Rating: C
Dir: Lee Isaac Chung
Star: Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell, Anthony Ramos, Brandon Perea
Though pitched as early as 2020, it feels inspired by the success of Top Gun: Maverick in going back decades to find an otherwise undisturbed IP. This takes a different route in that there’s no palpable connection to its predecessor. The S on the end suggests a sequel i.e. Aliens. But this is a full reboot, without returning characters – admittedly difficult, given close to a thirty year gap – or story continuity. The problem is, this is a different film world now. What was fresh and unique in 1996, is now common. It’s probably a concern that the movie I was reminded most of by this, isn’t Twister. It’s Sharknado, especially in the dubious “Let’s defuse a tornado!” plotline.
Things begin with young researcher Kate Carter (Edgar-Jones) and her team being massacred by an F5 tornado. Five years later, she has retreated to the safe space of New York, when the only other survivor. Javi (Ramos), comes calling, to lure her back on the storm-chasing trail. Despite her qualms she does, and joins his team in Oklahoma. His purpose served. Javi then all but vanishes. For the main focus is Kate and Tyler Owens (Powell), another chaser whose gung-ho, media savvy, wild and crazy approach is the complete opposite of Kate’s. You can probably fill in the rest yourself. To absolutely no-one’s surprise, Kate and Tyler end up working together, Kate’s old research being resurrected to save the town of El Reno from another F5.
Reddit solemnly informs me that Powell is a Real Movie Star, and is why people went to see this. [Apparently, only people in the US though. Unlike the original film, this flopped overseas] I’m not certain why: if competent enough, he’s no different from any other smirking pretty boy actors. He’s certainly no Bill Paxton, and while I’m always happy to see British actors stealing ‘Merican jawrbs, Edgar-Jones is no Helen Hunt either. The painfully obvious nature of the plotting in their relationship is only exceeded by the painfully obvious nature of the shit country which needle drops on the soundtrack every five minutes. It seems an obligatory effort to remind the audience forcibly, that we are in the Midwest, where no other kind of music can exist.
The film’s saving grace is the destruction. for which Chung (and a $155 million budget) demonstrates a keen eye. Right from the beginning, there’s a real sense of threat in the phenomena, and the director favors establishing thing in long shot, which ensure the necessary sense of scale is always maintained. It sometimes feels as if the tornadoes are alive, their sounds bordering on growls and roars, and Chung then tightens things up, bringing us in to the characters as they cower in the face of unimaginable destruction. These certainly crossed Oklahoma off the list of possible destinations, since it’s flat, boring and populated entirely by tornadoes. And country music. And people like Tyler. I’m not sure which of these is most off-putting.