Unlike many, I didn’t grow up on the original Twister (1996), and I only watched it for the first time a couple of years ago and thought it was fine. So, I wasn’t particularly “hyped” for this sequel; however, after some initial reactions, I felt if I were to see this movie, I should do it properly – on the big screen. And as the title of this review hints, I seem to be on this island where I know people who love both the original and this sequel. I don’t hate either, but for me, both movies were just “fine”.
My biggest problem with Twisters was that the movie seemed to try so hard to be something different, more grounded, and be a blockbuster with a brain. Cool, I can get behind that. But what happens after that follows the same formula we’ve seen times and times again. We open with a scene that defines our protagonist (most of her friends die). Fast forward a couple of years later, where she leads a safe but unsatisfied life, yearning to chase tornadoes. And what would you know, when she thought she was out, they brought her back in. But it is 2024, so we must have a subplot about corporate greed. And she may or may not develop a substance that kills tornadoes. The end.
Am I simplifying this movie to make a funny (?) point? Yes. But Twisters is really that. The thing is, I went in hoping to see a big blockbuster that I would enjoy. And the movie has two awesome sequences (the rodeo tornado and the end) where you can feel the insane power of nature. But the rest was… neither here nor there. For a big blockbuster, I found myself bored a bit despite everything being just fine.
Take our protagonists. The titular trio are people I like to watch and believe are the future of Hollywood – Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell and Anthony Ramos. Each of them is perfectly fine in their role, but nobody stands out, and they all have had much better roles in movies where they played much smaller parts. Or take the subplot of corporate greed – yes, Anthony’s character works for the “bad guys” who exploit people right after the tornado hits them, but of course, he flips on the dime, facing no repercussions. What’s more, his turn makes it seem like everything is fine now, even though he helped this company scheme many people out of their homes. That was my biggest hang-up with Twisters; you can tell this film wants so badly to be a “better”, “more intelligent” blockbuster, focusing more on the people and their stories rather than the spectacle. But the story here is paper thin, and we have seen this exact formula done to death.
Even the themes of getting over someone’s death, not blaming yourself, and living with that guilt this movie wanted to explore with Daisy’s character fell flat because the film never digs too deep there. We see everything explored, don’t get me wrong, but it all feels shallow because we have more data to collect so we can stop them tornadoes. What I am trying to say, probably not as well, is everything in this movie felt like it wanted to be much more, but it’s ultimately very shallow.
To make something clear – I don’t understand tornado chasers and never will. However, I don’t understand many things and why people would choose to do those things, and they still make excellent movies about them. So I don’t think it’s a “me issue”, at least not from this angle. I understand that the original Twister was a phenomenal success, and many people worship that film. And I have seen many others support this one, calling it one of the best films of 2024. I am genuinely happy for them and won’t try to tell anyone they are wrong. It seems like this franchise (?) is simply something that’s not meant for me.
Overall, Twisters is one of the most “fine” movies I have ever seen. The story, performances, action, CGI, everything was just… fine. For slightly over two hours, it occupied my time, and I didn’t hate anything about it, but the same night, I couldn’t recall much about this film. Besides those two big set pieces, everything feels like a “by the numbers” blockbuster. I think your enjoyment is directly related to whether you are into chasing tornadoes and watching those YouTube videos or you enjoyed the original film. If the answer is “yes” to either of those two prompts above, you will have a blast with Twisters. If not, you may struggle to latch onto anything here, just like me.
That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!
Until next time,
Luke