By – Nick Adrian

For fans of the 1996 original, action-packed blockbusters, and the return of the disaster movie

It seems every well known older movie is getting its legacy sequel and 1996’s Bill Paxton/Helen Hunt vehicle Twister is no exception. The 90s classic followed a team of storm chasers desperate to learn more about the peculiar natural travesties. Lee Isaac Chung (Minari) helms the next chapter, a reboot or remake of sorts, that doesn’t require prior knowledge of the previous film but also doesn’t spend too much time standing alone. An essential film it is not, but if we are going to continue living in the hellscape that continuously churns out fan-pleasing sequels, Twisters is a much-needed (strong) gust of fresh air!

Similar to the 1996 film, Kate Carter (Daisy Edgar-Jones) is haunted by a study gone wrong after losing her storm chaser classmates during a tornado. Javi (Anthony Ramos), her only surviving friend, convinces her to accompany him in Oklahoma for one week to help test a new tornado scanning system that could potentially help meteorologists better determine when a storm could hit. Kate agrees and discovers storm chasing has found an online audience (and competition) with cocky “Tornado Wrangler” YouTuber Tyler Owens (Glen Powell). Javi’s team of professionals and Tyler’s team of “Wranglers” compete in chasing tornadoes, leading Kate on a moral dilemma of contributing to corporate greed or changing weather as she knows it.

Ultimately, there is nothing very new Twisters does that Twister doesn’t; it is essentially an updated remake. Edgar-Jones and Powell are excellent contemporary iterations of Hunt and Paxton and while it does not have the rewarding advantage of Phillip Seymour Hoffman, its goofy, lovable supporting cast are the next best thing. What it is not however, is another fandom-pleasing, cameo-laden amusement park ride whose experience will be forgotten immediately after the first viewing. We’ve become accustomed to seeing some of our favorite movie characters don the exact same costumes they wore twenty-plus years ago, saving the day after the new characters we’ve been introduced to fail. Helen Hunt is not the savior of this film nor is any kitschy callback going to distract the audience. And that’s for the greater good of blockbusters and will hopefully usher in more of a return to the normal.

While Twisters isn’t an original work of art, it’s an adrenaline-rush that kicks off in minute one. The stakes, visuals, and charm of the original are all here but for those going in totally fresh, you won’t be lost for a minute. Twisters works because you don’t have to know the lore of its franchise – it works well on its own (and truly doesn’t have much of a connection to the Jan De Bont film other than the natural disasters). This could’ve been a standalone film in its own right but it’s okay that it’s not – enjoyable, fun, and good blockbusters are back in the theater. We have to be thankful for the little victories.

Twisters is now playing in theaters