Tornados

Have you noticed an epidemic of movies that don't take themselves seriously? They often involve knowing looks/winks at the camera and meta-jokes that break the fourth wall. (And maybe a Ryan Reynolds appearance.) Twisters is not that. In fact, it is the opposite of that. Twisters is a throwback to when summer blockbusters just went for it, and it is ridiculous in all the best ways. This movie builds on what made the original Twister fun, dials all of it up to 11, and makes absolutely zero apologies for it. Not coincidentally, I had an absolute blast. Everybody who walked into that theater knew what they were signing up for, and we all got it. Not only that, but these characters were way more well rounded than the original, so I understood their choices and cared more when the winds started swirling. It isn't perfect, and it certainly strains credulity throughout, but it was a thrill ride that treated its setting, characters, and audience like they deserved some respect. What's not to like about that?

PS - Powell and Edgar-Jones were absolutely tailor-made for this one.

Twister is an absolute travesty, a cinematic disaster that not even its colossal budget could save. It's painfully clear that this film was cobbled together with the sole intention of squeezing every last dime out of impressionable teenagers, capitalizing on the nostalgia of the original classic. The sheer audacity of the filmmakers to slap a big, famous headline on this monstrosity is infuriating.

This movie has effectively tarnished the legacy of the original "Twister," dragging it through the mud with a lifeless plot, atrocious dialogue, and special effects that somehow look worse than what we saw in the 90s. They even had the nerve to cast actresses who are so dangerously underweight that they look like ten-year-old boys-it's not just unconvincing, it's downright disturbing.

They must think we're fools, but anyone with a shred of taste will see right through this cash-grab abomination. Avoid this movie like the plague; it's a gross insult to cinema and to anyone who loved the original.

Twisters is odd because it's not really a sequel to the original Twister (1996), nor is it a remake. It's its own thing. And that's kind of a good thing. This film is highly predictable, which takes away a lot of the suspense, but it still manages to present a few exciting moments. Also, I expected the visual effects to far surpass the ones from the 90s, but they honestly seem about the same. And there are far too many characters for me to care about any of them individually, except for Glen Powell, who is a whirlwind of charisma. Even with all its eye-rolling moments, I enjoyed watching Twisters.

Twisters is certainly well made with a talented core cast. It is far from a bad film, but I found the story to be familiar and predictable as far as disaster films go.

I was happy to settle into something fun and entertaining; I don't think my expectations were too high, but I think Twisters was missing tension, which is a vital part of a film like this. At no point did I feel any of the central cast of characters were under real threat as they bounced between set piece stunts.

Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones are very watchable in the leads and Anthony Ramos does well to give dimensions to a difficult role. There are however, simply too many peripheral characters.

A large portion of the film's runtime focusses on the relationship between the two leads and, aside from Anthony Ramos, there is no time left to flesh out the rest of the supporting cast, who operate largely as comic relief.

I want to keep this brief because there really isn't so much to say about this film. The plot is beat to death, with the emotional and plot pivot beats being as predictable as a marvel movie. The film doesn't take itself all that seriously, which is certainly an upside considering how mediocre it is. Every now and then the humor is pretty good and Glen Powell's performance easily is the best out of the two leads. One huge shining mark for the film are the gorgeous wide shot visuals and awesome destruction and effects of the tornados. They did a great job of capturing the beauty of the American midwest.

Beisdes these things, it is an entirely predictable and forgettable film about finishing the job after a haunting tragedy. Despite how average it was, I still enjoyed the film, at least enough for a random Wednesday.