Twisters

Despite being a legacy sequel, you don't need to know anything about Twister to go into Twisters. Tornado monitoring system "Dorothy" returns (inspired by the real world TOTO), its sensors complete with tiny aluminum wings, but that's it. Also missing are the many colorful side characters, a charismatic lead, or what exactly their goal is in going through all this effort and risk. Sure, we get some vague gesturing at "helping people", but no real sense of how their measurements and personal risk taking will aid that goal in the long-term, especially with regard to the Tornado Wranglers. In part because so much of the writing is resigned to the destruction and danger posed by tornadoes, and focused on providing support in the aftermath. Yes, it opens with Kate (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and her team working on a chemical mixture to disrupt and collapse tornadoes. But after what was projected as an EF1 ends up an EF5, killing their experiment and ending in tragedy, that thread is dropped until around the third act.

Which highlights something that struck me as particularly odd: the previous film didn't seem to matter. In Twister, both the main characters and the antagonists were hell-bent on gathering data in order to increase warning times, putting themselves in harm's way for the greater good. It resonated so strongly with audiences that it inspired a whole new generation of meteorologists¹, helping to deepen our understanding of the phenomenon and drive more accurate and useful warnings. So even apart from the first movie, for this new one to frequently have tornadoes come out of nowhere is bizarre. Of course, the reason director Lee Isaac Chung did so is clear: it leads to some dramatic and very well executed set pieces.

Which is one of its great successes. The special effects and sound are fantastic throughout, and you unsurprisingly feel them most strongly during the many storm scenes. The inclusion of the reckless Tornado Wranglers team, helmed by Tyler (Glenn Powell), gives them even more opportunity to show off what they can do, as their truck's huge hydraulic ground screws give the crew no reservations about driving right into the heart of the tornado. Additionally, the stakes set by the opening scene help make every moment after touchdown feel incredibly dangerous. No matter the equipment or preparation, tornadoes are some of the more extreme weather events on the planet, and the risk is conveyed wonderfully.

Unfortunately, it doesn't lean hard enough into this bombast to get away with how thin and dumb the plot is. It sets up enough threads to ask for your attention, but doesn't do anything with most of them. For example, Javi (Anthony Ramos) entices Kate to return to tornado chasing by touting his team's plan to set up an array of three advanced radar sensors (which need to be super close to the tornado for some reason? Whatever.). For a while, this is the movie's focus as it introduces us to the world. Once they succeed (sort of) well before the midpoint, that's it: they never come back, we don't learn how the data is helpful, nor see any further attempts to refine the system. The same is true of the main antagonist's plan. While it's indeed exploitative, it's not clear what benefits he gets from tornado chasing and their measurements that he couldn't get through publicly available data. There are only two idea it puts forth and carries throughout: appearances are not always what they seem, and the reason to face your fears isn't to conquer them but to prevent them from defining you. Which aren't terrible, but they're just not that interesting (at least, they're not played as such), nor that fresh. So they spend lots of time pushing us towards a personal lesson that we don't care about, which makes it feel hollow.

It's not aided by how closely its plots mirrors that of the first one. A retread isn't inherently a problem, especially since not everyone has seen (or remembers) the original. However, the natural comparison it invites makes it easier to spot flaws, so you'd better nail the execution. Some beats are an exact replica, such as the imagery of a truck jumping out of a field to cut off their rival, and two separate caravans racing to the tornado. Other times, it's whole scenes: Kate and Javi going to the wrecked town to help dig them out is very reminiscent of the tornado that hits Wakita, and the tornado which wrecks the motel feels exactly the same as the one that descends on the drive-in movie theater (also echoed in the climactic storm). Even character details, such as how Kate needs to be dragged back to chasing, as well as her natural intuition for which cells will stabilize. There is a slightly interesting decision to place Kate on the team with high-tech instruments and a wealthy investor, contrasting the salt of the earth Wranglers who prefer the old ways, which leads to a few interesting beats. Precious few of these elements surpass the originals, which I was already unimpressed by. So it should come as no surprise they do little for me here.

The biggest difference is that instead of the leader of the rival team being a cardboard cutout (sorry Cary Elwes), in Tyler we have a fully fleshed out, charming, and energetic presence. This becomes super important later on as he assumes a bigger role in the story, and we consequently learn more about what his whole deal is. From the get-go, his relationship with Kate is much more personable, more friendly-competitive than villainous, which makes us want to know more about him. It helps that Powell is by far the best actor of the whole bunch, dripping with charisma from the moment he steps out of his truck.

Everyone else is bland as toast. The supporting cast I have some sympathy for, because while no one's lighting up the screen, the lack of memorable lines imply the screenplay is to blame. They all melt into a mostly interchangeable mush of faces, with nary a distinguishing characteristic, save for maybe Sasha Lane's dreadlocks. We don't feel their passion for what they're doing, they just exist to fill out the teams. As the lead, Daisy Edgar-Jones is the more egregious weak link. She's actually given a character, but unable to do anything with it. Snarky clapbacks that come out of nowhere, an inability to sell the more intense emotions her past requires, and a failure to wordlessly convey her inner thoughts render her character as forgettable as anyone else, despite having the most screentime. Despite having seen three of her four lead performances, I still have yet to understand what Hollywood sees in her.

Twister was a movie I only watched for the first time recently, so there was never a risk of nostalgia coloring my opinion. I came away with more or less a shrug, so the sequel was even more well-positioned for me: it didn't have much to live up to. Which was good, given my general opinion on popcorn flicks. Yet it still managed to disappoint, especially in light of Chung's previous film, Minari. While I'm happy for him to get a payday, I can't wait until we stop picking the directors of small, quiet, indie films to helm big budget spectacles. If not, can we at least let them take a bit more control, as was granted to Michael Sarnoski A Quiet Place: Day One?