THE PREMISE:

"A retired tornado-chaser and meteorologist is persuaded to return to Oklahoma to work with a new team and new technologies." 

OUR MOVIE REVIEW:

At one point in Lee Issac-Chung's Twisters, Anthony Ramos looks to a destructive cyclone and yells "this theater can not withstand what's coming" and in a way, it felt like a perfect line to describe the experience the film delivers. Being a reboot of the Jan De Bont's disaster movie classic Twister from 1996, the film not only had to live up to the seismic devastation, but also to the electric cast of characters that elevated the original film to its memorable status. It's a daunting task to behold, however, Twisters really comes into its own effortlessly as a unique and stunning ride with a cast that's incredibly charming and a sense of scale that's just devastating. The cast to Jan De Bont's 1996 film is almost untouchable - with nearly every member irreplaceable. There are no other Bill Paxtons, Hellen Hunts or Philip Seymour Hoffmans, and there will never be anyone else like them. What Twisters does is recognize the strengths of the cast of the 1996 film, and builds incredibly exciting character moments that feel fresh and unique to this film. 

Joining the supporting ranks are Brandon Perea, Katy O' Brian, David Corenswet, Sasha Lane, and Anthony Ramos all bringing great and singular quirks to the film making the film feel as lively whenever we aren't with our main cast of characters played by Daisy Edgar-Jones and Glen Powell. Powell is just ever-so electric as the rowdy-loudmouth storm chaser Tyler Owens who displays not only a rambunctious front, but a vulnerable underside that shines in Powell's quieter moments. After this film, however, I'm still conflicted about the performance given by Daisy Edgar-Jones who feels like an odd one out. It's not a poor performance, but one that doesn't feel as confident as the cast around her. With a midwestern accent that slides in and out, the lack of emotional presence within the performance, I oddly felt distant from our main character Kate. With a character with so much depth, it's unfortunate Edgar-Jones wasn't able to match the emotional complexity in her

performance.

However, what good is talking about a disaster movie without talking about the disasters? Though Jan De Bont's 1996 film is a classic, it does have a few blemishes that have only become more apparent with time. Lee Issac-Chung approaches this reboot with such a tactile sense of scale, giving his devastation and destruction such tangibility that it's almost like watching actual tornado footage and aftermath. Lee also chooses to meditate on small town America in relation to the ecology in that part of the world. We understand very little of how these phenomena form, and without warning, it can take so much from us. Lee offers us to come together in the wake of devastation, not only so we can understand more about our earth, but so we can also learn more about each other.