“Twisters,” which was released on July 19th, is a sequel to the movie “Twister” from 1996.
The film captures the experience of chasing super tornadoes and the science behind them.
“Twisters” plularizes the original movie’s title not only because it’s the second film in the franchise but due to the film’s inclusion of various destructive spirals.
The film’s main character, Kate (played by Daisy Edgar Jones) has a dream of taming a tornado to understand them and how they form. This pursuit reflects real-world tornado research, where scientists use mobile radars and deploy sensor pods, called ‘turtles’ or ‘probes,’ into tornadoes to gather data. Kate decides to pursue this by launching advanced sensors into a tornado to acquire data in order to prove that a tornado can be tamed.
However, tragedy strikes, and Kate decides to take a break from tornado chasing, until she meets Tyler Owens (played by Glen Powell).
After meeting Tyler, Kate’s daring adventures reach new heights as she is featured driving into the funnel of catergory five storms. Her actions also illustrate the devastating effects of tornados as viewers watch chaos erupt.
While Lily Dorian (’26) admired the action and excitement of the movie, she felt the plot was quite repetitive and was predictable. Dorian felt that the movie was insightful in discovering the threat that these funnels pose to humanity and the environment because of the amount of destruction they can cause. She appreciated the relationship between Kate and Tyler, however, she believes that “there should have been more of a connection between them.”
Dorian feels that the film was successful at potraying its main message which surronds the “impact that natural disasters, such as power twisters, have on us.”
Cleo Ingalls (’27) was a big fan of the movie and enjoyed how “action, science, romance were all incorporated into one movie.”
Ingalls main critism of the films is that the costumes are a “little too perfect” and “more than costumes than actual clothes people would wear.”
Before watching Twisters, Ingalls had never heard of storm chasing but has “seen how terrible the damage could be from a tornado.”
She respected how the movie was more action packed, and focused primarily on “Kate’s personal journey, rather than her romantic connection to Tyler.”
Additionally, Ingalls admired Daisy Edgar Jones’ acting, especially considering the depth of emotion needed to potray Kate and believes the film successfully conveyed the importance of “facing your fears” in “finding yourself.”
Ingalls is not alone in her appreciating for the film.
“Twisters” recieved a 75% approval rating from critics and a 91% audience approval rating according to Rotten Tomatoes.
The films serves to both describe the danger and necessary precautions to take during natural diasters while potraying an intricate and fast-paced plot.
It’s this complexity that establishes the film as a staple of the 2024 summer blockbuster season.
