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There’s an easy formula to a disaster movie, which perhaps might have been exhausted over the years with films like The Day After Tomorrow, San Andreas, or Volcano. It’s been exploited so many times but a film like Jan de Bont’s Twister still stands out among the rest. The thought of making a legacy sequel to a very silly and bombastic 90’s blockbuster never crossed my mind, especially with the fact that it was directed by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Lee Isaac Chung (whose film Minari I rank among the best of the decade). Still, there’s a whole lot of love present in the manner it all asserts itself: and it’s a fun time all around.

It’s set up exactly like you would remember Twister had opened: in which a life-changing disaster turns our own heroine into the action. So effectively in Helen Hunt’s place is Daisy Edgar-Jones as Kate Cooper, a former storm chaser and meteorologist who’s reeling from a tragedy that claimed the lives of her own friends who chased a tornado for a personal experiment. But she’s probably got far more in common with Bill Paxton’s character at that point, except there’s no romantic chasing happening in here. But the closest thing that ever comes to that is Glen Powell as Tyler Owens, a famed YouTuber who brands himself the “Tornado Wrangler” among his many fans and his own ragtag team.

Most of Twisters practically is built on butting heads between how such people are choosing to approach the act of chasing tornadoes. For Kate and Anthony Ramos’s Javi, who’d been longtime friends, they’re interested in the technical specifics – but for Tyler and his own team, there’s an opportunity for notoriety in showing viewers the dangers of getting so close, but also the inner beauty of nature’s wild phenomena. It’s mostly entertaining, because the cast bring a load of charisma to these roles too: in particular, Glen Powell stands out heads above the rest. He’s got the energy that radiates “movie star” all over him.

When you’re seated for a movie called Twisters though, the main attraction is the tornadoes. Lee Isaac Chung really makes you feel the spectacle of seeing these tornadoes as they ravage through fields, chasing after exactly what made Jan de Bont’s film so deeply thrilling: you’re feeling the danger that comes forth at the same time as the complete awe. This also results in some very enthralling set pieces, all of which Chung is able to successfully navigate himself through, putting him a head above most other independent filmmakers who go out and make that very sudden shift towards blockbuster filmmaking.

But I think the biggest weaknesses of Twisters is felt though, in how much of this film, structurally, feels like a repeat of Jan de Bont’s movie. I think there’s only so much that could really be done as a stand-alone legacy sequel to a 1990’s blockbuster, but it doesn’t help that this cast of characters doesn’t land in the same manner that the leads of Jan de Bont’s film had done so. Daisy Edgar-Jones, while a fine enough lead, is obviously no Helen Hunt, though I also think it’d be unfair to someone of the stature of the Oscar-winning actress. Reliably, she shares lots of chemistry together with Glen Powell, who’s always very delightful. But to put Anthony Ramos alongside him just makes the whole thing feel like night-and-day. And of course, the last set piece practically replicates the climax of the original Twister, even down to the sequel tease. I imagine we’ll probably be seeing more of these in the coming days, but here’s hoping that a better script comes their way next time.

Still, there’s a whole lot of fun to be had here. Like Glen Powell’s character would shout, “if you feel it, chase it.” Because Lee Isaac Chung captures that spirit of thrill-seeking with relative ease, so much to the point you actually feel the danger of seeing these tornadoes wreaking havoc all over these communities too. It’s something that I think has been missing from most recent disaster movies, as they bask in the spectacle of the destruction but never have it amount to anything beyond impressive visual effects after our lead characters survive reliably so. There’s a genuine sense of danger coming forth in Twisters, because we’re in the same position they occupy, and that alone makes it so much fun.

Watch the trailer right here.

All images via Warner Bros. Discovery.

Directed by Lee Isaac Chung
Screenplay by Mark L. Smith
Produced by Frank Marshall, Patrick Crowley
Starring Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell, Anthony Ramos, Brandon Perea, Maura Tierney, Sasha Lane, Katy O’Brian, Tunde Adebimpe
Premiere Date: July 8, 2024
Running Time: 122 minutes