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This review was made possible by an early screening of Twisters. Twisters premieres in theaters on Friday, July 19th.
If you feel it, chase it! This age of disaster blockbusters makes a comeback with Twisters, a modern chapter of the 1996 smash hit Twister. Directed by Lee Isaac Chung, the Oscar nominated writer-director of Minari, Twisters stars Daisy Edgar-Jones as Kate Cooper and Glen Powell as Tyler Owens, two people obsessed with the force of nature known as tornadoes.
JUST WHEN I THOUGHT I WAS OUT, THEY PULL ME BACK IN
Right from the opening scene, the movie fully establishes stakes with the real devastating danger of tornados. While testing out a way to neutralize the storms plaguing her homestate, Kate faces unexpected complications that change her life forever. So much so, she leaves Oklahoma to work a desk job in New York City tracking storms. That’s until her old friend, Javi (Anthony Ramos) approaches her with an offer she can’t refuse. A shot at finishing what she started with a new team and state of the art technology.
As they return back home, the whole culture of storm chasing has completely changed. With the popularity of social media at an all time high, viral YouTuber Tyler arrives on the scene with his team of tornado wrangling outlaws to chase the storms for all of his followers to enjoy.
DON’T JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER
While Tyler comes off as an ultra macho, stereotypical adrenaline junky, there’s more to this character than meets the eye. Powell brings a different type of performance than his usual over-confident, lovable douchebag offering an earnest amount of care for fellow human beings. As a counterpoint Kate doesn’t give into even a percentage of his charm, making their chemistry straight up explosive.
As I was on my way to this screening, a tornado hit back home and left a lot of wreckage in its wake. It really made this movie feel a bit more real, if I’m being honest. What this movie did so well, was putting on display the devastating effects of mother nature while showing that humanity can do some incredible things when we come together. Unlike a lot of disaster movies that rely on over-the-top catastrophes, this movie gives a truly grounded and tangible level of action based (mostly) with real science delivering a far more relatable experience.
Twisters showcases exactly what a summer blockbuster should be. Plot conveniences and a formulaic structure aside, the movie exudes pure style, charisma and nerve wracking disaster fueled action that you feel right from the opening scene. Jones absolutely owns the leading role alongside Powell who firmly cements himself as a bonafide movie star. When big IP movies center the plot around a well done human story, it only enhances the overall theatrical experience. Get to the theaters on July 19th and enjoy the ride.
