REVIEW: ‘Twisters’ Is An Electrifying Sequel

It seems I have been waiting for a big studio disaster movie that works for a long while now. A genre that found life in the 1990s and legs in the 2000s, direct-to-VOD, and small budgets have kept it alive in the hearts of all those who love adding—ado to anything. That said, quality is something the genre has been missing, and with Twisters, Amblin conquers the summer blockbuster with a country kick and cowboy hat on top.

Directed by Lee Isaac Chung, Twisters stars a stunning cast with Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell, and Anthony Ramos as equal and opposite storm-chasing forces. In direct competition with each other, the core of how they each make their choices is the same: They each want to know the unknowable. How do you track a storm cell that will become a tornado before it births, and how do you mitigate damage?

Twisters focuses on Kate Carter (Edgar-Jones), a former storm chaser haunted by a devastating encounter with a tornado during her college years. Deadset on stopping a tornado in its tracks, she abandons her hope to change the world to study storm patterns on screens safely in New York City. But when her old friend Javi (Ramos) turns up in her office, the allure of testing a groundbreaking new tracking system is too much to pass up. With one week on the road, the duo meets Tyler Owens (Powell), the charming and reckless storm-chasing influencer who thrives on pushing danger to the max.

As a once-in-a-lifetime storm season intensifies, Kate, Tyler, Javi, and their respective crews (featuring Brandon Perea, Harry Hadden-Paton, Tunde Adebimpe, Katy O’Brian, David Corenswet, and Sasha Lane) find themselves squarely in the paths of multiple storm systems converging over central Oklahoma. They each have to find a way to live and save those around them.

While the effects work is beautiful to watch unfold, the real stunner in Twisters is its dedication to the small towns, their people, and the culture that erupt from the states straddling the South and the Midwest. Cowboys make everything better, and riding a tornado is just loud and endearing enough that it works. While the story takes place in Oklahoma and Tyler’s crew of storm chasing misfits hail from Arkansas, Powell’s Texas boy attitude emerges. It’s in his twang, bootcut jeans, and unwavering bravado.

Powell’s Tyler works because he is the know-it-all who actually cares about helping others. His kindness is deeply rooted in his dedication to storm chasing, and that makes him likable even in moments when he’s just being the obnoxious YouTuber.

A sequel rarely captures the electricity of the original, but Twisters does. This is thanks almost exclusively to Glen Powell’s charisma, absolute never, and undeniable talent in every scene he is in. He lights up every moment, pushes the story forward, and has undeniable chemistry with everyone from Boon to Kate. Powell is the core of the movie, but he doesn’t steal the show from anyone. Instead, he’s a rising tide lifting up his castmates along the way.

Twisters is not without its big dumb disaster moments (fire tornado, anyone?), which makes them succeed. It never forgets why its characters chase the storms or why the audience has shown up at the theater. That said, it does balance the spectacle against a fairly emotional narrative that finds parallels in the first and third acts to great effect. Even when the film edges on cheesy sentimentality, it’s still a blockbuster that understands why we loved the original film and, ultimately, how to bring that kinetic energy to a new generation of storm-chasing fans.

As a film, Twisters is simple, and despite Powell’s strength as a secondary character, Edgar-Jones’ Kate is equally as strong. While we see her life implode in the first minutes of the film, we see the intricate ways in which those events shape her, stunt her, and create her moral core. Kate may not be as charismatic as Powell’s Tyler but her intelligence and vulnerability make her an easy reflection for the audience.

Twisters is the first good disaster movie in a long while. It’s got acres of twisting damage but also acres of heart. The ensemble cast of characters pushes the story, the costuming and set design craft an immersive slice of America, and the soundtrack that you chase the tornado to sets an unforgettable stage. This is an Amblin blockbuster with all the positives attached to it from that banner. Twisters is exactly why you go to the movies.

Twisters is playing in theaters nationwide on July 19, 2024.