Twisters

by Mike McGranaghan

Twister came out during the relative dawn of the CGI era, when filmmakers were excited to show things that were previously impossible. The movie was silly and over-the-top, yet that’s exactly what audiences liked about it. Seeing realistic looking tornados destroying buildings and sending cows flying was novel. Twisters is also silly and over-the-top. The CGI is even better now than it was in 1996. The more important factor is that director Lee Isaac Chung (Minari) takes advantage of those improvements while embracing the original’s thrill ride appeal.

Kate Carter (Daisy Edgar-Jones) was once a promising grad student with a theory on how to “tame” tornados. Several colleagues died during an effort to see if her theory would work. Five years later, she has stopped chasing until Javi (Anthony Ramos), the only other survivor of that fateful excursion, reappears into her life. He works for a company that has provided him with cutting edge equipment that will allow for a full 3D scan of a tornado. He just needs her know-how to get close enough to place the components. She reluctantly agrees to give him one week of her time. Once in Oklahoma, Kate ends up in a rivalry with Tyler Owens (Glen Powell), a YouTube star who likes to show off with crazy tornado-related antics. Both are trying to take advantage of an unparalleled storm season.

That’s just the first half-hour of Twisters. The rest of the story gets into the race between Kate and Tyler, the slow-burning romance that starts to build between them, and the underlying motivations for their desire to run toward dangerous weather. Is it all predictable? Sure, but it’s also fun because the characters are smart. They understand science and use it to their advantage. They talk to each other in intelligent ways, relying on complex jargon. I don’t know if there’s any scientific basis to the idea that a tornado can essentially be defused. Nevertheless, it sure sounds good the way they describe it.

The degree to which the movie commits to insane tornadic action is impressive. Early scenes capture the danger of driving in high winds, heavy rain, and hail. Later on, things get more dramatic. There’s a tornado that tears apart a rodeo, one that decimates a refinery, and a tense, thrilling finale set inside a small-town movie theater. Chung captures the spirit of the original, taking obvious glee in creating scenes of destruction designed to get the audience’s pulse racing. Certain events that transpire are not realistic. It doesn’t matter, though, because the film clues us in that it’s depicting a fantasy-world version of tornado chasing where you can drive a pickup truck right into the middle of a raging funnel without dying.

Having appealing leads helps. Powell once again proves himself an effortlessly charismatic performer. He’s always been skilled at playing cocky guys and Tyler is cockiness personified. Like Tom Cruise, he can also peel away the layers of cockiness to show the real person inside. Powell is very good here. So is Edgar-Jones, who makes an appealing, sympathetic heroine. In both Where the Crawdads Sing and Fresh, she’s proven to excel at bringing emotional sincerity to larger-than-life stories. That’s true here, as well. The actress makes us feel the guilt Kate carries around, thereby earning our investment in the meteorological chaos.

Harsh weather is a natural subject for cinema. The very idea that there are deadly environmental forces we cannot control is scary. That’s the appeal of Twister and Twisters. They play on the fear that nature will turn on us. If you’ve ever had to take shelter in a basement during an intense storm, you’re susceptible to the power of these films, which envision worst-case scenarios that allow you to release a little bit of fear because you know, like the heroes, you’re totally going to survive, no matter how catastrophic it gets.

Twisters is by no means a great film. It is, however, a massively entertaining picture that’s packed with excitement.

Scroll down for a look at the Blu-ray features.

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Blu-ray Features:

Twisters comes to 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on October 22, 2024. The excellent bonus features, which run for more than an hour, make this a disc worth owning. In fact, the features are so fun and informative that I devoured them all in one sitting. Director Lee Isaac Chung provides audio commentary, then it’s on to the featurettes, which include an amusing gag reel and three short deleted scenes that provide nice, but non-essential character beats. Also included:

Tracking the Fronts: The Path of Twisters - This is a general overview of the film’s making, with emphasis on the incorporation of actual science into the plot. Also featured is discussion of how shooting in Oklahoma during tornado season helped the cast members more fully understand the characters they portray.

Into the Eye of the Storm - If you wondered how Twisters pulled off its extraordinary – and extraordinarily scary – tornado scenes, this feature will answer all your questions. The use of both practical and digital effects is explored, and there is some fascinating footage of the actors dealing with wind fans, flying debris, and a little daunting wire work. For some scenes debris from actual tornadic events was used as set dressing.

Glen Powell: All Access - The actor gives viewers a glimpse at one of his workdays on Twisters. That includes prepping for the rodeo scene by talking to an actual rodeo expert and finding a way to work his parents into a crowd scene.

Front Seat to a Chase - This section is particularly fun, as it follows real storm chasers on the trail of a tornado and the film’s cast going on their own storm chase (with professional assistance, of course). It’s clear that Edgar-Jones, Powell, and Ramos wanted to understand exactly what their characters go through in the course of Twisters.

Voice of a Villain - The movie’s sound team discusses their approach to creating the distinct sounds that provide each tornado with its own distinct personality.

Tricked-Out Trucks - This gives information on the storm-chasing vehicles used in the film, their special capabilities, and how accurate they are to the real deal.

Twisters is a very enjoyable, thrilling picture, and the first-rate bonus materials are impressive. A digital copy of the movie is included in the pack. Click here to purchase a copy from Amazon.