Twisters Review | A Much Better Reboot Than You’d Think

Summary

• Twisters
  offers some stunning visuals and terrifying sequences, keeping viewers invested in its likable characters.
• Powell, Edgar-Jones, and Ramos shine in this very entertaining, old-school popcorn sequel that stands out from other reboots.
• Director Lee Isaac Chung and cinematographer Dan Mindel bring gritty, heart-pounding moments to life in this action-packed film.

You might have scoffed at Twisters‘ title when its teaser trailer dropped during this year’s Super Bowl. “Really? They just added an ‘S’ and called it a day?” And yes, seeing acclaimed actors like Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos, and Glen Powell — who have thrived off edgier projects — appear to “sell their souls” to star in a big-budget summer popcorn pseudo-sequel to the Warner Bros. and Universal Pictures tag-team blockbuster from almost 30 years ago is enough to spike the blood pressure in highbrow cinephiles everywhere.

But fret not. First, let’s remember that the original Twister is worth a rewatch, whether you’re motivated to check out this reboot or not. No, you won’t see Helen Hunt or the late Bill Paxton and Philip Seymour Hoffmann in Twisters, but the new on-screen additions offer surprisingly rich performances that have been vastly undercut by the promotional trailers released thus far. Cue the eye-rolls who’ve seen Glen Powell donning the cowboy hat in the previews — is this a Top Gun: Maverick performance, just in different clothes? Well, speaking of, Tom Cruise is a fan of Twisters, so that’s already a good sign. And you probably will be, too. It’s an old-school summer blockbuster done to great effect.

Daisy Edgar-Jones & Glen Powell Brace for Impact

Twisters

3.5/5

A follow-up to the 1996 original film Twister, Twisters is a sequel set years after the original, said to be fast-tracked by Steven Spielberg and Mark L. Smith, with Frank Marshal as producer. Little details exist about the film, but Helen Hunt is expected to reprise her role as Jo, with the film likely to pay homage to the late Bill Paxton. 

Release Date July 19, 2024

Director Lee Isaac Chung

Runtime 2h 2m

Studio(s) Universal Pictures , Warner Bros. Pictures , Amblin Entertainment , The Kennedy/Marshall Company

Distributor(s) Universal Pictures , Warner Bros. Pictures

Pros

• A great example of what a big, simple summer blockbuster should be.
• Powell, Edgar-Jones, and Ramos all shine.
• Stunning visuals and surprisingly gritty, terrifying sequences.

Cons

• The third act should’ve been trimmed a little, and Glenn Powell haters won’t find anything different to admire here.

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Twisters reigns far superior to some other reboots from Universal Pictures — like the Jurassic franchise. Starting with the first Jurassic World, the overall feel was all too campy and “fun,” leaving viewers confident that the young characters and dashing principal players were certainly not going to fall prey to the dinos.

Years later, Twisters comes along and, right from the get-go, establishes a lengthy opening sequence that keeps you guessing as to who will survive this first tornado and who won’t live to tell the tale. It’s utterly terrifying watching tornado chaser Kate (Edgar-Jones) and her ragtag team endure their doomed mission to try out her fancy technology that might even be able to quell certain twisters if applied correctly and at the right moment.

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When it doesn’t go as planned, the story jumps five years later, where Kate’s old pal and colleague, Javi (the reliably sharp Anthony Ramos), has tracked her down and wants to see if she’ll give “chasing” another go, despite their tragedy half a decade earlier. That’s where Hollywood’s next Cary Grant — aka Glen Powell — comes into the picture, along with the spirit of the first film. It’s a competition out there, apparently, when it comes to tornado chasing, and fictional YouTube sensation Tyler Owens (Powell) even calls himself a professional “wrangler” of them.

When Kate returns to her native Oklahoma to accompany Javi in his daring new tornado data-collecting job for a shady power player, Owens is also on the scene. He quickly learns that Kate is a genius at detecting brewing twisters, just as Cary Elwes rode Helen Hunt’s coattails in the original 1996 film.

Related: Twister Director Explains How New 4K Release Allowed Him to ‘Fix’ The 1996 Disaster Movie

Lee Isaac Chung Makes a Great (But Long) Blockbuster

It all sounds like pretty straightforward storytelling, and it is, to be honest. Plus, as is typical with these kinds of big-budget efforts, the buildup to the climax could have been trimmed down, probably by about 15 minutes or more. But then it all gets quite forgiving with a harrowing conclusion that even turns surprisingly meta (you’ll see) to thrilling effect, as a final twister strikes a hopeless Oklahoma town. Heroic little plot twists are cleverly employed and might leave you fist-pumping and hollering at the silver screen.

It’s relentless entertainment for the most part; if you can’t pull off the IMAX experience, at least seeing this bad boy in theaters is probably the way to go. You might double-take when seeing that Lee Isaac Chung is the Twisters helmer, taking his debut stab at a big-budget production following success stories like the awards circuit darling Minari (2020). Was he up for the bold task? We’d say so.

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Top Gun: Maverick and J.J. Abrams Styled Thrills with a Charming Cast

And you won’t be surprised to see Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski has a story credit on Twisters, by the way. Whether there was any directorial input from folks like him along the way or not, there’s no denying the thrills offered by the camerawork and incredible visual sequences, which bring us right up close to the action and refuse to let you cry “green screen” — for most of it, at least.

Chung works well with cinematographer Dan Mindel, who is often J.J. Abrams’ DP of choice (working on his Star Trek and Star Wars movies, and Mission: Impossible III). They employ a gritty, dirty framing with handheld cameras for those nailbiting moments where you’re genuinely fearful that certain principal characters are going to fall at the hands of Mother Nature. And you don’t want them to, because the actors are predominantly very likable. Young Edgar-Jones solidifies her status as a Hollywood A-lister here. Powell is already there, though haters won’t find anything different to like in this eye-twinkling, magazine-cover performance.

From Universal Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures, Twisters will be released in theaters starting July 17.

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