Midwestern Transplant Weighs In on Universal’s “Twisters”
Photomontage of a tornado’s evolution, Minneola, Kansas, May 24, 2016. By Jason Weingart. Wikimedia Commons.
Twisters touched down in theaters this July, and that is not my last tornado pun. I was skeptical when I heard that a remake of (or sequel to) Twister (1996) was in the works. As a Midwestern transplant born and raised in the heart of Tornado Alley, I keep it close to my heart. The new flick had a lot to live up to, and here’s how it did in my eyes. Caution: a Spoiler Warning is now in effect.
Is it realistic?
Tornado-wise, for the most part, yes! The imagery in Twisters does measure up, if on a smaller scale. In my twenty years on the Plains I saw three tornadoes, and even from miles away, they tower high above you. It truly is arresting. The storms in the film could’ve gone way bigger and not left the realm of realism.
Least realistic-looking was the final EF5 that devastated El Reno, Oklahoma. Poor El Reno! The real suburb of Oklahoma City has weathered its fair share of tornadoes, almost as many as nearby Moore. To me, the final boss in 1996’s Twister (a “true” F5, pre-Enhanced Fujita Scale) looks more like the real thing.
One complaint people had about the original was the tornadoes screech and growl like animals. Director Jan de Bont did it purposely, imbuing each of his twisters with its own monstrous personality, and it worked. His growling storms overcame the call for scientific accuracy because it captured the same spirit us Flatlanders recognize in our weather. Neither film opts for realism since in Hollywood, entertainment is the goal, and at the end of the day, Twister is a monster movie. Twisters wisely carried on this tradition and made their storms monstrous too.
In reality, the noise isn’t animalistic. Most survivors agree it sounds like a freight train tearing through your house. The newest installment nods to that phenomenon if you know where to look. In Twisters, Kate gets a flashback to the tornado that killed her boyfriend at the sound of a passing subway train.
What about the cast?
I fear Twisters is more sparing than its predecessor in blessing everyone with depth and intrigue. Its two leads (Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell) receive the best treatment from the movie’s writers, who skimp on the rest of the cast. The 1996 movie gave us carefully crafted, iconic characters like Rabbit (Alan Ruck), Dusty (Philip Seymour-Hoffman✝) and Aunt Meg (Lois Smith). Bill, played by the late Bill Paxton, and Jo (Helen Hunt) are bonuses. If you film with an ensemble cast, that is how you do it.
Twisters tweaks elements of the original like sliders on a graphic equalizer. That can be limiting. Daisy Edgar-Jones as Kate, or Jo reincarnated, is more subdued than her 1996 counterpart. Glen Powell plays Tyler, a likeable social media-age composite of Bill Paxton’s eponymous role and Cary Elwes’ perfectly executed douchebag character. It’s the same cards, shuffled and redealt; in other words, a new game. The stakes feel lower for Tyler than they did Bill although, like Jo, Kate loses loved ones to a violent tornado.
But where Jo’s trauma fuels her recklessness, Kate steps away from chasing for five years. She eventually returns to Oklahoma, though there isn’t much to come home to. If her surviving friend Javi (Anthony Ramos) were less temperamental, he might’ve been likeable. The others—Tyler’s chase team, Javi’s crew, even Kate’s mom, played by human Zoloft capsule Maura Tierney—feel inchoate. The cast of Twister on the other hand is an unforgettable formula and a crowning achievement in film casting.
The wisest decision the new movie made was not forcing a romantic subplot on the audience. While Twister (1996) featured two reconciling spouses, Twisters (2024) gives us a couple in the making. This film uses the chemistry between the two leads to let their relationship begin in our minds instead of on-screen. A make-out scene would’ve been redundant.
How does it stack up?
I can hear Dusty saying, “Greenage.” RIP PSH. By Carol Spears. Wikimedia Commons.
You really have to know tornadoes if you’re going to represent them. I knew Hollywood was at the helm when they had a tornado sneak up on a packed rodeo ring. It was perhaps my biggest Oh-come-on moment. If tornadoes are in the forecast, everyone knows about it. Kids get excited while old folks talk of twisters past, rubbing their swollen knees. It’s all the buzz at the bank, the supermarket, the gas station. We finish errands early, staying close to home. If and when a tornado touches down, it rarely takes us by surprise.
Tornadoes aren’t earthquakes! When you see it coming, all you can do is get out of its way.
What Twisters did get right about that sneaky tornado was how it happened it night. Those tend to be the deadliest. Local news stations will interrupt your scheduled programing with a severe weather alert day or night, as will the sirens. Despite these warning measures, the simple fact that we cannot see them makes tornadoes at night especially terrifying.
In all, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this latest interplay of film and tornado, even if it is sorely missing Van Halen. Twisters is most like its parent film in that it rarely bores. In almost every scene, downtime takes a backseat to action. Both films show respect for the fearsome power of tornadoes and the lives they alter and destroy. Good people die, and other good people try to stop that from happening. That altruism threads its way through each movie, holding them together through fierce winds of entertainment and criticism.
Is Twisters a sequel?
The debate over whether Twisters is a sequel comes down to marketability and nothing more. If it matters, the proper term would be installment. The story takes place in the same universe, but at a greater distance than if it involved the same characters. Helen Hunt’s involvement would’ve made it a sequel. No, Dorothy’s cameo in the beginning doesn’t count. Another actor playing her part, telling her story, would qualify the movie as a remake. I view Twisters as a modern homage to the movie (a personal fave) that kickstarted the 90s disaster movie revival.
If you’re a diehard fan of the original Twister like I am, you’re safe to watch this new installment. It honors the OG the way a refurbished rollercoaster keeps its twists and turns. The ride may be smoother, but it’s still plenty fun. Compare each film’s most memorable line:
“If you feel it, chase it!”
— Twisters (2024)“…Cow.”
— Twister (1996)
Howdy! My name is Katy Atchison and I'm an Associate Editor for Broke-Ass Stuart.
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