Twisters is s great return to the hyped disaster movies of the early 2000s. Movies like The Day After Tomorrow, 2012, Deep Impact, Armageddon, and Twister set a pretty high bar. These movies took us on a ride with a group of people as they tried to survive or find a way to prevent a catastrophic event from happening. What made these movies thrilling was that they put you right in the center of the happening and you were unsure about what was going to happen. It was the safest way to survive a tsunami or earthquake by just watching it on the big screen in front of you.
Twisters continues this tradition by giving you characters to root for and taking you inside of the tornado, literally. The movie follows Daisy Edgar-Jones’ character, Katie Carter, who is trying to slow down tornados with her team of college friends. Due to some tragic events, Daisy leaves Oklahoma for New York working for the United States Weather Service as a storm tracker. She is tracked down by her college friend, Javi, played by Anthony Ramos, to help him chase storms back in Oklahoma with the promise of testing out a new device that will help with potentially stopping tornados.
We are introduced to storm chaser/internet star, and self-proclaimed “tornado wrangler” Tyler Owens, played by Glen Powell. Powell runs around with a group of “extreme meteorologists” who have gear that looks home-made and sell their swag to the people who look up to them. If this was a high school, Kate and Javi’s crew would be the tech kids in school, and Tyler and his crew would be the outcasts causing havoc in the lunchroom. As crazy as the group is we learn little about them throughout the movie. We do learn something about the swag they sell, but they are mostly side characters that we don’t get to know about until the final act.
Tyler as the leader of this pack makes you want to care for the group. Tyler is brash and bold but like Katie, has had an experience with tornados that shaped him into the person he is today. The combination of Kate and Tyler make for some interesting chemistry but it is great seeing them work together to help those around them. The friendship between Kate and Javi is strained when agendas are discovered and Kate has to make a choice about working with a friend or helping those affected by the tornados.
Just like in previous disater movies, the storms are the stars of the movies. Seeing incredible visual effects wreck havoc on the environment is what draws people to these movies. While there are some incredible sequences with the tornados the sound is where it is at with Twisters. We were lucky to see the movie in a Dolby Cinema theater and feeling the bass and our seats shake during the storms made us feel like we were in the movie. There is a certain moment that takes place in an underground swimming pool and the sound was practically deafening. I swear I was gripping my seat due to the vibrations in our seats. A 4DX screening of this movie would be insane but probably worth the ticket price.
Final Thoughts: Twisters is a return to the epic summer disaster movies that a lot of us grew up on. The movie stands alone and watching the original is not needed to enjoy this one. Although there are some issues with the pacing the movie does a great job of pulling you into the storms. Daisy Edgar-Jones’s performance carries the film and Glen Powell’s presence feels like something out of the original movie. See this in a Dolby Atmos theater to feel all the sounds.
Kid-Friendly: Some of the devastation shown after a tornado may be scary for younger kids. While it is a natural part of a tornado, the movie intensifies the destruction that is caused. There are a few slow moments that drag down the momentum when the characters are not chasing down a tornado.
Violence: There is no violence in Twisters but there are scenes of the aftermath of the tornados that are pretty horrifying.