‘Twisters’ Is a Perfect Romantic Comedy-Esque Return to Disaster Movies
’90s disaster movies brought a new kind of feel to action movies, which paved the way for movies like Twisters, that get to use the genre and elevate it to a new level. Lee Isaac Chung’s followup to 1996’s Twister will have you chanting “Glen Powell Summer.”
Kate (Daisy Edgar-Jones) is a former storm chaser/meteorologist who is brought back into chasing by her friend Javi (Anthony Ramos). Helping a company that is tracking twisters to help home owners, Kate is using her skills to get them the data they desire, but Tyler (Glen Powell) and his team of storm chasers (who use their skills for their YouTube channel) make it difficult for them.
All of that is, pretty much, on par with what the first Twister movie gave us. With very little connection to the original outside the inclusion of Dorothy (the tornado tracking device used in the 1996 film), Twisters uses our built-in love of the original to change the game. Essentially, this movie is as if a romantic comedy met a disaster movie.
The original film had Bill (Bill Paxton) trying to get his ex-wife, Jo (Helen Hunt), to sign divorce papers. While Kate and Tyler have no pre-existing relationship, their back and forth over science lends itself to the same kind of tension. They are, for the most part, on opposite teams, and yet they keep getting drawn to each other. There are literal rom-com beats that happen between them, and it gives Twisters a different kind of appeal to me.
The Glen Powell/Daisy Edgar-Jones effect
Part of what made Twister such a hit was Jo and Bill’s dynamic. Twisters gives us Kate and Tyler. There truly is something so special in how Powell just … looks at a woman. Edgar-Jones plays Kate as a quiet, intelligent woman. She just is watching, looking for the next tornado to chase for data, and she has these big dreams of being able to dissipate a twister using science.
Tyler could have easily been just a douchebag kind of like Cary Elwes’ Jonas. Instead, he’s charming, smart, and someone who isn’t doing this just for the thrill of it all but to help make a change. Watching as Kate and Tyler bond over their shared love of science, storms, and trying to make a difference makes Twisters addictive to watch.
There are literally moments in this movie that you want to cheer for, and they are literally Glen Powell walking in a white t-shirt in the rain. It is one of those cinematic experiences that you can’t really explain but it is just a thing we want to cheer for.
I think this movie could have worked if these two characters were not connected at all, but what makes Twisters such a strong summer blockbuster is their chemistry together.
A supporting cast worth cheering for
What makes Twister so fun is the crew that Bill and Jo are working with, and Twisters follows that same formula. We have Tyler’s team made up of Brandon Perea, Katy O’Brian, Harry Hadden-Pato, and Tunde Adebimpe. While they don’t have the most screen time, each actor makes such a lasting impression on the audience that you wish you could spend more time with them.
The draw to Tyler’s team is so strong that when you are with Javi and Kate, you understand why she’d be drawn to Tyler in the first place. Making a character like Boone (Perea) Tyler’s right hand man (and videographer) who has quirky glasses and gets upset when Tyler leaves him for a minute is just a fun choice.
The perfect summer blockbuster
Every summer, a movie comes out that makes people want to just head to theaters. While Twisters has some big competition this year, it is still a great return to disaster films with an important message. It has all the thrills you want from a blockbuster but reminds us that these films shouldn’t be about the storm themselves but the victims they leave behind.
You could have easily just made this a carbon copy of Twister, but instead, Chung and company have elevated the sequel while still giving fans something to look forward to. I left Twisters excited to know that I was going to see it again 3 days later and I think that’s the power this movie has. You’ll want to come back again and again.
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