Film: Twisters

GENRE: Action Adventure
RATING: PG-13 for action and some language
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 2 minutes
PLATFORM: Movie Theatre
STARRING: Daisy Edgar Jones (Where the Crawdads Sing)
Glen Powell (Top Gun: Maverick); Anthony Ramos (In the Heights)
DIRECTOR: Lee Isaac Chung (Minari)
WRITER: Mark L. Smith (The Revenant, The Boys in the Boat)
PLOT: A tornado chaser returns to Oklahoma to work with a new team  

FULL DISCLOSURE: Liked the original, was skeptical about this one.

STORY STUFF: Not sure you could call this a sequel. The only real references to the original is the use of Dorothy for a couple minutes, the location and the title font. I guess the plot is similar with different people chasing tornadoes, a traumatic experience, movie theatres and Ram trucks. While some poor choices are made along with lame mansplaining, the plot is decent and the tornadoes are well done and there is a sense of will people die with each twister. I still don’t know why people would live in an area called Tornado Alley or why they would hold evening events when a tornado hit a town nearby, same thing happened in the original with the drive-in film. Maybe cancel these events. Also, I’m thinking if I lived in Tornado Alley, I have probably been taught what to do if a twister hits the town. I also rolled my eyes when tornado chasers would explain the effects of tornados to fellow experts; I know the audience needs the exposition but find a different way. Also, the supporting characters in the original were far more dynamic than the tag-alongs in this one, which meant I cared more about what happened to them. Those nitpicks aside, I actually found this to be a pretty decent summer blockbuster popcorn flick.

ACTING STUFF: Glen Powell uses his charm well and commands the screen. You can’t help but root for him. Edgar-Jones also gives a great performance as the tornado whisperer. She does a decent southern accent (which is why it’s odd that Powell’s character keeps calling her city girl). Ramos is too whiny and doesn’t grab me. Interesting to see David Corenswet as a jerk in this film before he dons the Superman cape in the DC reboot. I like the actress who played the mother. I didn’t know she was in this film so I won’t spoil it if you don’t know.        

ARTISTIC STUFF: The twisters are well done which is good for a film called Twisters. I like that fire was added to some of them. Not a fan of the country music. The original had Van Halen.

VERDICT: Four stars out of five
SEE IT IF: You enjoy your action with a little destruction.  
UPCOMING REVIEW:  Deadpool & Wolverine