Review - Twisters (2024)

       Hey guys, Chuck here, and this is my review of the new movie Twisters, directed by Lee Isaac Chung, starring Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell, Anthony Ramos, Brandon Perea, David Corenswet, Katy O'Brian, Kiernan Shipka, and Sasha Lane. Released by Universal Pictures and Warner Bros., this movie is a standalone sequel to the 1996 classic Twister. 

      So, the movie focuses on Kate Carter, a meteorologist who gave up her life as a storm chaser after an unfortunate incident five years prior to the events of the movie. Now, she gets another chance to work in the field when her former partner, Javi, invites her to Oklahoma to test a new tornado scanning system. Along the way, they meet a more ragtag band of storm chasers, led by YouTuber and "Tornado Wrangler" Tyler Owens, who challenges Kate in ways that make her confront her guilt over what happened to her old team. 

     Now, what Twisters does that I really appreciate is that it avoids the stereotypical tropes of the "legacy sequel," as unlike most "legacy sequels" that have an almost beat-for-beat identical plot to the original, but acting as a passing of the torch story at the same time, Twisters serves more as a continuation of the world that was started in the 1996 original, following a brand new generation of storm chasers with goals that align with the original movie's storm chasers but is also new and unique. They're not trying to measure a tornado with the instrument pack known as Dorothy, but are instead using new technology that was built on based on information Dorothy gathered. Hell, we even see a Dorothy at the beginning of this movie. Cool. 

       Also, the cast is a very colorful bunch that is easy to like. Daisy Edgar-Jones is very enjoyable as Kate, and she has a genuine character arc that builds throughout the movie and has a payoff when the movie reaches its climax. Unlike her more stoic counterparts like Captain Marvel, Kate has layers and flaws. She had a goal, her first attempt failed and got her friends killed, and she carried the weight of that guilt around for five years. But, when faced with a situation that needed her to step up, she conquers her guilt and does what she has to do, and it leads to a fantastic payoff. 

       Both Glen Powell and Anthony Ramos as Tyler and Javi are absolutely fantastic, as well. They feel like opposite sides of the same coin, and much like Kate, have layers and flaws that make them relatable and interesting. But, it's some of the side characters like Katy O'Brian as Dani, Brandon Perea as Boone, Tunde Adebimpe as Dexter, and Sasha Lane as Lily that really flesh out Tyler's team, and all of them bring an energy to the mix that is very reminiscent of Jo Harding's storm chaser team in the original Twister. David Corenswet, who will flying onto screens next summer in James Gunn's Superman, was probably the only one-note character in the movie as Scott. In fact, his role in this movie is similar to that of Jonas Miller in the original: in it for the money, not the science. Lastly, while they were only on screen for a short time at the beginning, I liked Daryl McCormack as Jeb, Nik Dodani as Praveen, and Kiernan Shipka as Addy, who made up Kate and Javi's original storm chaser team. 

        The visual effects, especially that of the tornadoes and the destruction caused by the tornadoes, was vastly improved in this movie compared to the original. But, we are talking a roughly twenty-eight year difference in visual effects technology, and while it may not seem like it at times given how it's looking more and more like Marvel is just sharting out visual effects instead of dazzling fans with them, the visual effects of Twisters are truly breathtaking, and many of them left my jaw on the theater floor. I gotta give the team that handled the visual effects major props. Good job, guys. 

        Also, the story, which was concocted by Joseph Kosinski, was awesome. I also gotta give a shout out to screenwriter Mark L. Smith for transcribing Kosinski's story into a genuinely entertaining film, and even more props to director Lee Isaac Chung for putting it on film. And, quite literally, as he shot Twisters on 35 mm film as opposed to digital, giving the movie a more believable look. Seriously, we need more filmmakers shooting on film as opposed to digital, as it gives such a more unique look that's just hard to replicate with digital. 

       Honestly, I had a lot of fun with this one, and that's coming from a dude who grew up with the original Twister from 1996. I'm giving Twisters a rating of 5/5. Definitely check this out on the big screen. 

       Alright guys, this is Chuck signing off, and I will be back very soon.