‘Twisters’ movie review: Get on this whirligig for the perfect storm

Daisy Edgar-Jones and Glen Powell’s ‘Twisters’ is an adrenalin-fuelled thrill ride with lots going for it including charismatic leads and wow-some spectacle

Two of my favourite things about 1996’s Twister are the shot of a flying cow and chasing storms with Deep Purple’s ‘Highway Star’ booming from giant speakers atop the van. It almost prompted me to hit the road till I remembered Silk Board Junction. Twisters, a standalone sequel to the Jan de Bont film is a fun ride nonetheless.

Young Kate Cooper (Daisy Edgar-Jones) has what she thinks is a surefire way to tame a tornado. She travels with fellow storm chasers, Javi (Anthony Ramos), her boyfriend Jeb (Daryl McCormack), Addy (Kiernan Shipka) and Praveen (Nik Dodani) into the eye of a storm to test her theory. Things go badly and five years later, Kate is in New York behind a desk following the weather at a safe distance on a computer, much to the dismay of her mum, Cathy (Maura Tierney).

When Javi, who joined the military, asks her to help him test a prototype — a more sophisticated version of his earlier weather sensor, Dorothy — she reluctantly agrees. Once they reach Oklahoma, they realise it is a free-for-all with storm tourists and social media stars swarming the area. Leading the pack is charismatic Tyler Owens (Glen Powell) and his crew, which includes videographer Boone (Brandon Perea), drone operator Lilly (Sasha Lane), scientist Dexter (Tunde Adebimpe) and mechanic Dani (Katy O’Brian). Ben (Harry Hadden-Paton), a journalist from London, is also travelling with Tyler to write a profile on the storm chasers.

As the two groups race to break the speed of sound (oh Ritchie Blackmore!), Kate realises Javi has not been completely truthful with her and Tyler is not all shallow and about hitting the subscribe button. The storms, having grown in ferocity and breadth thanks to climate change, upend lives and economies. Tyler proves his heart is in the right place as he stops by to rescue a dog — remember Jo’s dog also made it into the cellar in the nick of time in Twister?

Twisters sweep us along on a tide of gob-stopping spectacle. The storms are awe-inspiring and that scene in the movie theatre is the ultimate pyrotechnic cherry atop a dazzling VFX cake. When the screen tears off to reveal a window into nature’s fury, one can only gasp in astonishment.

The romantic subplot is a delightful addition while Jones, Powell and Ramos have the heft, conviction and charisma to power through the science stuff. Though none of the characters from Twister return in the sequel, there are The Wizard of Oz references,— with Dorothy, scarecrow, tinman and lion — and Bill Paxton’s son, James Paxton, as a complaining motel guest as nods to the original film.

Minari’s Lee Isaac Chung has created that perfect storm of a sequel with enough easter eggs for fans and a bouquet of thrills and tech for the new kids in town.