Late into “Twisters,” a community is advised to take shelter in a movie theater. There, they’ll hopefully live out the worst of it. When the screen is ripped and devastation begins, director Lee Isaac Chung achieves the blockbuster he’s seeking. It’s a wild ride.
Like disaster films of the 1970s and ‘80s, “Twisters” loads up with a cavalcade of characters, then watches them react.
Key is Glen Powell, riding on a string of hits that began with “Top Gun: Maverick.” Here he’s a similar hotshot, recording tornadoes for a YouTube channel. Online, he attracts a strong following of storm chasers who think nothing of their own safety and revel in the adventure.
Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones in a scene from “Twisters.”
Along for the ride? An insurance company looking to sweep in when devastation makes it impossible for residents to rebuild. It has a series of meteorologists tracking storms and helping beat others to the punch.
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The reluctant traveler is Kate Carter (Daisy Edgar-Jones), who works for the National Weather Service and has reason not to go into the line of fire. An earlier tornado resulted in the deaths of people she held dear. Even though she has an idea how to tame them, she doesn’t want to go into the field – until a friend, Javi (played by Anthony Ramos), begs her to track tornadoes for a lifesaving project. She agrees, but recoils when she sees the “tornado wrangler” making a profit off others’ woes.
Naturally, storms bring the warring factions together and soon, Powell and Edgar-Jones are making like John Travolta and Debra Winger in “Urban Cowboy.” The path leads to her childhood home, her mother (nicely played by Maura Tierney) and a science project that led to her choice of careers.
This image released by Universal Pictures shows a scene from “Twisters.”
While “Twisters” is more involved than “Twister,” it does follow a similar route and does feature a cameo by the son of Bill Paxton, the first film’s star. (More interesting, perhaps, is David Corenswet as a cap-wearing storm chaser who doesn’t appear to go in for much nonsense. Considering his next big film is “Superman,” it’s interesting how he’s able to blend into the background and keep Javi from tipping his hand. Clark Kent, indeed.)
Edgar-Jones doesn’t appear ready to fall for some of the film’s playfulness, but she does make an interesting lead, even if that means she has to veer into rom-com territory.
While some of the scenes are just plain silly, the twister that spins through an Oklahoma town is frightening enough to make you wonder if the theater you’re sitting in is safe.
Chung uses special effects well and manages to offer a few salient tips for those who may be in a similar situation. He doesn’t connect this to the 1996 film but he does indicate there’s worth in reminding people of natural disasters, not just man-made ones.
Like its predecessor, “Twisters” is primed for a big audience. It has danger, romance and intrigue all wrapped into one. Safer than a basement in summer, it lets you ride out a storm without getting so much as a scratch.
Movies in a minute with film critic Bruce Miller
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