from the series Movie Corner…

4/5 Stars

Action/Adventure/Drama
Universal Pictures

By HOWARD MCQUITTER II

I had a wild dream shortly after I retired that turned into a storm (tornado) chaser dream. I thought a tornado chaser had to be a more fun, more dangerous and more frenzied job than an ambulance chaser. I haven’t seen a tornado touchdown since I was a kid growing up in Minneapolis. (I have seen the aftermath of that violent, twirling mass of nature, though.)

Remembering that dream, I went to see director Lee Issac Chung’s, (director of Minari 2020, Munyurangabo 2007), Twisters – a spinoff of director Jan de Bont’s Twister (1996) starring Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton, and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Twisters is such a high octane affair at certain times, it leaves one hyperventilating from what’s up on the screen. (In the original Twister a cow floated across a truck’s windshield during a tornado.)

Kate (Daisy Edgar-Jones), born and raised on an Oklahoma farm, does what she loves best – graduate work in physics and meteorology with the idea that in the near future ultra-absorbent polymers, similar to the material used to make diapers, will counteract tornadoes. Kate will never forget five years earlier when a horrific tornado did extensive damage in her home state of Oklahoma and she nearly lost her life in the process. She moves to the big city out East where there are tons of concrete buildings, countless vehicles moving to and fro, and expensive restaurants. Her friend Javi (Anthony Ramos – In the Heights 2021, A Star is Born 2018, Hamilton 2020) persuades her to come back home because he and others have a device that can present three-dimensional imagery of upcoming storms, possibly able to eventually save lives.
Shortly after she returns she meets some indefatigable storm chasers led by Tyler (Glen Powell), a former rodeo rider and presently a YouTube personality, who’s the ultimate extrovert. They go out when a storm approaches (from a safe distance) and set up three of Javi’s devices named Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion*, that hopefully will reduce the amount of destruction the tornado causes.

What’s even more amazing, beyond the already phenomenal special visual effects, is that Twisters comes in 4D as well. The scene when the tornado rips through a movie theater where people are huddling for safety from the tornado’s deadly force is as stunning as it is frightening.

There’s only a bare minimum development of any of the characters, although Tyler stands out the most as a daredevil on the loose. It’s the special effects that keep Twisters afloat. I went for the ride of enjoying one of the most entertaining summer movies of 2024.

*Characters from The Wizard of Oz

Howard McQuitter II is a longtime movie critic. He has been reviewing movies for the alley since 2002.

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