Strap in and get ready to cure tornadoes with a fun cast and some epic disaster special effects
When I recounted to my mom the plot of the new Twisters after I saw it, she said, "Oh, so it's exactly the same as the first one?" I said, "Well, yeah, but it's a little different!" Yes, the main character experienced a traumatic tornado-inspired event. Yes, she's working on trying to cure tornadoes and prevent small towns from being decimated. Yes, there's romantic tension between the two stars (though Daisy Edgar-Jones in this one is absolutely boring and milquetoast compared to Helen Hunt's charismatic and intense character in Twister).
Look, no one is going to see Twisters for the plot or character development. Heck, a lot of people are going to see it to get water sprayed in their face while their seat gets yanked around in those herky-jerky 4DX screenings. Like horror movies, this type of film allows people to imagine unthinkably scary scenarios for 90 minutes all while remaining safe. It's a tale as old as time. Personally, I like to check in on disaster movies from time to time because it's a way of gauging how good special effects keep getting.
Indeed, disaster movies have a long and storied history in cinema, from old-school classics like The Poseidon Adventure to recent forays like the enjoyable but ridiculous Moonfall. Twister and Twisters are uniquely American entries in the disaster canon, perhaps because the USA experiences more tornadoes than any other place on Earth.
Twisters outshines its predecessor by really doubling down on the rootin' tootin', cowboy adrenaline chasing feel, thanks to Glen Powell's super-fun-and-ridiculous tornado wrangler persona. He's a lantern-jawed, flannel-shirt-wearing rebel, and his pickup truck has anchors that literally screw into the ground so he can chase them 'nadoes without fear. Contemporary country music plays in nearly every scene in the film, further cementing the heartland vibes of the setting. There are literal rodeos, a fire tornado, and enough cowboy hats you may wonder if you're sometimes watching a western. You'll even see Glen Powell shoot fireworks into a tornado, which is the most American thing that has maybe ever happened on the silver screen.
If you have even the slightest interest in a fun popcorn movie, I'd recommend seeing Twisters on the biggest screen you can find.
The Math
Baseline Score: 7/10.
Bonuses: Glen Powell is exceedingly charming as a tornado wrangler; there's fire tornadoes; Katy O'Brien has a small role but is always delightful
POSTED BY: Haley Zapal is a lawyer-turned-copywriter living in Atlanta, Georgia. A co-host of Hugo Award-winning podcast Hugo, Girl!, she posts on Instagram as @cestlahaley. She loves nautical fiction, growing corn and giving them pun names like Timothee Chalamaize, and thinking about fried chicken.
