Film Review - Twisters
Images courtesy of Warner Bros.
Arguably, much of modern storytelling can be delineated into a series of narrative archetypes beholden to Campbell’s theory of the monomyth. The fabled hero embarks on a perilous journey to obtain riches beyond their wildest dreams; the meek underdog confronts and vanquishes a powerful and malevolent source of evil to save the world; the bad storm chasers are in it for the money and not the science. Belonging to the latter category, Lee Isaac Chung’s venture into the realm of the summer blockbuster is an adrenaline fuelled romp which reinvigorates the unrestrained pageantry of 90’s disaster cinema.
Five years following a disastrous tornadic encounter, Kate (Daisy Edgar-Jones) is lured back to the prairies of Oklahoma to road-test a groundbreaking weather tracking prototype by her former storm chasing colleague, Javi (Anthony Ramos). As Tornado Alley braces itself for another relentless onslaught of extreme weather, Kate soon finds herself crossing paths with reckless meteorological influencer Tyler (Glen Powell) and his motley crew of storm chasing adrenaline junkies (armed with drones, YouTube subscribers and a whole lot of fireworks).
In a media landscape currently fuelled by an obsession with nostalgia bait, Twisters is a remarkably self-sufficient sequel/remake/reboot which manages to adequately stand on its own merit. Close to thirty years removed from its predecessor – Chung, alongside Joseph Kosinski and Mark L. Smith, have crafted a worthy successor which avoids the pratfalls of other sequels by not merely relying upon cameos or callbacks, save the occasional Wizard of Oz reference (Dorothy’s back baby). Rather, it’s a revitalisation of the original concept which does not become estranged from its origins despite distinctly standing firmly on its own. However, whilst Twisters wears its old-school summer blockbuster cheese on its sleeve – it stumbles in trying to entirely recapture the substance of the original.
By no means is the 1996 original a perfect film - in fact, it continues to serve as a masterclass of dumb, exhilarating and skilful entertainment three decades later. But its sheer longevity can be attributed to a couple of key factors; specifically the comradery of the misfit band of storm-chasers gallivanting across the Midwest in search of the fabled EF5. Unfortunately, Twisters neglectfully underutilises talents such as Katy O’Brian (post-Love Lies Bleeding) and David Corenswet (future Superman), who are reduced to promising characters that ultimately prove disposable. However, despite tending toward abstraction in the rapid ramp up of tornadic encounters, Twisters intelligently reserves the consequential resonance of the destructive cyclonic aftermath – especially masterfully in the film’s opening scene.
Much like its predecessor, Twisters is an exhilarating Spielbergian spectacle which showcases the sheer vehemence of nature’s fury. Despite the occasional misstep and a regretful sidelining of some promising talent, Chung’s inaugural blockbuster endeavour is a commendable effort that excellently balances homage with innovation – striving to parallel the legacy of the original by carving its own destructive trail within the annals of disaster cinema. Damn, nature, you scary.
Follow Ben on Instagram, Twitter and Letterboxd.
Twisters is screening in cinemas now. For tickets and more info, click here.