Twisters

Summer is the biggest season in Hollywood. It’s the time of year studios look to release their larger budgeted movies in hopes that they become blockbusters. However, it used to be a shorter time as Memorial Day weekend used to be the starting point. That ended when Marvel Studios started taking over the first weekend in May (“The Fall Guy” took that slot this year with no new comic book move ready for release yet). However, in 1996 one movie got the summer started a little early, “Twister!” Directed by cinematographer turned director, Jan de Bont and written by Michael Crichton along with his wife, Anne-Marie Martin, “Twister” starred Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton and gave moviegoers and early thrill ride planting a seed that studios did not have to wait until the final weekend in May to get big box office returns.

 

“Twisters” may sound like a sequel, but it’s not. Outside of having the same title with an “s” added at the end this movie has no real connection with the original. The plot is a little similar. Kate (Daisy Edgar-Jones) was a storm chaser until terribly a tragedy happened involving a tornado. Years later, a friend gets her to get back in the game to do a 3D scan of a tornado in hopes that it could lead to the development of an early warning system. A love interest is also introduced in the form of Tyler Owens (Glen Powell), a storm chaser who has a popular YouTube channel. What happens when they team up and can they finally “tame a tornado”?

Like its predecessor, “Twisters” is a fun, summer movie ride! The opening tornado scene is quite intense that more than rivals the first scene in the original. In fact, all the tornado scenes take it to a whole other level in this picture. The stakes are higher as the body count is more than double than the first film. Lee Isaac Chung was brought in to direct and he does a really good job at building tension and delivering on action. Chung is probably best known for his last film, “Minari”. Often when a director is hired on to make a big budget action film after only coming from small budget dramatic fares, they often fail. Not is this case. The Oscar nominated director was more than up for the challenge.

If there is one weak link in “Twisters” it would be with the characters. This was a complaint about “Twister” too, but the characters in that one was more likable than here. It’s not that Kate, Tyler and the other supporting cast are bad people. They go out of their way to help others in the movie who have been hit by a tornado. A deeper look would have to put the blame on the shoulders of Kate and Daisy Edgar-Jones. Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton were both in their thirties when they made the original. Edgar-Jones is in her mid-twenties. Either the character of Kate should have been older or someone else might have carried the role better.

On a smaller note, the soundtrack in the first had the likes of Van Halen contributing to it. “Twisters” features country music which might fit the region of where the movie takes place but doesn’t fit the action going on screen. Still, overall, this is what you want from a July release where you get the bang for your buck.

3 Swords