Twisters: A Storm (and a Movie) That No One Saw Coming

Hollywood chases trends, and no trend seems to be hotter than the legacy sequel to a long-beloved original film! While many franchises look to it simply for money, when done right, they can be pretty impactful. However, I’m not sure anyone expected for 1996’s Twister to get one. But, here we are, and this year’s Twisters is shaping up to be one of the most unexpected hits of the summer!

What’s Twister About?

To talk about the new movie, it’s best to talk about the original Twister. It stars Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt as Bill and Jo Harding, respectively. They are a divorced couple who used to chase tornadoes for research purposes. Bill looks to finalize the divorce, but is caught up in the chase of the storms, falling in with his old crew and using tech he helped develop. And of course, his love for Jo comes back to the fray as well.

Coming out in May 1996, Twister actually had a lot of success! It was the second-highest grossing movie of the year. It even had Academy Award nominations for sound and special effects! And for me, it stands as a reasonably solid blockbuster of the 1990’s.

It’s got a lot of what you want from a movie like this. Paxton (who is sadly no longer with us) and Hunt are great, charismatic leads with excellent chemistry. They are bolstered by an excellent cast of supporting character actors. The most notable is Philip Seymour Hoffman as Dusty, who’s funny as hell!

Aside from casting, the original movie is also thrilling. The film pulls you into the storm chase rather well. You get giddy every time they get into the trucks to chase a tornado. Plus, it helps it has good special effects (they still hold up), and a rousing score. It’s not hard to see why Hollywood would want a sequel!

How is Twisters As a Sequel?

Twisters smartly goes the route of being a standalone sequel. It’s a similar premise; however, it’s with all-new characters. Early on in sequel development, there was an idea where Helen Hunt was attached to write, direct, and potentially act. Some may be disappointed by that, but I think new was the way to go. Sometimes, bringing back old characters doesn’t work out too well!

This time, we focus on Daisy Edgar-Jones’s storm-chaser, Kate Carter. She’s a gifted scientist who tried to limit the effects of tornadoes years ago, but it went tragically wrong. She’s sworn off chasing storms until she’s pulled back into it by Javi (Anthony Ramos), an old friend. From there, she tries to find her place among corporate storm chasers and a gang of “tornado wranglers” led by Tyler Owens (Glen Powell).

The worry with something like Twisters is if it will be too much of the same as the original. And there certainly are similarities. But, for me, the question is if they can take the familiarity and still make enough new things out of it to make the journey worthwhile. That was the case here with Twisters.

A simple example for comparison is with Kate, who’s similar to Helen Hunt’s Jo. Both are highly intelligent storm chasers but respond to tragedy differently (mild spoilers ahead). When Jo loses loved ones via a tornado, she chooses to be relentless in understanding the science behind it. When Kate goes through similar circumstances, she chooses to run away to a desk job, until her friend finds her.

It might seem like a small difference in description here, but all these differences do start to add up. For a large part of the movie, Kate is a part of the more corporate team, and the “wranglers”, who are more like the first movie’s protagonists, initially seem like rivals. These differences help make for a story that feels worth telling, and isn’t entirely full of repetition.

How Does the Rest of the Movie Work?

The rest of the movie revolves around Edgar-Jones as well! Other cast highlights are Anthony Ramos as Javi, who plays a great friend, David Corenswet as a main corporate storm chaser, and Brandon Perea as Boone, an enthusiastic videographer for the “wranglers”. The special effects also look amazing! It’s a nice blend of practical and CGI, and it draws you in, much like the 1996 original. The soundtrack rocks, too!

I also really admire the tone director Lee Isaac Chung goes for. Twisters is funny, but it doesn’t take away from the heart of the story. It’s cheesy, but in a charming way that’s not disingenuous. Most of all, it’s human. The characters matter, and they all help each other. Chung comes from an indie drama background, and that influence is clear.

However, don’t let that fool you. Chung makes the most of his setpieces! There’s a brilliant sequence at a motel where Kate and Tyler rescue some people during a storm. About halfway through it, I realized the camera had not cut yet! It was that immersive!

How Does It Affect Glen Powell’s Stardom?

The one character I haven’t talked about yet is Tyler Owens, played by Glen Powell. A few months back, I wrote an article about Powell and his movie-making future. Thus, I was interested to see how Twisters would fare with him in it. Much like I expected, Powell was my favorite part!

Unlike this year’s Hit Man, Twisters is less of an acting showcase for Powell, but his blockbuster persona is fully formed. Tyler Owens is cocky and cavalier, but he’s got a heart of gold. It’s cheesy, but it’s sincere, and Powell excellently makes you marvel at his bravery, and fall in love with his dedication. His willingness to help Kate after a couple of brief, semi-volatile meetings also endears him to the audience. “You don’t face your fears. You ride ’em.” will be seared into my brain!

It’s kind of funny that Powell has now been apart of two of these legacy sequels. It’s also funny both of his characters are kind of cocky. However, with more of a leading presence here, Powell is able to make Tyler different from “Hangman” in Top Gun: Maverick (2022), all while using a persona that could draw you in to any blockbuster. That’s talent.

Was Twisters a Worthwhile Effort?

There’s a lot of IP-driven franchise movies that have come our way this summer, and more that will come our way. Some will receive love, while others will feel unnecessary. I’m sure many didn’t think Twisters could be a story worth telling.

And yet, times change. After a decade of superhero movies and blockbusters trying to have meaningful legacies alongside the original, it’s nice to see something different. Much like the original it follows, Twisters feels like something from the 1990’s. It’s aim as a blockbuster is to entertain, provide thrills, and charm you. It’s simpler, and feels refreshing.

Yes, you could make comparisons to the original and see similarities. But for my money, this story feels like a labor of love from a passionate cast and crew. There’s a line in the movie: “If you feel it, chase it.” If anything I’ve described makes you feel like Twisters is up your alley, I’d say chase it.