TWISTERS

US, 2024, 117 minutes, Colour.

Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell, Anthony Ramos, Brandon Perea, Maura Tierney, Harry Haddon-Paton, Sasha Lane, Darrell McCormack, David: Corenswet.

Directed by Isaac Lee Chung.

By a happy twist of fate, Twisters is an entertaining crowd-pleaser. Anyone who buys a ticket, keen to see tornadoes in action as well as the human efforts to chase and combat them, will find a multitude of twisters here. The special effects of the tornadoes themselves, the visuals of their destructive force, the ruins and aftermath, are quite spectacular. And the editing keeps the action running at a very brisk pace, often edge-of-the-seat adrenaline pumping.

1996, the original Twister was a holiday entertainment, much the expected theme, two experts, despite divorce proceedings, working together to chase the tornadoes. The director of that film, Jan de Bont, had not heard that there was to be this kind of sequel, making a comment that a sequel could only succeed if the tornadoes were bigger. The filmmakers this time have absolutely taken notice of that observation, not only are they bigger, there are many more of them.

But, the screenplay here places quite a lot of emphasis on the science – whether the audience understands the details of it or not. In fact, the film opens with a young enthusiast, Kate, Daisy Edgar-Jones, leading a team that hopes to release chemicals into the eye of the twister to dissipate its force. There are some scientific explanations. But, the experiment is a tragic failure, the deaths of several of the participants.

Then we go five years later. One of Kate’s former colleagues, Javi (Anthony Ramos) enlists her help with his experiments, placing tracking machines around the tornado in order to get a three-dimensional reading. Again, scientific explanations. By contrast, there is Tyler (a grinning Glen Powell more gung ho at first and he was in Top Gun Maverick), a so-called tornado wrangler, with his own team of scientists (who, In All clothes, do not look like it), and filming his exploits, taking tornado tourists out to witness the phenomena, and a British journalist joining. in

Obviously, there is going to be rivalry. And there is. However, there are some jaw-dropping sequences of the tornadoes and their force, extraordinary destruction and ruin with the challenge to Kate and Tyler and Javi as to whether they pursue their research or go to help people in distress. (And in the background there are themes of corporate exploitation of those whose homes of livelihoods have been destroyed.)

In fact, Kate retires from the chasing and goes home, her mother urging her to do more research, Tyler tracking her down and collaborating – after they go to rodeo, also a tornado victim. Already magazine articles are being headed “whirlwind romance”! At first it is a battle of the sexes, but very strong on equality between men and women, and then scientific collaboration. Actually, there are some sequences during the final credits when audiences are stampeding for the exits, which actually show further plot developments.

Twisters sets out to be an action-disaster holiday entertainment. It succeeds well.

1. The reality of tornadoes, twisters in the United States, the Southern States? The weather phenomena? The impact on towns and populations, on the countryside?
2. The 1996 film and its popularity? Continued films on twisters? This sequel, many more tornadoes, much more devastation, much more scientific speculation, tornado wrangling, tornado tourism, experiments to understand tornadoes, physics and chemistry?
3. The film in the disaster movie tradition? Action, adventure, characters, crises?
4. The opening, Kate and her team, the scientific background, their personalities and interactions, the dangers of the tornado, the attempt to release the chemicals, winds, vehicles overturned, characters blown away? Kate and her relationship with Jeb, the driver, saving her under the bridge, his being blown away?
5. Five years later, Kate New York, her work, observation of storms? Javi and his visit, his story, the Army, experiments, technology to observe twisters, three dimensions? His sympathy, his participation in the early experiment and surviving? Asking Kate to come for a week?
6. Kate, meeting Javi’s team, professional, academic backgrounds, Scott and his hostility to her, his criticisms of her? The connection with developers and the later consequences? The chasing of the tornadoes, Kate and her expertise, the encounter with Tyler, rivalries, her missing out and Javi’s response?
7. Tyler, tornado wrangler, big grin, cowboy, his team, vehicles, theyir not looking scientific, their passengers for tourism, the risks of the dares, the British journalist, observation, anxious (bounced around, later sick, his seatbelt)? The audience later realising that they were scientific and skilled despite appearances?
8. The tornado sequences, the dangers, the twisting, the air, the wind, blasting vehicles, the placing of the machines for the three-dimensional picture?
9. Kate, her background in the state, Tyler underestimating her, the later going to the rodeo? The awareness of the towns in danger, the decisions to go to help, the visuals of the twister attacking the towns, the people, the aftermath? The businessman and his exploiting the survivors, allegedly with financial help? Kate and a sense of disillusionment with Javi and his team?
10. The destruction of the rodeo, the audience enjoying it, Tyler and his saying he used to ride the bulls, the wind, trying to rescue people, the movie theatre, survival, Tyler holding onto his associate? Kate going out, the experiment with the chemicals? Their rescuing her?
11. Kate, distance from her mother, going home, settling in, her equipment, the model village, her looking at her notes? Tyler tracking her down, interest, explanations? Her mother inviting Tyler to stay? Their working together, working out the chemicals, rain precipitation, lessening the impact of the twister?
12. The final opportunity, the tornadoes, going out, the battering, explosions, the dangers?
13. The final success, the release of the chemicals, lessening the impact of the twister?
14. Kate to get back to New York, Tyler the airport and his truck and its ability to dig into the ground and stay, the credits sequences and the photos, the clips, the development of the plot, working together, success, romance…?