Twisters understands that it is a uniquely American film. Where else would one set a story about storm chasers parking their Dodge RAMs inside the eyes of tornadoes and trying to tame them?
It is Tornado week in Twisters, and every kind of storm chaser descends upon Arkansas, deciphering the computer models and sniffing the air. Amongst the group is Kate (Daisy Edgar-Jones), an uncannily gifted chaser who reluctantly agrees to help her old friend Javi (Anthony Ramos) collect data for his corporate setup. A harrowing opening scene explains Kate's discomfort and fear about getting back in the field. Then, there is Tyler (Glen Powell), a cocky midwesterner who calls himself the "Tornado Wrangler", sends fireworks up the "twister's ass" as he calls it, and livestreams his adventures on YouTube. Kate and Tyler wrong-foot one another to try to get front-row seats to the storm, until it becomes clear that they are more alike than not - twin twisters circling each other.
Twisters retains so many elements of the 1996 Helen Hunt classic Twister. Even though it is only the second standalone sequel, it solidifies a style that future Twister films will be invariably measured against. It is as breathlessly paced as the original - nary a calm before the storms. There is a central romance: Kate and Tyler are the charismatic couple in the eye of the storm, just as Jo and Bill - although the latter's chemistry is more bouncy. Most importantly, though, it is all tornado talk. Characters discuss moisture levels, wind shear and something called CAPE, like it's the only love language they know.
Yet, even 30 years later, there is surprisingly little that is totally original and fresh. "Part science, part religion," Tyler says when he explains the enduring enigma of tornado genesis to a nervous reporter from London (Harry Hadden-Paton) doing a ride-along for a news story. Apparently very little scientific progress has been made in the field of tornado physics since Jo's time. In the opening scene, Kate's team is still cranking up "Dorothy", the rig that Jo and Bill rigged up to model the storms. The rig is later rounded off with other military-grade tech codenamed Tinman, Scarecrow, Lion and Wizard that Javi has got his hands on.
With the old ways of chasing down storms and releasing "balls" and polymers into them still relevant, the film tries to find other ways to cranks up freshness. The storms are grizzlier - although we don't get any enduring image like that of a cow swirling in the air in the original. The crews ride into all kinds of hell-raisers. One slices through a windmill farm sending blades flying; one barrels through a Rodeo show. Time and time again, Kate and Tyler's crews barely make it, the sheer frequency and intensity of the twisters making you wonder if it is them chasing the storms and not the other way around.
Despite several shots of people getting sucked into the vortex, or footage showing the devastating aftermath of the storm, it is really hard to care about any emotional seeds the film is trying to plant in our minds. Nor do we care much for its attempt to expand its themes. There is a look into predatory enterprises preying on families and buying up land for cheap. And a commentary on the under-equipped infrastructure in the Tornado Alley. Far too many times, people are caught utterly surprised by the storm and don't know where to shelter, or even how to react. Thankfully, none of these themes are so heavy-handedly dealt as to be off-putting.
As much as Twisters wants to enlighten us, the only thing it ever needed to be is a film about twisters and the eccentric people that chase them. The thrill of trucks hurtling down the road into gale winds and blinding hailstorms ("The size of golf balls or baseballs? Grapefruits!") - repetitive as they are - is undeniable. No small part of the sadistic joy is watching Glen Powell, whose charisma sucks up and eats up anyone else sharing screen space with him. And that includes Daisy Edgar Jones whose well-calibrated, touch-too-subtle and aloof performance is no match for Glen's aura. "It's Kate's story," Glen's character says to the reporter at a later point in their evolving relationship. But even this explicit hand-off cannot do much to turn your attention to Daisy's character. She may be the story, but Glen is its star.
Twisters may want you to understand all the horrible things that tornadoes harken, and the foolish dangers of storm chasing. But ultimately, you leave the theatre not fearing the "Finger of God" but with a daredevil's instinct to ride right into it.