Haunted by a devastating encounter with a tornado during her college years, a former storm chaser is lured back to the open plains to test a groundbreaking new tracking system. There, she crosses paths with a charming and reckless social-media superstar who thrives on posting his storm-chasing adventures with his raucous crew. A film by Lee Isaac Chung, starring Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell, and Anthony Ramos.
TWISTERS
Lee Isaac Chung
(2024)
Kate Cooper (Daisy Edgar-Jones), a college student, leads a research team in Oklahoma consisting of Addy (Kiernan Shipka), Praveen (Nik Dodani), Javi (Anthony Ramos), and her boyfriend Jeb (Daryl McCormack). Their mission is to chase storms and prove Kate’s theory that the superabsorbent polymer used in diapers, known for its ability to absorb and retain massive amounts of liquid, could potentially neutralize tornadoes. Success would secure grant funding for Kate’s future research endeavors.
However, Kate’s calculations prove fatally flawed. She underestimates the strength of the tornado they encounter, which turns out to be an EF5 – the most severe category. This leads to tragic consequences, resulting in the loss of most team members. Miraculously, Kate survives, as does Javi, who had remained at a nearby location to monitor the Dorothy’s sensors.
The EF Scale was introduced in 2007 to replace the original Fujita (F) Scale, providing a more standardized and accurate way to assess tornado strength based on an analysis of damage indicators and degrees of damage. It takes into account more variables like construction quality and type of structures impacted. The National Weather Service is responsible for assigning official EF ratings to tornadoes after surveying the damage. The EF Scale ranges from EF0 (Wind speeds of 105-137 km/h causing light damage) to EF5 (Wind speeds over 322 km/h causing incredible, catastrophic damage).
Consumed by grief and trauma, Kate relocates to New York City where she safely studies storm patterns on screens. Javi, now working for private investors, approaches Kate to recruit her for his new groundbreaking portable tracking system that can map tornadoes in 3D. He needs her as his navigator because of her unique ability to predict and anticipate the behavior of storms and tornadoes. Kate refuses Javi’s offer at first, but later changes her mind after another tornado hit a town.
In Oklahoma, Kate, Javi, and his business partner Scott (David Corenswet) encounter Tyler Owens (Glen Powell), a famous YouTuber, known as Tornado Wrangler, with his crew. Tornado Wrangler is known for their reckless and fun way of chasing violent tornadoes with a heavily modified pickup truck equipped with a mechanism that can bolt the vehicle to the ground, allowing them to film inside the tornado without being swept away. Tyler’s crew consists of cameraman Boone (Brandon Perea), drone operator Lily (Sasha Lane), scientist Dexter (Tunde Adebimpe), mechanic Dani (Katy O’Brian), and London journalist Ben (Harry Hadden-Paton).
At first, Kate and Tyler appear to be rivals, as they both seem to possess similar abilities, allowing them to predict where and when tornadoes will strike, with Kate having a slight edge in intuition. However, Kate later discovers that Javi’s company, Storm Par, is working with a greedy land developer who capitalizes on people’s misfortunes by offering to buy their land at a rock-bottom prices after they’ve lost their homes. She also learns that Tornado Wrangler isn’t just a group of ignorant storm chasers; they often help survivors and use profits from their merchandise sales to buy food for tornado victims. Disillusioned, Kate decides to take off and drive back to her home in Sapulpa.
Recognizing Kate’s name from the news reports of a tragic event several years ago, Tyler follows Kate to her home. There, he discovers her notebook containing a theoretical formula for neutralizing tornadoes. Believing in Kate’s potential, Tyler offers to help her prove that the theory works and could save lives.
Directed by American filmmaker Lee Isaac Chung from a screenplay by Mark L. Smith, based on characters created by Michael Crichton & Anne-Marie Martin, TWISTERS takes us on a thrilling ride into the heart of tornadoes with a compelling narrative. The filmmaker succeeds in crafting a story that’s both entertaining and heartfelt, grounded by the harsh reality of people who have lost everything to these devastating storms.
Although TWISTERS serves as a sequel to TWISTER, it has almost nothing related to the 1996 film except for the Dorothy device and, obviously, the awe-inspiring tornadoes themselves. Viewers can fully enjoy this film without needing to see its predecessor, as TWISTERS stands on its own strong narrative and events.
Daisy Edgar-Jones delivers a captivating performance as Kate Cooper, a former storm chaser haunted by a traumatic past. Glen Powell is equally impressive as Tyler Owens, a cocky yet surprisingly decent YouTube star. Anthony Ramos provides crucial support as Javi, Kate’s college friend who clearly harbors feelings for her. Great chemistry between the leading cast propels the story forward in a meaningful way.
TWISTERS boasts top-notch CGI and special effects, along with sound design that surpasses the 1996 film. These elements bring the destructive power of tornadoes to life in a terrifyingly realistic way. This film deserves to be watched on the biggest screen and with the best sound system possible.
One minor drawback is the intercut flashback scenes that keep popping up to remind us of Kate’s haunted past. While they serve a purpose, they also disrupt the flow of the narrative, preventing the film from reaching its full potential. Also, the combination of silver iodide and superabsorbent polymers seems like an implausible sci-fi bonker of an idea, we can’t help but root for them to succeed.
TWISTERS premiered in London on 8 July 2024. It is scheduled to be released internationally on 17 July, and in the United States on 19 July.
