Wonder Watchlist

Much like many movie-loving adults, I can remember movie nights with my family, surrounded by our analog TV, our blanket forts, and our favorite snacks after a long week of school. Getting ready to pick a movie to watch from the stack of VHS tapes littering the floor in the weekly rotation, there was the 1996 classic Twister. When news of another tornado film in the same universe, with a similar name, was being made, my inner child was ready to get back into my storm-chasing era. Twisters displays stunning practical VFX work that captures the dangerous beauty and awe-inspiring power of tornadoes. Yet there’s much to be desired from the film, as Twisters attempts to rekindle the magic of its predecessor but falls short.

Small Town Girl

Haunted by her time as a storm chaser is a young city slicker, who used to be a country girl, Kate Carter played by Daisy Edgar-Jones. She crosses paths with an old friend, and tornado-chasing partner from her school days, Javi played by Anthony Ramos. Loaded up with some fancy new tech, mysteriously deep pockets, and little to no convincing, Kate decides to get back into the storm-chasing game. Quickly, Kate is reminded of why she stopped doing this line of work in the first place. All while having to compete with the Tornado Wrangler himself, Tyler Owens played by Glen Powell. Tyler is a YouTube sensation with a convoy of loud and in-your-face lackeys ready to go when he says. As the film progresses, and agendas rise, Kate finds herself having to ride reluctantly in Tyler’s passenger seat where a bond begins to form amongst the chaos.

Focusing on how natural disasters demolish small towns, Twisters shows how communities are impacted not only by the physical destruction, but also by the emotional turmoil that follows. However, the townspeople are overshadowed by the magnitude of the catastrophes, leaving them feeling like pawns in an overly complicated game. As the story unfolds, the audience is given a glimpse into the lives of these individuals as they struggle to rebuild their homes and their lives.

If You Feel It..

Let’s get into the cast, for starters Glen Powell carries a majority of this film’s charm and screen presence on his shoulders. He was made for films like this where he can look this good while driving head-on into a tornado. At times his pearly white smile gets to be a bit much, especially in scenes where he is recounting his sad childhood memories. It brings me no joy to admit that the rest of the cast was a miss. Often, Edgar-Jones seems checked out of this film, leading to a bland performance. This isn’t entirely Edgar-Jones’s fault, as the script lacks much depth for many of its characters. Powell and Edgar-Jones in the later part of Twisters share a few scenes where the chemistry is natural, but for the most part it comes across a bit forced.

The rest of the cast is unfortunately forgettable. One of the best aspects of Twister was the large cast and how lived in the film felt with them all. Each had memorable moments no matter their screen time. The same cannot be said here, as Twisters almost challenges you to remember that half of these characters were even introduced by the time you see them again. Which is a shame, especially when with talent such as David Corenswet, the newest Superman, Katy O’Brian who is hot off of Love Lies Bleeding, and The Crowded Rooms Sasha Lane. Many of these characters have only a few lines of dialogue and mere seconds of screen time, leaving them to be extremely one-dimensional. Ramos, much like the secondary characters, doesn’t get much screen time to work with, and when he does, his attempts at playing a conflicted character don’t connect.

It’s Alive!

Where this film blew me away was the visuals, and with the director from Minari, Lee Isaac Chung, it doesn’t come as a shock. Chung and Cinematographer Dan Mindel capture the unnerving beauty of a tornado perfectly with their use of practical VFX. Some of the best moments of this film come when Edgar-Jones is standing atop a small hill in Oklahoma looking out into the distance at a dark looming tornado forming. Even some of the more intimate moments of showing small-town America from an overhead shot with the flag waving in the air showed how idyllic the lives of the citizens are, then paired with the devastating aftermath of a tornado ripping through. Mindel frames each action piece where the teams are chasing the skies well letting the storms take the focus and the characters take the back seat.

Twisters is an entertaining watch for a summer blockbuster that you and your friends can certainly enjoy, especially if your group appreciates numerous country music needle drops. While the film may lack in storytelling, it stuns with its visuals and impressive practical VFX. Twisters is a movie that is likely to resonate with a wide audience due to its dynamic action and the charm of Glen Powell.

Synopsis & Rating

“Haunted by a devastating encounter with a tornado, Kate Cooper gets lured back to the open plains by her friend, Javi, to test a groundbreaking new tracking system. She soon crosses paths with Tyler Owens, a charming but reckless social-media superstar who thrives on posting his storm-chasing adventures. As storm season intensifies, Kate, Tyler and their competing teams find themselves in a fight for their lives as multiple systems converge over central Oklahoma.”

3/5

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