Twisters (2024)

It only took 28 years but we have FINALLY got a sequel to the beloved mid '90's disaster blockbuster Twister....only is it really?  There are no returning characters, only a returning device named Dorothy....and of course several big tornadoes. ;) So yes once again we are following storm-chasers around Tornado Alley not only attempting to figure out new ways to monitor these increasingly destructive storms but also maybe to stop them.  The cast is lead by Daisy Edgar-Jones (Where the Crawdads Sing, Normal People) who plays Kate, a "retired" young storm-chaser from Oklahoma who is now getting back into the game after several years of working a desk job in the aftermath of a tragic incident which occurred when she was chasing tornadoes as a grad student.  Helping to bring her back is old classmate Javi played by Anthony Ramos (In the Heights) who has landed some newfangled technology which might help them in their ongoing mission to "tame" tornadoes.  And along the way, Kate also strikes up a possible romance with the charismatic Tyler (Glen Powell), a YouTube star who also fancies himself as the ultimate "Tornado Wrangler."  And needless to say, they all deal with a LOT of bad weather.  Oscar-nominee Lee Isaac Chung (Minari) directs our return to The Suck Zone.....

Host: Geoff Gershon
Edited By Ella Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon

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Transcript

TWISTERS - 2024

Directed by Lee Isaac Chung          

Starring Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell, Anthony Ramos, Brandon Perea, Harry Hadden-Paton, Sasha Lane, Daryl McCormack, Kiernan Shipka, Katy O’Brien, Tunde Adebimpe, Nik Dodani, David Corenswet, and Maura Tierney

Genre: Adventure Thriller (Audio clip)

As someone who saw the original Twister multiple times in theaters back in '96 and also enjoyed rewatching it recently in the comfort of my home, you would think that I might be setting myself up for disappointment now seeing this shiny new "lega-sequel" on the big screen. That's kind of been the trend of late....whether it's revisiting Indiana Jones or or destroying YET another Death Star….there's fun to be had of course but more often than not, it just ends up feeling more hollow.  Of course Top Gun Maverick was a notable recent exception to this for several reasons but one stood out to me upon REALLY enjoying that one: whereas the original Top Gun was generally a dumb movie, Top Gun Maverick was pretty SMART. 🤔 The first movie had a pretty aimless plot with stakes that were never clearly defined. 'Maverick on the other hand had a well-structured story with clear stakes AND clear dramatic tension, never of course forgetting to entertain us along the way. And yup lightning has apparently struck twice (with a lot of rain added in of course 😜) because that's what has occurred with Twisters. Director Lee Isaac Chung was clearly aiming to strike up a decent dose of nostalgia for the beloved '90's smash.....

But gratefully, he learned all of the right lessons from that (very) flawed original movie to deliver a new version which not only matches the original for spectacle but dramatically improves upon it with narrative stakes that make more sense, better drawn protagonists, more engaging performances from the cast, a better build-up of danger as the story ramps up into its climax, and....a more satisfying ending. It's kind of crazy with regards to how this actually improves upon that original movie in so many unexpected ways!

And that begins with the casting. Look I have not seen Daisy Edgar-Jones in anything else though I have heard she's been on the come-up recently, I was initially kind of put off by her being in such a prominent lead role. She IS ostensibly the lead playing Kate, a "retired" tornado chaser from Oklahoma who after a very harrowing storm-chasing experience which occurred while she was still a student, has decided to take a deskjob working for the National Weather Service (I think) in New York City. And as effective as that opening "trauma" sequence is, clichés are abound from the get-go with this set-up. AND....Edgar-Jones is 26, can easily pass for barely 21, so I'm already getting Katie Holmes-in-Batman Begins or J-Law-in-ANYthing directed by David O. Russell-vibes here. GREAT....a big adventure story with a little-girl-playing-dress-up at its center! 🫣

The ORIGINAL Twister featured two more mature actors as its leads - Helen Hunt who was 33, Bill Paxton who was 44 (Oh Hollywood just LOVES those 10+ year age gaps between the male and female leads, never change!) They're both look and seem like actual ADULTS so that's a plus right? Well on the surface sure....but unfortunately the two main leads in that movie were both written AND played impulsive overgrown children sorry. 🙄 And just to be clear, I loved the late, great Bill Paxton....his '90's was punctuated with some genuinely brilliant work in two smaller thrillers, One False Move and A Simple Plan. But his performance in Twister was barely serviceable and on paper kind of didn't really make sense: a centered, zen storm whisperer who apparently is almost easily distracted and/or prone to outbursts while following storms??

Now Kate is initially on paper a somewhat tropey character....now suddenly BACK in the chase for tornadoes not only trying to overcome past trauma but seeking redemption for her past mistakes. No not exactly original! But as played by Edgar-Jones and written by Mark Smith, she's given real dimension and even some nuance - we watch her character incrementally grow JUST a bit, trying find balance between the intoxicating thrills of this work and protecting herself (and others) from some often extreme danger. There's a generous serving of techno-babble dialogue regarding storms but it's also never presented in a condescending way towards the audience like that now kinda-memorable moment in the first movie when they're all enthusiastically discussing the F -scale with Jami Gertz' character at the dinner table.....then bizarrely ALL hush into silence when her character asks about a Category 5....mere moments after they were explaining Category 4. :o

This is NOT to savage Twister '96 as a "bad" movie....it was a fun entertainment with just enough serviceable writing to sustain it along with what were then state-of-the-art visual effects PLUS an admittedly fun stacked supporting cast including a silly yet memorable turn by the late great Phillip Seymour Hoffman. Twisters just takes the overall concept to a higher level with a BIT more restraint. It also DOES have a pretty strong supporting cast of its own including some fun turns from Katy O'Brien, Brandon Perea, and Tunde Adebimpe as some of the more flamboyant storm-chasers along for the ride.

One standout from the cast predictably….is Glen Powell as Tyler the self-proclaimed "tornado wrangler" who's into all of this for the YouTube clicks....or is he? 🤭 He's a fun character who is actually given more depth as the story progresses - Powell plays him quite endearingly as a wanna-be-science-geek-inside-the-frame-of-a-bull-rider. It's yet another charismatic scene-stealing performance for this guy who is threatening to be Hollywood latest attempt to build a bright new shining star....and he MIGHT just get there as long as he keeps making interesting career choices. (Loved him in Hit Man!) 

He builds great chemistry with Daisy's Kate and it's to this film's credit that their potential romance never quite threatens to overwhelm the story. Like I said, this is a more focused narrative and the main focus remains on the pursuit AND study of those storms! ;) Now I don't know if the science behind what our protagonists encounter or their efforts to combat it actually makes sense.....but it all looks and sounds convincing enough to have an on-screen impact. 

Best Needledrop (best song cue or score used throughout runtime of film): 

Now I don’t profess to listen to much in the manner of country music but in the case of this movie, they assembled a soundtrack filled with new songs SPECIFICALLY written for the movie from an apparently impressive collection of modern country performers.  Some of it’s cheesy, some of it’s catchy, but it all generally fits pretty well.  Of COURSE, you can’t have banger country album without at least ONE cover of a Johnny Cash standard and early in the film during the first REAL storm chase involving the two competing teams, we hear overhead a SLIGHTLY modernized rendition of his 1948 classic, “Ghost Riders in the Sky” this time from rising country star from San Benito, TEXAS….. Charley Crockett….fun, rousing stuff! (Audio clip) 

Wasted Talent (most under-utilized talent involved with film):

And up-and-coming star Anthony Ramos also gives an effective performance as an initial scientific partner and old friend of Kate's, Javier who recruits her back into the field early on. I liked his character even though it does SEEM as if he might have had some scenes left on the cutting room floor. There are early hints of a potential romantic connection between his character and Kate which are hinted at early on but then never really explored. In fact I would say that it's likely this film's biggest weakness with how his character is increasingly kept in the background during its second half. He’s in the movie JUST enough to have you wanting a bit more….

Trailer Moment (scene or moment that best describes this movie):

For me, the most emotionally charged sequence occurs about halfway through the film as Kate and Tyler are just hanging outside in one of many small Oklahoma towns where both groups hitch up at night…..suddenly the winds pick up and a twister touches down right near them, they seek shelter and get mixed up a small group of folks exiting a local motel.  Both Kate and Tyler lead them to the ONLY potential safe spot in the absence of a nearby basement or underground shelter…a nearby in-ground pool with no water in it.  Now there are TWO standout moments here, one of which has pretty much been spoiled in commercials and trailers….going against Kate’s advice, a tourist couple attempts to drive away in their pick-up truck…..and they end up going RIGHT into the storm’s path…and then UP, yeah they’re not gonna make it.  (Audio clip) 

And then the OTHER moment occurs just a few minutes later as the remaining survivors (including Kate and Tyler) are now hunkered down in the deep end of the pool as the storm passes RIGHT near them.  Basically what happens next calls back to a past trauma of Kate’s from the film’s opening scene….the emotion comes most from just watching Kate struggle to keep her cool during this, it’s a very effective moment! (Audio clip)   

MVP (person or people most responsible for the success of this film):

Considering how easily this could have fallen into typical disaster movie tropes with quick cuts, perfunctory side stories and lazy character cliches, this is a surprisingly well-directed movie with depth, heart, suspense, AND a good appreciation for the unique aesthetics of America’s heartland.  For delivering the second modern upgrade on the stalwart genre of the disaster movie in as many months – previous episode A Quiet Place: Day One was also quite good – director Lee Isaac Chung is the MVP. 

Final Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

At points, these somewhat exaggerated weather formations (They can't ALL be F-5's right? 🫢) even start to slightly resemble giant amorphous sentient creatures - I believe I heard one online review refer to them as "weather kaiju's" and that makes sense. Over its just barely above two hour runtime, this lega-sequel adeptly presents them to the audience as a steadily building threat and I was just glad to be along for the ride! :)

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And that ends another SUCK ZONE review!