Aren’t movies of this summer spinning delightfully vintage vibes? Just collectively consider “Mad Max” offshoot “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” seeing Eddie Murphy in Beverly Hills again through “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F,” Kevin Costner’s shrewdly old-school Western “Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1,” the classical inspirational appeal of “Young Woman and The Sea,” the screwball-adjacent magnetism of “Hit Man” and you’ll get the flavor.
Lifted up significantly by Glen Powell’s unique charms like that last title—pick any combination of a lovable geek, a handsome heartthrob, a dependable boy-next-door—Lee Isaac Chung’s thunderous legacy-sequel “Twisters” is joining the nostalgic lot this week, as a follow-up to 1996’s sensational Jan de Bont-directed original, “Twister.” And despite some miscalculations that weigh this installment of fearless tornado chasers down, “Twisters” is an enthralling summer blockbuster on the whole, thanks in large part to Powell’s presence, which is fun, disarming, and even cheekily silly.
But before we meet Powell’s self-professed cowboy scientist Tyler, we follow Daisy Edgar-Jones’ Kate, a bright, aspiring scientist from Oklahoma, who’s both mesmerized by the beauty of twisters and seeking ways to tame their destructive power. The opening sequence—like De Bont’s escapade—is genuinely impressive and heartbreaking, recounting a miscalculated case of tornado chasing led by Kate that claimed the lives of two of her closest friends. Among the clan—but watching from afar—is Javi (the stellar Anthony Ramos of “In the Heights”), a fellow storm enthusiast clearly infatuated by the doe-eyed Kate.
Cut to five years after that catastrophe, when circumstances unite Javi and Kate again in their hometown, with Kate now being a scarred, New York-based scientist, and Javi, a well-meaning entrepreneur, working for a morally dubious real estate venture. On the other side of the storm tracks are Tyler and his ragtag team of YouTube-famous, do-gooding tornado wranglers played by the likes of Katy O’Brian, Sasha Lane, Tunde Adebi and Brandon Perea, whisking a droll British journalist (Harry Hadden-Paton) into the heart of the storm for a story. “City Girl” Kate and Stetson-wearing dog-rescuer Tyler meet cute through all that and exchange some customary snark, but slowly fall for each other’s charms and complementary skills in due course.
If “Twisters” has a major misstep, it takes that with the casting of Edgar-Jones, a graceful actor of restrained mannerisms and quiet allure that were in sync with the brooding notes of “Normal People” and “Where the Crawdads Sing,” and added something to the survivor story of the horror-satire, “Fresh.” But here, Edgar-Jones’ signature lowkey quality almost drain “Twisters” of all its energy, making one miss a substantial presence like Helen Hunt in the lead, someone with a sturdy bite and fierce charisma. But Powell’s movie-star dynamism thankfully proves to be captivating enough to carry the film, along with its impressive special effects and truly exciting set-pieces, one of which sends a crowded group of vulnerable townsfolk into a movie theater. It’s as meta a sequence as seeing a flying cow, when the tornado sucks the cinema screen away and places the terrified sanctuary seekers in front of a flesh-and-blood storm roaring where the curtain used to be, while we take in the gloriously frightening scenery on our own screens. (This was one moment worthy of IMAX.) Whether or not it was the intention of Chung (and scribe Mark L. Smith, working from a story “Top Gun: Maverick” director Joseph Kosinski”), the scene openly telegraphs that some sights ought to be seen in movie theaters, and movie theaters alone.
Elsewhere, Chung capably captures the vistas and vastness of the heartland, something he’s already proved his fluency in through “Minari,” a modest indie that could have afforded some deeper grace notes to its female characters, but still told its immigrant story with the Americana backdrop absorbingly. The same grip is here in “Twisters,” too, unafraid to spell out some genuine social notes snuck inside an entertaining package backed by a big-time Hollywood budget. In that, “Twisters” shows the soul-shattering impact of these storms and laments all that they take away from hardworking folks with limited means. It’s perhaps unfortunate that “Twisters” never approaches saying “climate change” clearly, but the implication is right there for whoever would like to see it—these storms are more destructive than they used to be, and there is cause for concern for the future.
Meanwhile, if only the rom-com-y ending of the film fully committed to its foolishly big-hearted Hollywood bit and gave us a much-needed Hollywood kiss between its smitten leads. Without that—which honestly lands like an oversight—it feels like money is left on the table. Still, this “Twisters” swirls and churns gleefully, scratching that bigtime disaster movie itch with visual panache. It might be a bit “more of the same” compared to de Bont’s superior predecessor, but that sameness still adds up to a scrumptious action feast.
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