Twisters

Prequel: “Twister” (1996)

Avid storm chaser, Kate Cooper (Daisy Edgar-Jones), leads a team of fellow enthusiasts in a coordinated effort to dissipate a twister by releasing chemicals inside the swirling cloud of debris. When her experiment goes awry, the team frantically flees the raging tornado on foot, but only Kate survives the tragic run-in with nature’s fury funnel.

Five years later, Kate is working in the weather department of a major news outlet in New York City. One day an old friend, Javi (Anthony Ramos), pays her a visit. Javi entices her to return to Oklahoma, which is experiencing a record summer for tornadoes. Still haunted by her earlier failure, Kate only agrees to a one-week excursion because newer technology might aid her research and help validate her experiment—which has the potential to save millions of lives.

What ensues is a series of close encounters with the titular terrors.

In case the name of the movie wasn’t a dead giveaway, yes, “Twisters” is a loose sequel to “Twister” (1996). I say “loose” because none of the characters or actors from the earlier film appear here. In fact, the only direct reference to the original film is the sensor-dispensing bucket, which is named Dorothy V (Dorothy I-IV were deployed by the weather wizards in the first film).

That isn’t to say the films have nothing in common. On the contrary, both movies take place in Oklahoma and spotlight rival groups of storm chasers. Also, both films feature a number of deadly tornadoes and show the wreckage left behind in their wakes, i.e., demolished crops, farms and small towns (including a drive-in theater in “Twister” and brick-and-mortar cinema in “Twisters”).

Another area of connective tissue between these movies is how both heroines were traumatized by tornadoes in the past. This psychological scarring causes both Dr. Jo Harding (Helen Hunt) and Kate to become obsessed with the awesome power of twisters. There’s a clever allusion to “Moby-Dick” here; Jo and Kate are stand-ins for Captain Ahab and the twisters they chase are their version of the white whale (indeed, the inciting incidents that trigger their persistent perilous pursuits are when the whale chomps off Ahab’s leg and the tornado wounds Kate’s leg). Unlike Ahab, however, Jo and Kate create experiments to help them better understand tornadoes and give individuals in harm’s way advanced notice of an approaching twister. In other words, Ahab turned his pain into revenge, while Jo (who lost her father to a tornado) and Kate (who lost three friends to a tornado) turn their pain into purpose.

Kate exhibits a sixth sense about the movements of tornadoes. This is a trait she shares with Bill Harding (Bill Paxton) from “Twister.” In similar scenes, both Bill and Kate step away from the main group of characters to scrutinize the storm clouds on the horizon (Bill tests the direction of the wind by releasing a handful of dirt into the air; Kate does the same with a handful of dandelion seeds).

Where the films diverge is in their casts and story elements. Hunt and Paxton were established actors when they made “Twister,” but Daisy Edgar-Jones (“Where the Crawdads Sing”) and Glen Powell (“Top Gun: Maverick”) are hardly household names. Also, the supporting team members here are far less colorful and memorable than those in “Twister” (especially Philip Seymour Hoffman and Alan Ruck as “Rabbit”).

The one area where the new film has a clear advantage over the original is in the visual effects department. Granted, the FX in “Twister” were excellent for the time, but they can’t compete with today’s CGI. The technology in “Twisters” is also a quantum leap ahead of what was used in “Twister”: crude computer graphics appearing on bulky laptop screens have been replaced by high-definition digital images projected on 4K monitors. The coolest piece of new tech in “Twisters” is the drone that’s in the shape of a small plane—the images it captures as it approaches a tornado are breathtaking.

In honor of the original film, “Twisters” was shot on Kodak 35mm film to capture the rich colors of the various Oklahoma locations. This is a really nice touch that helps unify the overall look and feel of both movies.

Spiritual Aspects

In a story dominated by characters chasing tornadoes, there’s little time to stop and reflect on spiritual matters, other than to pray for God’s protection when a twister unexpectedly changes course and plows straight toward your vehicle. Still, despite its action-packed plot, there are a few meaningful themes to explore here. Sadly, none of them are as weighty as the one that hovers like an angry thundercloud over “Twister”—namely, divorce.

“Twister” begins with Bill serving divorce papers to Jo (which would never happen in real life) and Jo finding every excuse in the book not to sign the documents. Bill gets swept up into chasing storms with his old crew and discovers he has far more in common with Jo than his new, prim and proper fiancée (Jami Gertz). At the end of the movie, Bill and Jo kiss and appear to be well on their way toward rekindling their marriage.

Interestingly, another disaster movie from the same year, “Independence Day,” includes a subplot where a divorced couple, David Levinson (Jeff Goldblum) and Constance Spano (Margaret Colin), is reunited after the devastating alien attack. At the end of the movie, they embrace and seem to be back together as a couple.

These two movies represent a rare, and brief, trend in modern movie history where Hollywood actually got it right; offering positive examples of couples pushing through hard times and giving their relationships another shot. Since God hates divorce (Malachi 2:16), these movies are exemplary for their portrayals of marital reconciliation.

Unlike the hard-hitting issue in “Twister,” the spiritual matters in “Twisters” are fairly ordinary. For instance, both Kate and Javi deal with nagging guilt over the failed experiment that took the lives of their friends. Also, Kate has a lying problem; she misleads Tyler’s (Powell) team by giving them bad directions and tells her mom (Maura Tierney) she’s given up chasing storms. Proverbs 12:22 says,

“The LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy.”

Though an ancillary topic, the movie also deals with greed. One unscrupulous businessman swoops in after a town has been leveled by a tornado and offers to purchase the property from people who’ve lost everything—in essence, making a profit off the misery of others. When given the choice between lending aid to the citizens of a town ravaged by a twister or making shady deals for his boss, one character says, “I don’t care about the people.” Those whose sole focus is financial gain will surely lose in the end, because, as the saying goes, “You can’t take it with you.” Also, the Bible offers solid instruction in Matthew 6:24,

“You cannot serve both God and money.”

The entire story revolves around characters chasing tornadoes. But woven into the fabric of the movie’s subtext is the more meaningful matter of what the characters are really chasing in life. Early in the movie, Kate chases a grant that will allow her to attend a prestigious meteorological program. Later, she chases her dream of saving lives by “choking tornadoes.” At the beginning of the movie, Tyler is chasing fame and thrills. Later, once he comes to see what’s really important, he chases Kate. Javi chases a career where he makes really good money helping people, or so he thinks. Javi’s boss and righthand man are chasing money… at all costs.

So, what’s the point? Everyone is chasing something. The question is, are we chasing things that serve self or others? Instead of chasing worldly enticements (1 John 2:15), the Bible encourages us to seek first the kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33).

Objectionable Material

Ironically, some people’s evil ambitions are more dangerous than chasing a tornado.

OFFENSIVE LANGUAGE/VULGARITIES: The movie has quite a few swear words, including: H*ll (7), D*mn (4), D*mn*t (1), Sh*t (10) and *ss (3). It also contains several instances of irreverent speech, like: Chr*st (1), “G*d sakes” (1), “Oh, G*d” (2), “Oh, my G*d” (4), “Oh, Lord” (1) and “Thank G*d” (1). Other inappropriate speech includes: “Bl*w me” (1), “Scr*w the pooch” (1) and “B*ttheads” (1).

ALCOHOL/DRUGS: Beer bottles are visible in a few scenes.

NUDITY AND SEXUAL CONTENT: There isn’t any nudity in the movie. A couple is shown kissing in two different scenes. Kate’s mom tells the story of when Kate ran out into the yard completely naked when she was a child. When Kate tries to interrupt her mother, Tyler jokingly says, “Keep your clothes on.” The quip is made tongue-in-cheek and isn’t intended to be suggestive.

VIOLENCE AND GRAPHIC CONTENT: There are many scenes involving tornadoes ripping apart houses and buildings. Other scenes show vehicles and people being sucked into a twister’s violent vortex. Though not overly bloody or graphic, these images may be frightening to some audience members.

As a piece of metallic debris is pulled into a tornado, it grazes a woman’s thigh. We see a scar and some blood but the scene isn’t gory.

In one scene, a man vomits on the ground. Fortunately, the shot is from a distance.

Final Thoughts

Some may criticize “Twisters” for hewing too close to the OG film. However, though occasionally paying homage to the 90s disaster film, this is an original story that makes a concerted effort to cut its own path. And, other than its frequent foul language, “Twisters” is fairly clean and will appeal to a broad audience.

Though “Twisters” probably won’t win any awards for writing or acting, it is entertaining. And, at the end of the day, that’s all most people who go to see this movie will care about.

So, is “Twisters” as good as “Twister?” No, but it’s a pulse-pounding popcorn flick with a serviceable plot and some really good visual effects. Though admittedly influenced by its heavy dose of nostalgia, “Twisters” was the most fun I’ve had at the cineplex in quite some time.

It remains to be seen whether or not this movie will blow away audiences, but if a sequel is in the offing, I’ll see you at “Twisters 2”—a surefire winner over at Rotten Tornadoes.

• Violence: Heavy
• Vulgar/Crude language: Heavy
• Profane language: Moderately Heavy
• Drugs/Alcohol: Mild
• Wokeism: Minor
• Nudity: None
• Sex: None
• Occult: None

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.

• Positive
• Neutral
• Young people