Glen Powell, left, and Daisy Edgar-Jones in “Twisters,” directed by Lee Isaac Chung. Photo Credit: Universal Pictures/TNS
Too often, this complaint gets thrown around by a crowd of people who haven’t set foot in a theater in years. “Twisters,” the reboot of the 1996 classic, dissipates this myth — for the most part.
Glen Powell (“Anyone But You”) and Daisy Edgar-Jones (“Normal People”) step up to the challenge of filling the boots left by original cast members — including Bill Paxton, Helen Hunt and Philip Seymour-Hoffman — by introducing the storm-chasing story to a new generation.
Their chemistry is palpable as they play the unlikely duo of Tyler Owens (Powell), a storm-chasing, country-boy YouTube influencer, and Kate Cooper (Edgar-Jones), an ex-chaser who now works for a government weather agency. Cooper is called back to the front lines of storm chasing by her old friend Javi (Anthony Ramos), and much like the first film, a love triangle ensues.
Unlike the original 1996 film, however, the focus now lies on the female lead, though Powell — who’s recently taken the film industry by storm — continues to be a scene stealer as he drips with Southern charm.
“Twisters” isn’t a direct remake of the original “Twister,” but it follows a similar structure in terms of major plot beats. Like the original, it presents itself as a fun summer blockbuster, and the country music that makes up most of its soundtrack hammers home the filmmakers’ desire to appeal to the old-fashioned nostalgia of movies gone by while putting a modern twist on the intellectual property.
Somewhat surprisingly, this new spin comes not in the form of addressing climate change. In fact, the film purposely avoids any topics of this nature that may raise angry fists from those who just want a turn-your-brain-off action movie mimicking the good ole days of Hollywood.
Instead, the most drastic changes are noticed in the movie’s production value. Characters now have easier access to technology such as drones, which are easily available to civilians, allowing the film to step more into the eye of the storm with significantly less suspension of disbelief.
It’s this focus on seeing the whirlwinds up close and personal that allows filmmakers to fully show off how much special effects have developed since 1996, making “Twisters” much more of a true action movie than its campier, more laid-back predecessor.
“Twisters” touches down in theaters with the clear intention of sucking in a wider audience than many more topical movies released today. And though it may lack some of the original’s ‘90s charm, a great duo of leads and awe-inspiring action sequences make a ticket to the film worth chasing.
Rating: 3.5/5
