Nobody will confuse “Twisters” for its predecessor (which, make no mistake, holds up exceedingly well) and neither Glen Powell nor Daisy Edgar-Jones can fully match the magic weaved by Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton the last time around. But what this offering lacks in originality and innovation, it more than makes up for in sincerity, adrenaline-pumping action made for the big screen, and its downright Spielbergian knack for inspiring awe and wonder even in the face of unrelenting destruction. If giving in to the franchise machine and putting his original storytelling on hold was the price Chung had to pay to provide one last glimpse of an era long gone, well, those brought to tears by the heartbreaking poignancy of “Minari” likely would’ve preferred the next natural step on that trajectory. But it’s a testament to his talent and ability that “Twisters” almost makes the tradeoff worth it.
Stop me if you’ve heard this before. In a shockingly brutal opening scene, a younger version of our main character comes across a much more powerful tornado than she ever expected, narrowly survives a life-threatening emergency, and is left with the traumatic scars of an experience that will follow her for years to come. “Twisters” begins on an oddly similar note to the 1996 film, introducing us to Edgar-Jones’ Kate Cooper as a bright-eyed tornado chaser convinced she can change the world. In what feels like an instance of unavoidable studio notes, however, the first half of the sequel goes on to cram in a host of callbacks and references that tend to be more distracting than anything else. You have the irreverent, goofball member of the team in Brandon Perea’s Boone (a distant sendup to Philip Seymour-Hoffman’s wacky antics), an older and wiser relative who provides crucial emotional support (Maura Tierney taking on the role originated by Lois Smith), and even the inclusion of scientific instruments named “Dorothy,” just like the original movie.
Where “Twisters” really takes off, not coincidentally, are the moments the sequel all but forgets it’s a sequel in the first place.
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