When “Twister” released in 1996, I went to my local theater to see it. I got a popcorn and a Coke and sat one row from the back so I could really enjoy the surround sound that had recently been upgraded.
I had an amazing time, so much so that I went to see it again the very next day. Unfortunately, maybe back-to-back viewings weren’t great for an eventual critic because, on a rewatch, it didn’t hold up particularly well.
Still, the movie was fun, and despite some of my problems with it, I still think it was a good time. But that did leave me slightly wary about Lee Isaac Chung’s “Twisters.”
Kate (Daisy Edgar-Jones) is a natural-born storm chaser until tragedy makes her step away from it. But when her friend Javi (Anthony Ramos) urges her to help him with a new system to help stop storms, she decides to return to it one last time. While working with Javi’s team, she also meets a group of YouTubers led by Tyler Owens (Glen Powell). However, when a series of increasingly major storms hit Oklahoma, the two must put aside their differences to figure out how to save lives.
One of the hallmarks of this kind of movie is the image of a hand reaching out to grasp someone and the other person just slipping through their fingers to be swallowed by the storm. That felt like a metaphor for “Twisters.” It reaches out at the fun that was harnessed in the original movie and just missed.
A lot of this can be attributed to the way that the movie cuts off character development to chase the next storm. There’s a moment at a rodeo where Kate and Tyler are having a legitimate conversation, and then a massive tornado rips through, and it’s never fully picked up again.
This movie has a truly evil villain (way worse than a scientist who got financial backing, like Cary Elwes,) but his work is all told to us through a way more likable character, blunting the impact. It also toys with making a statement about increased extreme weather events but neglects to go in on it.
The cast is mostly fine. Lots of fantastic actors, but it never feels like most of them get enough screen time to shine. Most of the characters could have been played by anyone to the same effect.
Fortunately, the whole movie is buoyed by Glen Powell’s involvement. He is one of the most charismatic actors working right now, and it is tough not to be entertained when he shows up. That, combined with some gorgeous shots of the Oklahoma landscape, keeps this from being a bad movie experience.
For all of its flaws, I saw this movie on a Thursday afternoon in a pretty full theater, and everyone seemed to be having a good time.
Maybe if you grab a popcorn and a Coke and allow yourself to be lost in the spectacle of it all, “Twisters” will carry you away for at least a couple hours.
Alise Chaffins is a Morgantown writer who loves movies and sharing her opinions. She reviews a movie from a streaming service every Saturday and one newly in theaters every Sunday. Find more at MacGuffin or Meaning on Substack.
