by Paxton and Hunt because she has a “sixth sense” in determining which cloud formations will turn into twisters.

They plan to use a Dorothy Doppler (the only recurring character from “Twister”) along with barrels of sodium polyacrylate solution that they intend to release into the vortex (there’s a quick explanation that this plan is akin to diaper absorption) to dissipate the tornado’s intensity hopefully. If it works, it could potentially save lives and limit property damage.

It’s unclear how Javi has a Dorothy model. One would think it would’ve been patented by the Paxton/Hunt duo, but maybe it’s simply included as a nod to the 1996 movie, which included it as a nod to “The Wizard of Oz.” Unfortunately, the tornado they follow unexpectedly turns into an EF5 (that’s THE worst, with winds over 200 mph) and kills everyone except Kate and Javi.

Five years later, Kate settled in New York City, working a job she’s overqualified for, analyzing weather patterns at NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). This is when Javi reenters her life, stating he’s got his hands on a military doodad that uses 3D technology, which will help them continue their work, but his new team needs Kate’s expertise. Reluctant at first, Kate decides to join Javi for a week in Oklahoma after reports of tornado destruction in that area come in, despite her anxiety from the personal tragedy that occurred. Now employed by Storm Par, a tornado radar company with morally suspicious funding, Javi works alongside his rigid business partner Scott (David Corenswet).

Kate is soon introduced to popular YouTube storm chaser Tyler Owens (Glen Powell), known to all as the “Tornado Wrangler,” as he and his entourage arrive to capitalize on the predicted storm activity of Oklahoma’s Tornado Alley. Seen as competitors, his boisterous crew consists of videographer Boone (Brandon Perea), mechanic Dani (Katy O’Brian), scientist Dexter (Tunde Adebimpe), and drone operator Lily (Sasha Lane), and tagging along is British journalist Ben (Harry Hadden-Paton). Initially, Kate is repulsed by Tyler and his adrenaline-junky crew and how they attract amateur storm chasers and sell merchandise wherever they stop. As Kate regains her confidence while tracking destructive tornadoes, she also learns another side of Tyler and Javi that has her reassessing her part in implementing preventative measures to protect Oklahoma residents from natural disasters.

I have no idea if Kosinski’s story pitch was to cut and paste the story beats from the 1996 movie, but that’s basically what Smith’s screenplay is doing here. There’s nothing wrong with that really, since it worked the last time and considering the years between the two movies, many probably haven’t seen the last one. Like “Twister,” this sequel offers more than just furious storm situations; it is as impressive and detailed as it is – especially a nighttime sequence where a twister barrels through a rodeo.

Smith and Chung add enough new elements to the formula, making “Twisters” something more than just a total retread. Human concerns are emphasized a little more here than they were in the last movie. While there’s still palpable camaraderie between storm chasers, we hang out with, the initial meet-cute between Kate and Tyler, with a dash of friction, earns more screentime. The more Kate gets to know Tyler, the more we see his character and crew’s not-so-subtle subversion. At first, Powell’s Tyler comes across as a cocksure cowboy with catchy slogans, such as, “You don’t face your fears, you ride ’em,” as if driving into the eye of a hurricane is as dangerous as riding a bucking bronco at a rodeo. Later on, Kate learns (and in turn, so do we) that he actually knows a thing or two about weather and storms and that he and his crew have a conscience when it comes to the impact tornado destruction has on civilians. Kate’s moved and impressed that Tyler and his crew want to meet the needs of those left in the wake of these twisters.

Like “Twister,” there’s a calm-between-storms moment where we meet a family member to focus more on the humans and hopefully reveal another layer to the protagonist. Lois Smith played Hunt’s Aunt Peg in “Twister,” and now we have Maury Tierney playing Kate’s mom, who remains at the family farmhouse in Sapulpa, Oklahoma. Tierney’s character, Cathy, only interacts with her daughter and Tyler, which is how we see that she’s kept all of Kate’s past research and weather projects in the family barn (and it seems like that’s all that the barn consists of). There’s not much to Tierney’s character, and that’s unfortunate because Maura Tierney is great.

Speaking of underutilized talent, it’s a shame Katy O’Brian has such a sidelined supporting role. After her stellar performance in “Love Lies Bleeding” earlier this year, I was expecting to see her have a more prominent role here, but oh well. At times, “Twisters” loses its momentum – like that undercooked subplot involving Javi’s financial backer – but there’s enough 90’s disaster flick nostalgia here to make this an engaging summer hit. These are just a few missteps in an engaging viewing experience that should be seen on the big screen with killer sound.

“Twister” dropped on May 10th. When it became the second highest-grossing movie of 1996, studios realized that the Summer Movie Season (typically Memorial Day to Labor Day in the States) could begin a month early. Director Jan de Bont, fresh off another 90s hit, “Speed,” delivered a visceral disaster flick that made up in visual effects and technical achievements what it lacked in its simple story and some hammy acting.

28 years later, that movie is looked upon with fondness and a winning combo of nostalgia and charm. “Twisters” is a sequel that’s not out to reinvent the wheel but rather revive the kind of blockbuster magic that isn’t solely concerned with IP expansion.

RATING: ***