Twisters Movie Review

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If you saw the movie “Twister,” directed by Jan de Bont, starring Bill Paxton, Helen Hunt, Cary Elwes and Phillip Seymour Hoffman, go into “Twisters” knowing one thing. There are only a few respectable differences between the two. Director Lee Isaac Chung, from “Manari,” is good at storytelling. This film has no carry-over actors from the first film, and the story veers from people wanting to study tornadoes to people wishing to tame them… make them vanish before they destroy everything in their path. Chung does an excellent job of showing that distinction.

“Twister” may have been where the reality TV show “Storm Chaser” got their idea, for all I know. If so, it was a good idea. Storms are such a blast to watch. This movie is, too, but it has a few issues I need to address mainly; I’ve seen it all before.

It starts with the Dorothy V being shown; the last time you saw this was the Dorothy IV. She’s loaded with sensors to collect essential data when sucked up into the beast. Instantly, your mind goes back to Dr. Jo Harding (Helen Hunt) and Bill Harding (Bill Paxton), scientists who were attempting to launch their sensors into a tornado. The pair finally managed. This team is working with the Harding’s technology. Outside of scenes that all but steal from the original script, that’s the only genuine connection. The characters are well written, don’t get me wrong, but there’s not a lot new about them either. And Kate, played by Daisy Edgar-Jones, is no Helen Hunt. She has a blank stare for most of the film and seems to try her best not to be expressive. Edgar-Jones doesn’t exude much emotion, especially when it could really help make the story believable. She’s just flat, but far be it from me to want her to change her expression when looking at a friend, her mother or a potential love interest. It would have been nice.

Early in the film, Kate loses several friends due to an F5 tornado. It’s an intense scene with winds blowing at 200 miles per hour, taking everything with it. It’s not a good moment for Kate. After this storm, we catch her five years later. She’s working as a meteorologist, but she isn’t happy. The one remaining friend she has left, Javi (Anthony Ramos), who worked with her on her dream of killing a tornado in its tracks, reaches out to her. Storms have become more unpredictable and more frequent. He knows she has the goods on how to trail them and with the field he has gone into, he could use her as a tracker.

She agrees and is back in Oklahoma, where all is right. For a moment, anyway. At this point, the typical meet a cute guy but blow him off when he flirts is, sadly, given a go here. Kate meets Storm Chaser with a YouTube channel, Tyler (Glen Powell). His channel is popular because subscribers love the significant risks he and his team take. They’re a bit wild and crazy. The charming, attractive Tyler immediately notices pretty Kate and teases her every moment he gets a chance. They do have chemistry, and their dialogue is adorable, especially when she finally gives him a chance to try and seduce her.

The writing is good, the soundtrack is marvelous, and it helps you know when to grip your seat. I have to recommend you see this at the theater. You won’t love it, but you’ll have fun with the action. The bigger the screen you watch it on, the better. The cinematography is sublime, making the CGI effects in the movie better than they would have been. The talent involved no doubt helped, as well. The cinematographer was Dan Mindel, from “Spy Game,” “Enemy of the State” and many others. I can’t stress enough that you will see some almost duplicated moments from the first one. This could hurt your enjoyment of “Twisters,” but if you try to put that out of your mind, you could have a good time. Based on the repetitive factor alone, I can only give this a 75%.