Twisters - Review

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

AS much as Lee Isaac Chung’s Twisters is a triumph of bluster over substance, this belated sequel to Jan de Bont’s 1996 original actually has plenty to recommend it.

The special effects, as you could imagine, are suitably impressive, capturing the intensity and destruction inherent in super-sized tornadoes. While the two central performances from Normal People’s Daisy Edgar-Jones and Hit Man’s Glen Powell are genuinely engaging.

True, the screenplay is largely generic and misses out on the opportunity to offer any notable commentary on how climate change is affecting the intensity of tornado season in this part of the US. And the science behind the efforts to tame tornadoes is largely the stuff of science fiction.

But there are nods to the human cost of such weather induced destruction, with several scenes set amid the search and rescue effort that follows. While there’s also a more weighty appreciation of the effect of trauma (and survivors guilt) on at least two of its cast members.

And while much of the post release focus has concentrated on the Glenn Powell effect (which is notable for its undeniable energy), the main story belongs to Edgar-Jones’ Kate Cooper, who begins the movie as an aspiring university grad and weather expert, who loses several of her university pals while chasing a tornado with fellow friend and data expert Javi (Anthony Ramos).

Years later, Kate is lured back to Oklahoma by Javi with the intention of finally collecting the type of data needed to potentially tame the tornadoes (by shooting polymers into the vortices) in what is proving to be one of the most dangerous seasons on record.

Unfortunately for Kate, Javi’s project is being funded by an unscrupulous insurance scheme designed to profit from the devastation caused by the tornadoes, while also facing competition from a group of self-styled Tornado Wranglers, led by Powell’s Tyler Owens - a charismatic Internet sensation with a heart of gold.

It’s fairly obvious where the story is heading on all fronts - Kate will overcome her guilt to get back on track with her research, Tyler will win her over and Javi will belatedly realise the error of his corporate-driven ways, while the tornadoes will gradually build in scale to deliver some jaw-dropping ‘firsts’ based on size and damage capability. And yes, Kate’s scientific know how might just save the day.

What makes Twisters rise above the formula is the way in which it quietly subverts some expectations, though. For all the fanfare surrounding Powell, he remains a generous performer and is content to have Edgar-Jones carry the bulk of the emotional lifting.

The much debated lack of a kiss between them is actually a good thing as it would, as Powell has stated, have cheapened Kate’s journey. Its absence is more empowering, especially since it’s Powell who subsequently has to do the chasing.

Edgar-Jones, meanwhile, grasps the opportunity to step into the blockbuster limelight and showcase her acting credentials by offering a nuanced portrayal of Kate - someone obviously scarred by her past trauma and humble enough to have learned from it, while also being a strong woman in her own right, capable of mixing it with the corporate baddies she has inadvertently aligned herself with as well as trading banter with Powell’s plucky, free spirited entourage

She also shares some great chemistry with Powell that doesn’t feel forced.

Elsewhere, Twisters offers the expected spectacle in terms of its effects - but then it would have been disappointing had it not given the combined talents of Steven Spielberg and Frank Marshall among its producers. The storm sequences are genuinely exciting - capturing in its use of sound and visuals the terror of such powerful weather phenomenons.

It’s just a shame that the makers didn’t opt to stick their necks out a little further to offer something more meaty in terms of its insight into climate change and the role that has in enhancing the power of tornadoes. But this was done with box office in mind, for fear of alienating climate deniers.

With all this in mind, though, Twisters more than delivers on its promise of summer blockbuster thrills. It’s, by turns, fun, exciting, well acted and spectacular - everything you could wish for from a film of this type.