Twisters - Review : A Spectacle-Heavy Spin Through Disaster Tropes

Twisters (2024)

A Spectacle-Heavy Spin Through Disaster Tropes

★★½☆☆

Impressive action set pieces trapped in a storm of scientific mumbo-jumbo.

Release

July 19, 2024

RT Score

75%

Letterboxd

3.4 / 5

Runtime

122 Minutes

Official Synopsis

Kate Cooper, a former storm chaser haunted by a devastating encounter with a tornado during her college years, now studies storm patterns on screens safely in New York City. She is lured back to the open plains by her friend, Javi, to test a groundbreaking new tracking system. There, she crosses paths with Tyler Owens, the charming and reckless social-media superstar who thrives on posting his storm-chasing adventures with his raucous crew.

Expanded Ensemble

Daisy Edgar-Jones as Kate Carter

Glen Powell as Tyler Owens

Anthony Ramos as Javi

Brandon Perea as Boone

Maura Tierney as Cathy Carter

Harry Hadden-Paton as Ben

Sasha Lane as Lily

David Corenswet as Scott

Katy O'Brian as Dani

Tunde Adebimpe as Dexter

Kiernan Shipka as Addy

Nik Dodani as Praveen

Expanded Architects

DirectorLee Isaac Chung

Screenplay ByMark L. Smith

Story ByJoseph Kosinski

Based on Characters Created byMichael Crichton, Anne-Marie Martin

CinematographerDan Mindel

Film EditorTerilyn A. Shropshire

Music ComposerBenjamin Wallfisch

ProducersFrank Marshall, Patrick Crowley

Production Vault

Motion Picture Rating	PG-13 (Intense Action and Peril, Some Language)
Aspect Ratio	2.39:1 (Panavision Widescreen Capture)
Production Budget	$155 Million
Worldwide Box Office	$371.2 Million
Locations	Oklahoma City, El Reno, Okarche, Chickasha (Oklahoma, USA)

Behind The Lens Spotlight Director Lee Isaac Chung insisted on shooting on real locations across Oklahoma to ground the meteorological action in geographic reality. Cinematographer Dan Mindel captured primary photography on analog thirty five millimeter film prints using Panavision Millennium XL2 camera setups, blending classical warm organic film texture with high resolution digital wind, debris, and weather simulations handled by Industrial Light and Magic.

Production Info

The big budget legacy sequel entered active development logistics in late 2022 under the oversight of Universal Pictures, Warner Bros Pictures, and Amblin Entertainment. Moving from blueprint phases directly into principal photography, production crews faced substantial delays due to the industry wide Hollywood union strikes before concluding filming protocols in December 2023. Universal managed domestic theatrical release slates while Warner handled international booking markets.

Official Trailer

Directed by Lee Isaac Chung, Twisters has the distinction of being a film featuring a combination of my two least favorite genres: the natural disaster movie and the remake. Despite the presence of charismatic leads like Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones, it becomes clear early on that the real stars of the film are the special effects. While Powell brings his signature affability, the story eventually swings back into dense "science" attempts to add gravitas to an otherwise thin narrative.

"The characters are just slightly more fleshed out than standard cardboard cutouts and the writing was just not sufficient enough to enhance the weak story."

— Ray Manukay

🎬 Cast & Crew

• Director: Lee Isaac Chung
• Starring: Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell, Anthony Ramos
• Supporting: Brandon Perea, Maura Tierney, Sasha Lane
• Cinematography: Dan Mindel

The Vision

Chung attempts to balance the ridiculousness of the plot with large-scale spectacle. There is a lot of scientific jargon spouted about to justify the storm-chasing, but the filmmakers eventually throw most of it out in favor of humor and high-octane set pieces. While the stakes feel slim and the characters aren't particularly sympathetic, the action sequences—especially a standout rodeo tornado—demonstrate a clear mastery of blockbuster visuals.

🎬 Cinephile Fun Facts

• Spiritual Successor: Rather than a direct remake, the film is considered a "standalone sequel" to the 1996 original, featuring no returning characters.
• Director Switch: Lee Isaac Chung, known for the intimate indie drama Minari, made a massive jump in scale for this project, citing his childhood growing up in Arkansas as inspiration.
• Real Storms: The production was filmed in Oklahoma during actual tornado season, leading to several weather delays that mirrored the film's plot.

✅ Pros

• Genuinely impressive and visceral action set pieces.
• Glen Powell's effortless charisma as Tyler Owens.
• The rodeo sequence is a masterclass in disaster suspense.

❌ Cons

• Underdeveloped characters that feel like cardboard cutouts.
• Excessive and unconvincing scientific "mumbo-jumbo."
• Slim stakes that fail to make the characters sympathetic.

The Full Analysis

Twisters holds the unique distinction of being a film that combines two of my least favorite genres: the natural disaster movie and the remake. Despite this inherent bias, I felt the project deserved a screening due to the presence of the charismatic Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones. However, I realized quite quickly that the true stars of the production are the special effects, making it feel as though it hardly mattered who was cast in the leading roles. Consequently, I found my attention span waning as the spectacle took precedence over the human element, a problem exacerbated by my lack of affinity for the original 1996 film.

The plot itself relies on a significant amount of scientific "mumbo jumbo" spouted by the characters to make the concept of storm chasing seem justified and important. While the filmmakers eventually attempt to pivot toward humor, largely through the affable charms of Glen Powell, the story unfortunately swings back around to these pseudo-scientific explanations in an effort to add gravitas to the proceedings. This back-and-forth results in an unwieldy narrative that struggles to find a consistent tone, oscillating between a lighthearted adventure and a dire survival chronicle.

Ultimately, the experience did not quite work for me. Granted, as I am not the target audience for this specific genre, there simply was not enough substance to keep me fully engaged. The characters are only slightly more fleshed out than standard cardboard cutouts, and the writing was not sufficient to enhance the inherently weak story. The stakes feel relatively slim, and the main characters are not sympathetic enough to elicit a favorable review. When the core protagonists fail to move the audience, the entire structure of the film begins to feel like a runaway train of digital chaos.

That said, the action set pieces are admittedly impressive, specifically a harrowing rodeo tornado sequence that showcases top-notch technical execution. If one enjoys the pure spectacle of natural disaster films and is simply looking to kill a couple of hours with high-octane visuals, Twisters will certainly settle that bill. It is a powerfully invigorating, though hollow, ride that captures the raw power of nature while providing a sharp, satirical edge to the modern obsession with chasing the storm. It remains a game attempt at reviving a franchise, even if the result is more of a visual showcase than a meaningful cinematic achievement.

🏆 Final Verdict

If you like the spectacle of natural disaster films and want to kill a couple of hours, Twisters settles the bill. It’s a loud, visual feast that unfortunately lacks the narrative wind to sustain its leads' charms.

View original review on Letterboxd