Directed by Lee Isaac Chung

Starring – Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell, Anthony Ramos

The Plot – As storm season intensifies, the paths of former storm chaser Kate Cooper (Edgar-Jones), lured back to the open plains after a devastating encounter years prior, and reckless social-media superstar Tyler Owens (Powell) collide when terrifying phenomena never seen before are unleashed. The pair and their competing teams find themselves squarely in the paths of multiple storm systems converging over central Oklahoma in the fight of their lives

Rated PG-13 for intense action and peril, some adult language and injury images.

TWISTERS | Official Trailer (youtube.com)

POSITIVES

If it’s summer blockbuster thrills and high stakes spills that you seek, look no further than ‘Twisters’, a spiritual successor to the 1996 original that deserves to be seen on the biggest screen imaginable. Between top shelf computer generated effects and impeccable direction from Chung, the film packs twice the riveting and suspenseful punch of its aforementioned predecessor, combining urgency and vulnerability to action set pieces that gets closer to a tornado than cinematic capability rightfully should be. Because production values have improved to what they currently are, the twisters in this film scream and shred with the kind of unbridled impact that transfers seamlessly to the audience watching from beyond, paying off the movie’s many intricate set-ups of longform exposition with devastation that shows and echoes the crushing and tragic consequences of these forces of nature. Hanging in the balance is the crumbling humanity held in tow, which is not only fruitfully represented in Kate’s tragic backstory, which takes up the film’s opening twenty minutes, but also those unfortunate to be in the path of resistance with these unpredictable thrashers, and as a result of responsibility from Chung, the film doesn’t just focus on the exhilaration factor that the movie promotes, but also the remarkable stakes that come with such a dangerous job of tornado chasers. It’s also blazing the right path as a reimagining, instead of a sequel, in that this film is able to stay away from on-the-nose fan service in dialogue and unwarranted cameos that most of these spiritual successors load themselves with, allowing the film its own freedom of exploration that doesn’t feel preoccupied with fitting a particular mold. Don’t get me wrong, there are many directions with the characters, as well as set pieces, that bare more than a striking resemblance to that 96′ original, it’s just that here they’re repurposed in ways that insight originality and contrast to the occasion, with nods so cloaked in nuance that only the most hardcore fans will be able to tie their similarities together. In addition to crushing blows and overarching originality, the film is able to consistently juggle the many tonal shifts that tremble its film, primarily during the opening act of the movie, which feels like it is ruthlessly taken over by Powell’s Tyler, once he bursts onto the scene at around the 25-minute mark. That introduction could surmise this film as a parody of itself, as made evident by the handheld POV framing of his Youtube show within a show, as well as underlining arrogance that makes him feel like this film’s version of Cary Elwes’ Jonas, from the original film, but between the script’s commitment to maintain focus towards the important beats of the story, as well as Powell’s irresistible charms, the film humbles these sentiments from ever getting out of reach within the cohesiveness of the property, allowing it to expressively sample takes of drama, comedy, and even romance in ways that each add something integral to the dynamic of its characters, all the while allowing the film to smoothly transition throughout pacing that effortlessly burns the wick of its nearly two hour run time. It’s also aided tremendously by a gifted collective ensemble that makes up for in exuberant charisma what they lack in the wacky constructs of their otherwise conventional characterization. This is the one noticeable inferiority to ‘Twister’, as the film refuses to spend ample time with any of the characters away from the primary duo of protagonists, however Anthony Ramos, Maura Tierney, and my always favorite, Sasha Lane, leave their impressionable marks on the film, despite this essentially being the Daisy Edgar-Jones and Glen Powell show. For that showcase, the dynamic duo at the forefront of the narrative garner no shortage of heart or charisma to their respective constructs when riding solo, garnering an empathetic layer of investment and likeability that values them every bit as much as the brains and brawn that each bring to their constructs, but it truly pales in comparison to X-factor of romantic and rivalrous chemistry, which is a delight to interpret. As expected from the movie’s marketing, the film begins with these two as spirited rivals, before evolving as connected colleagues for the common goal, and while their dynamic isn’t free from the romantic encompassing that feels destined for any movie with a male and female lead, the looks and approach that Daisy and Glen supplant to their portrayals prove there’s something psychologically deeper between them that binds their appreciation for one another, all the while serving as another appealing vehicle for the vibrancy and versatility of Daisy and Glen.

NEGATIVES

While ‘Twisters’ is a suitable successor that practically knocks on the door reaching its iconic original, some underwhelming realities of the script take some of the wind from its momentum, resulting in a haphazard execution with these noticeable gaps of sloppiness within its structure. This could be as a result of a trio of writers to the script, each with their own ideas, but the primary example persists in a bit of a hinted-at love triangle between the main trio of characters, which not only never properly materializes consistently to the beats of so much going on, but also abandons Ramos’ character midway through the movie, and only bringing him back when it’s absolutely needed. This is a huge disservice to Ramos, who is quickly carving a reputation of genre versatility in cinema, but even as the third highest billed actor, the script has little to nothing to do for him to threaten the blossoming love of Kate and Tyler, and as a result these notable instances of his own inside feelings are never explored with any kind of commitment that added anything integral to its summoning. Likewise, and similar to its predecessor, the film has some truly awful dialogue that made me cringe during scenes of dramatic heft, especially those deposited to the film’s trailer. I was hoping that it would throwaway lines to lure audiences in, and then quickly omitted from the finished product, but instead they persist, and are just as glaringly obnoxious as they were the first time I heard them. In addition, these intention-heavy lines of explanatory exposition are there to explain the science of the craft to the audience, immediately halting the film’s progress like screeching tire treads. While I appreciate when a film always tries to keep its investors at eye level, the kind given here practically move in such a slow motion that they only pad the occasional scene that goes on for a bit too long, all the while enlightening the audience to the science in the film requiring a bit more movie magic to work than logic would have you believe otherwise. Finally, while the film steadies or succeeds on a lot of aspects from its predecessor, one element that it can’t touch is the heavyweight soundtrack between each film, which here not only pales in comparison in genre variety, but is also used in ways that compromise a bit of the intensity of the scenes they accompany. To anyone who loves country music, this obviously won’t affect you as much, as the entire soundtrack is dominated by country artists, however I think you’ll agree that these songs being used during twister sequences, whether to utilize the redneck in Tyler’s characterization or not, take away a bit of the suspense and impact from those initial first few set pieces, which should’ve instead unanimously featured Benjamin Wallfisch’s enthralling score.

OVERALL
‘Twisters’ goes gone with the wind, with its combination of rivetingly lethal devastation and three-dimensional characters that make this a more than worthy successor, nearly thirty years in the making. Despite little to no physical ties to its 96′ original, or some fumbling of particular character arcs, the film clears its own path with a genre-spanning thrill ride that continuously meets expectations, with Edgar-Jones and Powell enacting a tornado of charisma and chemistry that bickeringly and affectionately storms the screen.

My Grade: 7/10 or B-