MOVIE SCENE CANADA
TWISTERS
I Universal Pictures Canada I July 19, 2024 I 122 mins. I
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78%
* As of 7/18/24
Starring: Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, David Corenswet, Kiernan Shipka, Anthony Ramos,
Brandon Perea, Maura Tierney, Sasha Lane
Directed By: Lee Isaac Chung
Edgar-Jones stars as Kate Cooper, a former storm chaser haunted by a devastating encounter with a tornado during her college years who now studies storm patterns on screens safely in New York City. She is lured back to the open plains by her friend, Javi (Golden Globe nominee Anthony Ramos, In the Heights) to test a groundbreaking new tracking system. There, she crosses paths with Tyler Owens (Glen Powell), the charming and reckless social-media superstar who thrives on posting his storm-chasing adventures with his raucous crew, the more dangerous the better. As storm season intensifies, terrifying phenomena never seen before are unleashed, and Kate, Tyler and their competing teams find themselves squarely in the paths of multiple storm systems converging over central Oklahoma in the fight of their lives.
REVIEW BY: Kurt Morrison - 7/19/24
RATING 2.5 out of 5
On Paper, there is a LOT going for Twisters. Two hot, young acting commodities in Daisy Edgar Jones and Glen Powell. A director coming off an Academy Award nomination for Minari, in Lee Isaac Chung. A stellar soundtrack featuring some of the biggest names in country music right now - Luke Combs, Miranda Lambert, Kane Brown. HELL EVEN SHANIA TWAIN MAKES A VOCAL SEQUEL APPEARANCE, and let’s be honest “No One Needs To Know” is a classic that goes hand-in-hand with that 1996 film starring Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt that still puts a smile on my face 28 years later.
So with all that in the mix, why….. Why did I not love Twisters like everybody else? Let’s get into it.
Based on a story by Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski, Twisters is a good summer popcorn flick very much in the same vein as the aforementioned Top Gun. It’s loud, it’s fun, it’s boisterous. It’s a slice of Mid-West Americana that is sure to win over the hearts of audiences.
Centered around Kate Cooper, played by Daisy Edgar-Jones, the film starts off with a devastating opening act where Kat and her friends experience an F5 level Tornado that rips through Oklahoma unexpectedly. Haunted by her devastating encounter, Kate gets lured back to the open plains by her friend, Javi, played by Anthony Ramos, to test a groundbreaking new radar system.
She soon crosses paths with Tyler Owens, played by none other than Glen Powell, a charming but reckless social-media superstar who thrives on posting his storm-chasing adventures. As storm season intensifies, Kate, Tyler and their competing teams find themselves in a fight for their lives as multiple systems converge over central Oklahoma.
Much like Kosinski’s Top Gun: Maverick, the story beats feel very reused from the original 1996 Twister. But what Top Gun lacked in originality, it made up for in action sequences, excitement and a squad of leads that continually bounce off one another perfectly when the dust of the storm settles.
The summer of Glen Powell continues to tear its way through the landscape of Hollywood, with this legacy sequel to the 1996 blockbuster showcasing the leading man quality in Powell that is sure to put him into the stratosphere of leading men. Powell himself has even been quoted as trying to emulate Mr. Tom Cruise’s career trajectory and said last week in an interview with Kevin McCarthy that he picks his roles now based on the idea of “Would he himself go see this film?”. I love that type of career ideology and it continues to show he likes to take chances along with things that are surefire hits.
Powell is the standout by a mile here compared to his co-stars and is perfectly cast as ‘tornado wrangler’ Tyler Owens. His character starts the film off with sizzling sex appeal and charisma, so much so that even with it appearing that he is supposed to be our film’s antagonist, you can’t help but say to yourself “God damn, I am rooting for this cocky bastard”. He’s clearly having fun, playing to the crowds in the film as well as the ones bound to be watching this film at the cinema and again, it’s a testament to how good of a job he is doing with picking his roles and his career trajectory.
Folks - the sad part of Twisters for me is simply the script. I think the story is wonderful and the cast does a really good job at playing to their strengths. But sadly, compared to Powell, his co-stars Daisy Edgar-Jones and Anthony Ramos are very bland and cookie cutter. Bare with me here…..
These are two VERY capable actors, who have been in a lot of fantastic films, shows and stage plays - yet both Edgar-Jones and Ramos seem almost robotic not just with one another but throughout most of the film. They lack the charisma of Powell’s Tyler Owens, yet don’t possess anything of real stature in this supposed tornado chasin’ business.
Edgar-Jones’ Kate and Ramos’ Javi are both presumed to be suffering from PTSD from their horrific opening act events, yet I don’t believe it because neither are given anything to really work with in terms of exploring their psychological damage or their sense of humanity. The script gives nothing.
They just seem very….. Boring.
Powell is able to pick up the slack for most of the movie, but with a script about Tornadoes and storm chasing - along with life and death situations - there is a LOT that could have been explored and given to these three phenomenal leads yet only one is given the means to do so.
I am not here to compare the 1996 film to this present day re-quel. Besides the namesake, they feel like two very different films of two very different eras - with two very different leads. But when I say that this script gives nothing to Edgar-Jones. If a comparison is to be made, it’s to be made in the lack of a female lead. Helen Hunt’s Dr. Jo Harding packs more humanity and honestly, a more adult approach to their story. Separated, angry and estranged from her ex-husband, who too plays a huge role (by the legendary Bill Paxton), the role felt juicier.
SPOILER ALERT………
Edgar-Jones’ Kate’s boyfriend gets gobbled up by a tornado within the first ten minutes and then we are expected to care, simply because she has flashbacks. Nope. Not Buying it.
The film’s saving grace is essentially in the Tornado chasing sequences and the final monumental third act. Between the second act rodeo scene, where an evening Cowboy show turns into a path of destruction, leading to the last 20 minutes in which Tyler, Kate and Javi are forced to choose between aiding an evacuation of a small town or continue to chase data, it all seemed incredibly predictable but I was all in. Again - a comparison need not apply between 2024 and 1996’s because there are notable differences in terms of the special effects and practical effects. But this pays respect to its predecessor while showing how cool the idea of Tornadoes can be, but also how scary and treacherous they can be. The visual effect work really well in Twisters because of the sheer ferocity of the images on the screen, which are complemented by fantastic sound design.
Twisters didn’t check off all the boxes I wanted it to but that doesn’t mean it is a bad movie.
It’s a good movie. Not a great movie; and definitely one to check out on the big screen this summer. If there is one takeaway from it, it’ll be its superstar making turn for Glen Powell that’ll be remembered years from now. The box office is bound to blow up with this one and if there are future adventures in store for Tyler Owens and Kate Cooper, I’ll be there for it - reluctantly. Haha.