Twisters (2024) Movie Review

Twisters (2024) Movie Review

When it was first announced that ‘Twisters’ would be hitting cinemas, serving as a soft reboot of the 1996 film, like many, I was a tad sceptical. For one, I didn’t really think there was much of a story still to tell. After Bill Paxton’s untimely death in 2014, I didn’t really want to see a ‘Twisters’ film without him in the lead role. But I remained optimistic, because I am a sucker of disaster films and as of late, there has been a significant decline in output in the genre. It was the announcement of its three leads that turned my morbid curiosity and hopeless optimism into genuine excitement and anticipation. The film cast Daisy-Edgar Jones from Normal people, Where The Crawdads Sing, Under The Banner of Heaven, Fresh and War of The Worlds, in the lead role, with Glen Powell from Top Gun: Maverick, Everybody Wants Some, Hitman and Anyone But You, cast alongside her with Anthony Ramos from Hamilton, In The Heights, Dumb Money and Transformers: Rise of The Beasts rounding out our trio. This star-studded ensemble was enough to get me genuinely excited for the film.
In 2024, Twisters finally hit cinemas to great critical acclaim, holding an impressive 75% critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 91% audience score. It also crushed it at the box office, grossing $267 million at the American box office, and $371 million worldwide. The film serves as a reboot of the original film, following a lot of the same story beats but adjusting them to a more modern setting. Directed by Lee Isaac Chung, Twisters follows retired meteorologist Kate Carter (played by Daisy Edgar Jones), a couple years after a tragedy while hunting a monstrous tornado, who is brought back to the heart of Tornado Alley by her friend Javi (played by Anthony Ramos), who she gives one week to change her mind. Along the way, they meet Arkansas native and celebrity storm chaser/influencer Tyler Owens (played by Glen Powell) and his team of crazed storm chasers called The Tornado Wranglers. Kate and Tyler are forced to team up as they learn a series of large and violent tornadoes are heading toward the plains. As mentioned, my anticipation grew for this film, and anticipation turned into genuine love post release. Twisters is one of the best filmgoing experiences I have had in a very long time.

Twisters benefits from its talented cast, led by the amazingly talented Daisy Edgar Jones. She has made a name for herself in recent years with some truly memorable performances, but Twisters may just be her best film to date. She carries a lot of baggage here, with a truly horrific scene, that tops the film and creates her character. She is a strong character, overcoming her traumatic past, to path a way for some truly interesting and great character growth. The subversion of Glen Powell’s macho, storm-chasing influencer Tyler Owens was also a welcomed addition to the film and a nice direction for his character. When we are first introduced to Tyler he is your typical cattle wrangling, macho, Texan native. But as e peel back the surface, we see there’s a lot more to Tyler than meets the eye. He’s generous and is doing what he’s doing out of the goodness of his heart. His chemistry with Jones is also electric. The two of them make for a genuinely likeable and entertaining on-screen pair. Anthony Ramos also does a great job with the material. He’s incredibly likeable on-screen and even when he goes through his character beats, you still understand his point of view.

The overall execution of the film is also riveting. We get some truly amazing set-pieces and memorable action sequences. One that sticks out for me in particular is when Tyler and Kate attend a rodeo at night, a tornado comes out of nowhere and wreaks havoc on a small town, leaving a trail of devastation in its wake. We get to see the devastating effects of a Tornado and the pure power of this natural disaster. It’s quite frightening and director Lee Isaac Chung knows how to frame these shots, treating the storm system almost like a horror villain and it works very well. The scene among many others, is why the film works. We have likeable actors portraying strong characters at the core, but it’s the execution of the action and the way the storm is portrayed, that makes it so memorable.

A special shout out to its soundtrack as well. Now I am not a Country Music fan, but I can appreciate the genre has been given a second life, with artists now turning to Country Pop that I never thought I would see. And especially after this soundtrack, I can appreciate why so many people have fallen head over heels for the genre. Rounding out the Twisters killer soundtrack is Jelly Roll with his track ‘Dead End Road’, Kane Brown with ‘Country Classic’, Benson Boone with ‘Death Wish Love’, Miranda Lambert with ‘Ain’t in Kansas Anymore’ and of course Mr Country himself Luke Combs with the hit single ‘Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma’. Even if you aren’t a Country Music fan, I’m sure you can get around this soundtrack, it’s a lot of fun and suits the film oh so good.

‘Twisters’ as an absolute blast from start to finish. Whilst I still love the original film more, this latest instalment paves its own way, never feeling like it’s re-treading ground, but rather inviting a new audience to re-visit a sub-genre that was easily the most popular the 1990s’. The film benefits from its all-star cast, including a supporting cast that I didn’t even mention, we have the likes of Brandon Perea, Maura Tierney, Sasha lane, Kiernan Shipka, David Corenswet (the latest actor to take on the role of Superman) and Paul Sheer, rounding out the incredible ensemble. It’s a must watch and easily one of the best and biggest crowd-pleasers of the year so far. Be sure to pick-up your copy today on DVD, Blu-Ray and 4K Ultra HD and be sure to pick-up a copy of the soundtrack on CD or Vinyl, you won’t want to miss it!

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Christopher Pattison wrote this blog post for Sanity. See more from Chris here