Movie review Twisters, the predictable play of events starring Daisy Edgar-Jones and Glen Powell

Summertime is in full swing, and just as reliable as cookouts, sunburns, and melting ice cream are theatres seeing a squall of big-budget, high-action pictures shooting for the box office. Twisters is the latest familiar film face hoping to make a splash.  

Aiming to follow in the successful storm pattern of 1996’s Oscar-nominated Twister, director Lee Isaac Chung immediately immerses us in the primary element of the story, nature. With only a minimal body of work thus far, Chung captures the encompassing feel of the flat Oklahoma plains, tall grass, dark sweeping skies, and of course, the rich, merciless tornados. 

Meteorologist and tornado chaser Kate Cooper (Daisy Edgar-Jones, Where the Crawdads Sing) had a dream of “taming a tornado” with her method of releasing a chemical compound to be sucked up by the tornado, essentially dissolving it’s force in hopes to minimize further destruction.  After that dream was sidelined by tragedy, she is reluctantly swept back into the field years later by former colleague and friend Javi (Anthony Ramos, Hamilton.) With the latest storm tracking equipment of Javi’s fruitful business, Storm Par, Kate is in a position for personal redemption with a new chance to bring her goal of controlling a twister’s impact to fruition. 

Predictable action and plot in the movie Twisters

In the sphere of the action, the two encounter ostentatious YouTube sensation Tyler Owens (Glen Powell (Hit Man, Anyone But You), and his crew of adrenaline-junkie tornado chasers. Loaded with cameras, merchandise bearing his face, and plenty of rockets and fireworks, Tyler rubs Kate as an egocentric amateur in over his head, and Javi echo’s her impression. But her old friend’s own intentions may not be as pure as presented either. 

“If you feel it, chase it!”, is Tyler’s catchphrase, rabidly mimicked by his fans, but also reflected in Hollywood’s dependable model of juicing a winning title. Twisters certainly banks on some moviegoers’ 90’s nostalgia, while expecting to draw fresh crowds with the adventurous pace of a summer hit. Unfortunately, the play of events is rather predictable. But what might undermine the tension and dwarf the thrills for some, may work as a recognizable storyline that serves others a straightforward and effortless experience.

 The tasteful visual components are not Twisters only saving grace. The film displays strong character development. Although Edgar-Jones lacks the screen presence of Helen Hunt’s Dr. Jo Harding from the original, we witness Kate’s full evolution. The picture also pays a nice subtle homage to Hunt’s look in the 96’ Twister by Edgar-Jones’ sporting cargo pants, boots, and a ribbed undershirt.

Powell’s turn as Tyler gives us a figure that is more that first meets-the-eye. His blossoming acting chops shine through any dark clouds in the film, literally or figuratively, revealing a compound character to invest in without being pretentious. 

Propelled by chemistry and intrigue, Kate and Tyler eventually join forces to give her method another shot while trustfully averting a whirlwind of devastation from a freakishly intense atmosphere. 

Themes of guilt, salvation, and confrontation wind throughout the two-hour, two-minute run time. Loyalties are tested, pressures build, and fears are faced. As the welfare and safety of communities hang in the balance, everyone heads to engage the biggest tornado system in a generation, but can the movie itself weather the storm of the season’s other blockbusters? Those willing to take the chance can buckle up for the ride.