Movie Review: Twisters: Chasing the Storm Again

The new movie Twisters is what is being called a legacy sequel of the movie Twister from 1996. Twisters is directed by Lee Isaac Chung and stars Daisy Edgar-Jones and Glen Powell.

Courtesy Universal Pictures

I recently watched the original Twister movie from 1996 starring Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton to prepare to watch this movie. Twister really set the stage for disaster movies. The plots for the two movies are pretty much identical. The only connective tissue between the two movies is the fact that the newer movie uses the same Dorothy machine in the beginning that was featured in the original Twister movie. There were several Wizard of Oz references in this movie just like the previous movie.

One major improvement in Twisters is the special effects with the tornadoes. That much is obvious.

The story is relatively the same. The lead female character, Kate Carter, suffers a traumatic event which feeds into her desire to learn more about tornadoes. There is an evil company involved, there is a fun group of tornado enthusiasts involved, there is a middle scene with a concerned mother figure, played by Maura Tierney who does a good job, and there are lots of opportunities to see wrecked towns by tornadoes. There's a kind of Pride and Prejudice element where the lead guy, Glen Powell, is shown to have a bit more depth than originally presented.

In this movie the Glen Powell character of Tyler is leading a group of YouTubers who chase tornadoes and play cowboy but the audience learns that they do try to raise money and help tornado victims.

The other major difference is that the girl, Kate Carter, played by Daisy Edgar Jones, switches teams in the middle of the movie and develops a connection with the tornado Wrangler character, Tyler. This slight story change I feel is an improvement from the older movie.

By itself Twisters is a fun movie. There are lots of dramatic moments, several hero moments, and plenty of good storytelling choices. This movie features several excellent young actors who are on their way up. The leads all do an excellent job in their role. The cinematography, sound effects and special effects are all impressive.

Absolutely enjoyed this movie and highly recommend seeing it, 4 out of 5 stars.