“You don’t face your fears, you ride them.”
Kate Carter, the female protagonist of this film, returns to Oklahoma, planning to join Javi’s storm chaser team who has been working on the new tornado-scanning system. Five years prior, on the same vast plain, she witnessed a tornado sweep three of her friends away.
Serving as a sequel to the movie “Twisters” (1996), “Twisters” (2024) was released on Aug. 14, taking cinema fans by storm with thrilling visual effects and performances by the actors.
Directed by Lee Issac Chung, “Twisters” is an action-thriller movie that portrays risk-taking storm-chasers exploring various technologies to overcome the catastrophe it brings to the local community. The movie stars Daisy Edgar-Jones as Kate Carter, Glen Powell as Tyler Owens, and Anthony Ramos as Javi.
The plot of the movie starts with Kate and her crew testing out a device for her science project, hoping that they can calm the tornados down. However, the tornado intensifies as they are chasing it, and while the team is debating on whether or not to turn back, it begins to chase them back.
Although Kate miraculously survives, she loses three of her friends and leaves the town with a weight on her shoulders. Five years later, she is offered a position by Javi, one of her surviving friends, to get back to storm chasing with his new team for a week. After much consideration, she accepts the offer. But with her lingering traumatic experience on her mind, Kate’s first chase does not go as expected.
Critics and audiences have addressed the notable use of CGI as one of the key factors that brought success to this movie. Chung, known as a renowned and experienced film director, impressed the audience with outstanding cinematography throughout the film. Many praised the realistic portrayal of the tornado through CGI and water cannons that simulated the rainy weather effects accurately.
While several aspects of this movie have blown away the audience in the theater, other aspects, such as overused cliché and unnatural character development, did not receive positive reviews.
One of the clichés in the movie is the portrayal of Kate as the “chosen one,” who, from a young age, discovered a talent for predicting where and when storms are going to strike. This natural instinct always played a significant role in determining which paths to take while chasing tornadoes. The movie becomes overly reliant on this trait, with many of the key scenes focusing solely on the achievements based on her natural ability.
Additionally, Tyler Owens, initially portrayed as a narcissistic, selfish Youtuber, introduces a plot twist that feels somewhat clichéd. After only a few interactions with Kate, the character swiftly reveals his true colors as a considerate and competent individual who takes care of his local community more than anyone and introduces the typical enemies-to-lovers twist .
While many good movies feature this love dynamic, the twist in this film is unnatural and abrupt, as Tyler never really undergoes a character development—his change is portrayed as merely a misunderstanding of the protagonist. Similarly, the protagonist herself lacks meaningful growth in relation to their relationship. Nevertheless, some believe the character has made the plot more intriguing through his romantic tension with the protagonist.
“I liked how the film had been fashioned to fit the modern era of YouTube personalities,” Chris Blendheim, film enthusiast, said. “Glen Powell was well-cast as the cocky competition–not just in tornado-chasing, but in romantic protagonist-chasing–who exuded this same swagger in Top Gun: Maverick which is a perfectly made sequel. As a potential love interest for the protagonist, he easily outwitted his beta-competition, but what romance there was existed only in some well-written banter and relational tension. The film defied convention or expectations by not offering a sense of resolution—no kiss to be seen in this film. Perhaps it’s too ‘cringy’ and retro for modern American audiences.”
Furthermore, scientific details of the movie, including wind shear, the lifting mechanism of the storm, and instability that produces explosive storms, were misrepresented. While some fans express their disappointment about this matter, others say that they originally did not hold high scientific expectations for a casual movie.
“Sure, the ‘science’ of the film has been debunked,” Mr. Blendheim said. “But we don’t go to films for science lessons. The problem is, there will still inevitably be many impressionable folks who might walk away with the idea that one person has the ability to alter unimaginably complex and powerful weather systems.”
This movie explores the theme of transcending human limits in the face of natural disasters. Natural disasters, catastrophes that bring inevitable consequences to local communities, are beyond human control. Yet, in this film, the fearless female protagonist embarks on a difficult journey to tame the tornadoes and prevent the devastation, seeking redemption for her failed attempt five years ago. Instead of pulling back from the horrendous storm, Kate drove her car forward.
