Some stories benefit from constant reimagining to allow for the narrative to be adapted through a contemporary lens — A Star Is Born and Little Women instantly come to mind. The former has become a reflection of the entertainment industry of the time, and, while the latter has remained a period piece, modern retellings have altered the characters and dialogue to connect with the concerns of new generations.
On the face of it, the 1996 classic Twister doesn't seem to demand a similar modern-day treatment — but, given the drastic environmental changes, perhaps the idea isn't so far-fetched. At least that's what the studios powers that be are hoping, anyway.
For those familiar with Jan de Bont's Twister, Lee Isaac Chung's stand-alone sequel won't offer much of a twist. Daisy Edgar-Jones and Glen Powell take up the Hunt/Paxton mantle as competing tornado chasers. Edgar-Jones's Kate is a visitor in this equation, having given up chasing after a fatal miscalculation early in her career. But when her old friend, Javi (Anthony Ramos), asks for help, Kate returns to Oklahoma, where she's introduced to Powell's Tyler, a famous YouTube storm chaser.
There's a similar energy between the two films, wherein Javi and Kate's team have swishy tech at their disposal and matching polo shirts, contrasted by the grassroots operation of Tyler and his group. The biggest difference between the two films is found in the motivations of the competing sides. In the first film, the attention was on being able to detect tornadoes early enough to give the towns in harm's way ample warning to get to safety; in Twisters, the focus is on taming the weather system, punctuated by Tyler's social media branding as "The Tornado Wrangler."
With screenwriter Mark L. Smith, Chung makes astute observations about the perceived and actual legitimacy of online creators and the consequence of social media in its ability to diminish the credibility of traditional work. Twisters also considers the effects of climate change, although this never becomes a primary narrative. Rather, the film effectively (albeit predictably) points its aim at the sharp practices of land developers in times of tragedy and the human cost of natural disasters.
To highlight the devastation, scenes of recovery are quiet and sombre, especially in comparison to the intensity of sequences showing tornadoes ripping across the land. Chung uses a mixture of practical effects and CGI to create the stunning imagery, alongside director of photography Dan Mindel and special effects supervisor Scott R. Fisher. The results are some truly impressive set pieces that evoke terror and beauty all at once.
What made de Bont's film so enduring, though, wasn't just the thrills and spectacle, but the characters and relationship Hunt and Paxton brought to life — and, in this way, Twisters dutifully follows suit. Individually, Edgar-Jones and Powell each bring enough charm and charisma to light up the screen. The two actors find an easy partnership on screen, playing to one another perfectly in moments of vulnerability and levity.
For everything exemplary within the film, I can't say I'm convinced that Twisters was at all necessary — it just doesn't offer anything significantly new from the original, other than bringing it into the 2020s. The idea that a movie requires an upgrade suggests that modern-day audiences can't be moved by a film not created in their on time — a perspective that does viewers a great disservice. However, this is the reality of Hollywood at the moment, and if we are going down this route, Twisters at least serves as a great example of how to tackle this needless exercise in an entertaining and compelling manner.