Twisters ★★★

Released: 17 July 2024

Director: Lee Isaac Chung

Starring: Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones

The impact of Top Gun: Maverick on contemporary blockbuster cinema cannot be overstated: amidst the constant stream of algorithmic content, the Tom Cruise-led tribute to melodramatic 80s blockbusters felt like vintage Hollywood cinema reincarnated. It was almost as if the multiplex audiences, now tired of cynical superhero films, finally got to experience an earnest Jerry Bruckheimer actioner after many years of emotionless green screen. Naturally, the post-Maverick effect has taken place, with many films looking to replicate its lightning-in-a-bottle success story. In the leadup to the release of Twisters, the most common point of comparison was, indeed, Top Gun: between Joseph Kosinski’s story credit and Tom Cruise giving the film his seal of approval at the London premiere, the Amblin-backed sequel to Jan de Bont’s 90s smash hit was seemingly destined to stir up a storm. And yet, we’ve reached the point where the comparisons to Maverick and classic blockbusters might only hurt the film in the long run: amidst all of that joyful Americana and a terrific performance from the ever-reliable Glen Powell, Twisters still ends up feeling disappointingly pedestrian compared to its 90s counterpart.

While it might be labelled a “sequel”, Twisters is only tangentially related to the Bill Paxton/Helen Hunt classic – it really is more akin to a reboot. This time around, the story revolves around Kate Cooper (Daisy Edgar-Jones), a meteorologist stepping away from her role as a storm chaser after a devastating tornado kills three of her friends. Years later, she meets up with an old acquaintance Javi (Anthony Ramos), who proposes a revolutionary method of 3D scanning that could track tornadoes in real-time and save thousands of lives in the process. Hesitant at first, she ultimately accepts the deal on the grounds of new research and community help. While on her first mission, she crosses paths with a YouTube tornado wrangler Tyler Owens (Glen Powell), whose cocky attitude might be a facade for a softer persona. Together, the trio finds themselves in Oklahoma during tornado season – their most dangerous ride yet.

You simply can’t replicate the 90s vibe of Twister: whether it’s the overabundance of practical set pieces or the impeccable chemistry between Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt, few disaster films since have managed to capture the anxiety-inducing joys of storm chasing. There was something uniquely sincere about the way Jan de Bont’s cinema combined heart-racing action with sweeping romance (Speed alone should be seen as the blueprint), let alone in a way that felt both campy and earnest. This is where Lee Isaac Chung’s Twisters stumbles the most – despite the impressive (albeit, rather infrequent) action sequences, it just doesn’t feel like the film wants to have fun. There’s a major tonal clash at play, with the opening scene setting up a sombre PTSD story, only to completely drop that subplot in favour of meteorological jargon and forced humour. It almost feels like Chung (whose magnificent Minari is still criminally underseen) didn’t feel fully in his element here, constantly shifting between the two differing modes of filmmaking.

Imitation might be the sincerest form of flattery, but it just doesn’t feel honest here. Time and time again, we see films attempt to emulate a certain era of filmmaking, and in the case of Twisters that 90s vibe just doesn’t translate well to modern character tropes. Glen Powell’s arrogant-yet-sweet outing here is easily the most fitting role here, evoking his character from Maverick and making the central arc between the two leads that much more interesting. It’s just a shame Kate’s PTSD angle never gets fully explored, leading to a very sanitized look at trauma and loss that makes Daisy Edgar-Jones’s inherent softness seem discordant with the film’s thrilling tone.

Not every film needs to follow the Top Gun rulebook, but it feels like Twisters would’ve really benefited from a more committed attempt at pure blockbuster filmmaking. While the second act gets the film back on track, it still leaves you wondering whether a direct approach to romantic-action-drama could’ve been better suited for a film of this scale. When all hell breaks loose and the infamous “we got twins!” line hits, this legacy sequel finally remembers that joyful Americana doesn’t need to be drowned in sorrows – it could just be a thrill ride with two hot people falling in love while chasing tornadoes.