'Twisters' brings disaster charm back to the big screen | Film Review

I’m terrified of tornadoes, but there’s something about the 1996 Twister film that I just really gravitated to. Now we have a “stand-alone sequel” for Twister, and the fascination is right back. I want to make you aware that there will be spoilers in this review, so keep that in mind if you want to continue reading but let’s not waste any more time, let’s get right into it.

"Twisters" cast official poster | Photo: Universal Pictures

Starting with the visuals of the film, it really showcases some very terrifying weather. We get a glimpse of twin tornadoes, rain being so hectic that you lose sight of the tornado, and sparks flying in the air due to destroyed power lines. The visuals really provide a sense of chaos for the characters and us as the audience. I believe we also got a glimpse of the storm above the clouds, which provided us with a different yet unique perspective. Something else that stood out to me visually was the fireworks in a tornado and a tornado going through a power plant, creating a fiery tornado. The effects were really good at capturing the audience’s attention. Lastly, the scene during the night storm, where you can't see the tornado until the lightning flashes, really got me on edg,e much like the 1996 film. The visuals really make you feel like there is no sense of control, much like a real-life tornado situation.

Memorable moments in the film really start right away with the opening sequence of young, hopeful storm chasers. Unfortunately, they face a really intense tornado, which results in the demise of 3 of Kate’s friends. It really comes out of the gate swinging and setting the tone.

Another memorable moment was the introduction to Tyler and his team. I thought they were introduced kind of unpleasantly. But deep down, you kind of already know they will be much more likable compared to the Storm Par team.

Something that I thought was pretty wild was anywhere that Kate was, Tyler wasn’t too far behind. Now I get it. They’re both storm chasers in the same area, but when he pulled up to her mama's house, I was like oh he is not playing about her.

Lastly, I thought a really interesting moment was during that last, powerful storm that ripped the screen from the movie theater. Although the characters are panicking and in distress, I thought the tornado seen through the destroyed wall in place of the movie screen mirrored our own experience of watching Twisters. I know a lot of things are intentional in film, and maybe I am reachin,g but I thought that was cool.

The cast all do a really good job with their respective roles. Daisy Edgar-Jones embodies a passionate storm chaser named Kate who, after witnessing a catastrophic storm, overcomes the panic she once faced encountering tornadoes to save many people from disaster.  

Glen Powell as Tyler brought a country charm to the screen and embodies a character who is more than just a YouTube-famous storm chaser, he genuinely has a fascination for these storms and wants to help people in need.

Anthony Ramos as Javi did well as Kate's former colleague. He was giving off a bit of off vibes to me after he was kind of pressuring Kate to join Storm Par for collecting tornado data, despite knowing what they both went through by losing three friends to a dangerous storm. But it was good to see that Javi still cared about Kate and helping people, so he was a fine character.

David Corenswet as Scott is just clear he’s portraying a nasty man that doesn’t care about anyone, and he got what he deserved towards the end of the film by literally getting left in the dirt. His character was pretty unlikable here, but I can't wait to see him take on the role of Superman.

Two characters that I really liked that I feel might be underrated are: 1. Harry Hadden-Paton as Ben. He made me laugh a bit as this journalist wanting to get in on the action of storm chasing with his story. And 2. Brandon Perea as Boone, Tyler's cameraman, who gets jealous if Tyler leaves him to spend time with Kate, but also thinks he’s in love with Kate.

In conclusion, when you see Twisters, you’re in for a ride, or at least I was. I enjoyed it. It brings that same fascination of seeing Twister (1996) but with new characters, new challenges, and new experiences. And it was awesome seeing it on the big screen.