Movie Review - Twisters

First up, I'm a huge fan of the original Twister movie. I've seen it at least a dozen times. The disaster-movie genre is my guilty pleasure. This genre usually features a dud of a plot and lackluster acting, but the action is suitably apocalyptic. Exactly what I love. :-)

It is super hard to rate this movie. Do I compare it to movies in general, or only disaster movies, or to the original Twister movie? I guess I'll try all three.

7:42●●● 95%

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As a general movie, it probably falls in the C-range. It's average. The writing is good, but not great.

As a disaster movie, it's maybe a little better than average. Again, nothing outstanding, but it gets the job done. Tornadoes certainly get plenty of screen time.

In comparison to the original Twister. This is where it gets complicated. It's hard to consider Twisters as a proper sequel to Twister. There is a clear hint in the beginning that they live in the same reality but there are no character or plot carryovers. Twisters has nowhere near the same magic that the first one had. I don't think it would even be fair to expect that. What I did like is the parallel between the bad guy Jonas in the original and Tyler in the sequel. The writers did a good job of making it look like there would be a parallel between those two characters, but then they subverted that plot and flipped it upside down so that who we originally thought was the good guy wasn't so good after all, but then maybe he was... It's a little complicated. You know, like actual people are complicated.

Overall, the thing I like the most about the movie is how the characters and relationships between the three main characters evolved. The characters Kate and Javi both evolved during the story. Tyler didn't change much, but our perception of him did.

I'm having a hard time deciding if I like the actor/character Daisy Edgar-Jones/Kate Carter. I think the actress did a good job with the role she was handed. I'm not thrilled with the way the role was written, but I don't hate it. This one is going to take some time, and a few rewatches, before I'm really sure how I feel about it. For now I can just say that I'm not disappointed, but I really didn't expect much in the first place.

Grade: B

A second take from Steve T

Let me start off with a few of the possible negatives. I had plenty of yep called that moments or as some in my family say "we could write this" moments. But there were a couple of times where I called some things and I was wrong. But there was still plenty that I had right. And some of them felt like a slight redoing from the original Twister movie but just a little different. A bit like Top Gun Maverick... The nature of the story will limit your availability of options. If we are following around some storm chasers while doing science. You're only going to have so many options for storytelling. But like Top Gun Maverick, Twisters pays enough nods to the original without being a complete reboot or retelling while introducing us to a different crew and the next generation of Storm chasers. Twisters is basically a standalone movie. You don't need to know the first one to watch it. The only direct tie I saw to the first one is the Dorothy machine to collect the data from inside a tornado. We see it while it was used at the start of the movie. But as years have passed, the technology has changed and science needs new machines and data. Then we're off on a somewhat familiar but different story.

The movie was a really good ride, I very much enjoyed it. Even more than I thought I would. You are right back in the danger zone next to and in the tornadoes. The visuals helped pull you in. But like watching the first one, the sound makes a big difference, in my opinion. I'm so glad I saw it in a Dolby sound theater. You could feel the tornadoes! For your home viewing experience, if you don't have a good sound system. You're missing out on some of the experience.

Also like watching the new Wonka movie made me want to go and rewatch the original. Twisters did the same thing. I'm glad I didn't pre-watch the original to fill my head with preconceived ideas. Beyond what my recollection was from watching it years ago. But I am wanting to rewatch it now after seeing Twisters.

Time to get swept off my feet again. Ugh, even I realized that's a bad or maybe even a tasteless tornado joke. I hope you enjoy the ride Twisters takes you on as much as I did. Now get out there and see it with the big screen and big sound.

Tell a friend to see it?
Yes

Would I rewatch it?
Yes

Would I want to own a copy?
Yes

Must-see in theaters?
Yes. Absolutely for the sound. The original Twister is one of the reasons I include this as part of my reviews.

Do you need to see the original show to enjoy this one?
No

Steve's grade: A

Plot
An update to the 1996 film 'Twister', which centered on a pair of storm chasers who risk their lives in an attempt to test an experimental weather alert system.