I hadn’t necessarily planned to watch the movie Twisters. But in much the same way I hadn’t initially planned to watch A Quiet Place: Day One, the surprisingly good reviews from critics and the general online buzz compelled me to give it a shot.
And you know what? It’s a great, old-fashioned summer blockbuster and the perfect popcorn movie for late July.
While not necessarily a cinematic masterpiece, the original 1996 Twister film (starring Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton) became a part of pop culture lore and sparked interest in meteorology and storm chasing. Audiences have long been fascinated by natural disaster flicks, and they are equally fascinated by the characters in them who run towards – rather than away from – the danger.
If you’ve seen the trailer for Twisters, you can probably guess the basic plot: Daisy Edgar-Jones and Glen Powell play a pair of will-they-or-won’t-they storm chasers who first clash and then team up as a dangerous tornado outbreak descends on the state of Oklahoma.
As someone who grew up in Kansas, I’ve heard a lot about tornadoes throughout my life. A tornado is even a significant plot point in The Wizard of Oz, which is probably the most famous movie that is set in my home state.
Learning how to listen for the warning sirens and when to head to the basement to take shelter was an important lesson I learned growing up. While I’ve never witnessed a real tornado myself, I’ve driven through the aftermath, and it’s not something to take lightly. I’ve spent severe storm warnings trapped in such varied places as the bedding aisle of a Walmart, a gas station on the side of the road, and the bathrooms at the county fair (which is probably one of the most “You know you’re from the Midwest if…” sentences I’ve ever written).
It was fun to see the characters in Twisters stop by some of the different small towns in this movie and think, “Hey, I’ve been there!” or “I’ve heard of that place!” I also appreciated that this film offered some actual tornado safety tips (overpasses are NOT a safe place to go during a storm warning).
In the film, Jones is a meteorologist who gives up storm chasing after a tragedy. Powell is a gung-ho celebrity storm chaser with a YouTube channel who seems to keep getting in the way. However, there’s more to his character than first appears, and he and Edgar-Jones have great chemistry. The action sequences are choreographed well, and the special effects really drive home just how powerful a force nature is (and how little humans can do to stop it).
Like many Hollywood disaster films, Twisters plays a little fast and loose with science at times. Still, Wired has put together a fun article about some of the actual science featured in the film. And if the public’s interest in this movie – which has provided a much-needed boost to the summer box office – also helps raise awareness about storm safety, I think that’s great!
