The Mosley Review: Twisters

I'm not gonna lie, when it was announced that a sequel to the original Twister was to be made, I was disgusted. Twister holds a special place in mine and many others’ hearts when it comes to the natural disaster film genre. Not only did we get a fun and thrilling story with colourful and unforgettable characters, but we also got a wholesome story about reconnection. The tornado's were treated as a constant threat that was equal parts beautiful and destructive, but also felt like the omnipresent monster that tormented residents and one of the lead characters. That film had so many layers and my fear was all of that was gonna be tossed away for a more action packed film with little to no memorable characters or story. Well, here we are with the a new and somewhat standalone sequel that doesn't meet the same level of depth, but dammit I would be lying if I said I didn't have any fun. This film delivers a new level of unapologetic and joyful nonsense while leaving enough room to come down from the high of storm chasing to tell a serviceable story. The stormy set pieces are bigger, louder, more destructive and sometimes impressive in how a particular pool scene was executed. The characters this time around are charming and kept me engaged throughout.

Daisy Edgar-Jones was really good and strong as meteorologist / storm chaser Kate. I loved seeing the emotional journey she goes on while dealing with the PTSD from the loss of friends and her dream project failing. The peace she gains from the storms was a cool motivator for her to get back in the game. Anthony Ramos was excellent and cool as her best friend and fellow storm chaser, Javi. I loved that his heart was in the right place even if he was working in the wrong industry. Anthony has this fascinating ability with eyes to convey more than just forgiveness, but also sorrow and guilt. The bond between them was solid and I loved their friendship. Glen Powell steals the film as the wild and rowdy YouTube sensation, Tyler Owens and what an entrance. He was the thrill seeking cowboy that was all types of charming and fun in the best ways. I couldn't get enough of his energy and slick attitude, but there is more to the character that is brought out by his tongue and cheek rivalry with Kate. The classic building of a romantic comedy lives in the chemistry between the two of them and I was all for it. David Corenswet was good and stuck up as Javi's assistant Scott and a bit one note. He represented the cold nature of the business behind storm chasing for a major financial backer. Katy O' Brian was having the time of her life as Dani, the mechanic of Tyler's team. Brandon Perea as Boone matched Tyler's energy as his videographer and he reminded me of the late Philip Seymour Hoffman's Dusty in the best way.

The score by Benjamin Wallfisch was good and thrilling during the most intense scenes in the last half of the film and brought out the emotional core in the quiet moments of the film. The soundtrack in this film was fantastic and reminded me of the great film inspired soundtracks of the 90's. The pacing of the film was excellent as it almost felt like a nonstop thrill ride, but I would've loved a few more moments of build up before the destruction. The storms themselves were scary at times, but were more focused on being bigger and destructive than thematic. I know I sound pretentious, but if you look at how the storms were used in the original film and compare it to this, its terror and emotional resonance versus spectacle. Either way, I had fun with this film and the tornado sequences. Is this film better than the original Twister? Hell no. Is it a fun summer movie that keeps you entertained with good characters and decent story? Absolutely. I would consider this a good companion film to the original that is missing that same spirit, but is still worth the ride. I would do a triple feature of Tornado films and in this order: Twister, Into the Storm and then Twisters. Let me know what you thought of the film or my review in the comments below. Thanks for reading!