I love the original Twister – the 1996 disaster movie that barreled through theaters and brought The Wizard of Oz back into the pop culture lexicon. Hopefully most people have seen it or at least know what Twister is about but, for those who don’t, here is the quick synopsis: The film follows a rag tag team of storm chasers led by Jo (Helen Hunt) and Bill (the late great Bill Paxton) who are trying to find a way to increase tornado warning systems for the good people of the Midwest getting pummeled by vicious storms.
Although I’m not a science person, Twister is one of my favorite movies of all time for a few reasons: 1) I love stories about crews getting together to accomplish a mission. 2) Hunt and Paxton are captivating as estranged exes who put their differences aside for the aforementioned mission. 3) The special effects still hold up – for example, that really is Hunt and Paxton running their asses off through cornfields. 4) Their crew (which includes the late great Phillip Seymour Hoffman as Dusty who is one of my favorite characters) is comprised of the best kind of misfits. 5) Eddie Van Halen is featured on the soundtrack.
Not only was this movie a favorite of mine, the world seemed to love it too. I remember Hunt and Paxton gracing the cover of Entertainment Weekly and thinking it was the best thing ever. I also remember the movie being a huge hit – and it was. Twister grossed $495 million worldwide and was one of the first films to be released on DVD in the United States. Although DVDs seem like a long time ago, in the mid/late-1990s this was a big deal.
Fast-forward to 2024 (28 years later) and Twisters rolls into theaters. Of course, I needed to be there. Thanks for being my date Wookie! Starring Glen Powell (who 100 percent is achieving Tom Cruise/Brad Pitt/George Clooney fame – especially after this role and his role as Hangman in Top Gun: Maverick) and Daisy Edgar-Jones, Twisters is being called a “stand alone sequel” because the story “takes place in the same universe as its predecessor but has little to no narrative connection to it.” I thought for sure that Edgar-Jones’s character Kate was going to be Jo’s daughter or that there would be some connections to Jo and Bill, but that is not the case. This movie is its own story which means that if you never saw the original it doesn’t matter. But there are some callbacks to Twister that, if you’re paying attention, you’ll catch. One overarching example is that like Jo, Kate experienced a devastating loss that changed her life. Also, Powell’s character Tyler is a bit of a throwback to Bill with his cowboy boots, but he is also the “Tornado Wrangler” which is different than Bill and hilarious. Smaller examples are wardrobe choices and a Paxton family cameo.
I don’t want to give any storyline away, but I will say that Twisters works. Whether you like disaster movies or not, most people understand that weather is the definition of that which we can’t control and natural disasters are the epitome of monsters that can change people’s lives in minutes. I still remember when Hurricane Andrew tore through Miami when I was eight years old. Anyone my age or older who grew up there can tell you exactly what it was like to have no power for months, to rely on coolers of ice and (if you were lucky) a generator, to sweat through the sweltering humidity, see animals from the Everglades (almost 30 miles away) in backyard pools, and watch local businesses end up in shambles. For many, Hurricane Andrew left a path of destruction so insane that only kitchen tables and cash registers remained. Experiencing something like that is gnarly and it stays with you. I’ll never live in a place with a hurricane season again. 
But back to the movie. While I’m sad to report that there are no cows flying through the air, livestock do play a role. There is also a movie theater scene that is a clear throwback to the original. I’ll leave it at that. One of the most notable changes from Twister is obvious – the technology aspect – as clearly there was no social media or YouTube in 1996 and drones were not prevalent. Another fun feature of Twisters is the soundtrack as it is entirely comprised of country artists led by Luke Combs’s ubiquitous “Ain’t No Love In Oklahoma.” That song is as menacing as the tornadoes it references.
It will be interesting to see if Twisters has the same lasting effect as Twister. Sometimes you can’t surpass the OG, but the effort and the Steven Spielberg touch is definitely there. Powell and Edgar-Jones have similar Hunt/Paxton chemistry, but Powell is the star. He can’t help but be fun to watch and, although the members of his crew (especially Sasha Lane and Brandon Perea) are magnetic as well, Tyler is the person you want to see on screen. He is believable, charismatic, and walks the line of being just shy of over-the-top. While the tornadoes are impressive, there is no question that the “Tornado Wrangler” brings the most humor, surprises, and star power – even if his face is on a t-shirt.
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