I’ll be d**ned.
Someone at the distribution machine’s back parlor learned that for a riveting time to occur with all the glitz and glamor in another run-of-the-mill Hollywood blockbuster, you must suffuse a commendable story at the very core. Recent hits like Top Gun: Maverick and The Fall Guy were conscious of this direction, weaving in engaging stunts and backdrop effects with a sturdy foundation in how the narrative would play out and characters filled with a sense of pathos. The standalone sequel to the 1996 Twister doesn’t break the aerodynamics further, but it retains its nary sense of fun (and danger) with the storm chasers abound.
Who better to lead a pack of them than the only Glen Powell, whose charisma lights up the screen as swaggering social media star Tyler? The film’s most significant attribute is his mismatching with the intelligent yet stern Kate (Daisy Edgar-Jones). One seeks to be the wrangler, while the other wants to be the tamer. Their moments keep a resonating energy afloat as they tangle with the dangers and sensations of each tornado that dismantles the fine land of the United States. To kick off, the film begins with Kate and her pack of college friends utilizing a solution experiment to disrupt the intensity of a tornado; however, it reaches dangerous levels of intensity, resulting in a few of them getting blown away from the effects. Five years later, Kate is approached by her old friend Javi (Anthony Ramos), and he asks her to join her for a week in returning to the hazardous environment with new gear and equipment to scan tornadoes in Oklahoma. Lo and behold, the infamous Tyler Owens and his crew challenge Kate and Javi’s expedition to capture the tornadoes. At the same time, Kate still juggles guilt from her failed experiment several years earlier.
Mark L. Smith’s screenplay places a superb emphasis on natural disasters’ potency while admirably acknowledging how their presence damages people’s livelihoods and communities. Director Lee Isaac Chung aptly balances raw spectacle with a fun cast and engaging moments, and gets some kudos for contemporary country soundbeats to enjoy when we get a moment to breathe from the action. It is asinine that the filmmakers dropped the ball with a real estate subplot that fizzles out faster than most category-one hurricanes. Yet, we’re more so here to watch Powell shine with a push-pull banter alongside his comrades or against Edgar-Jones’ character amid the natural chaos.
Twisters remains a popcorn thriller that will surely knock your socks off as it continues to twist your emotions. It doesn’t get any better than that.
