Twisters | A remake that goes round in circles

Recent remakes, such Dune, Westside Story Or Little Womenoffer a reinterpretation that is, all in all, quite different from the original work or previous versions.

Although Twisters be announced as “a contemporary chapter to the blockbuster Twister from 1996″ and not a full-fledged remake or a late sequel, Lee Isaac Chung’s proposal (Minari, Munyurangabo) is more of an updated version that doesn’t offer much more. The characters aren’t the same, but the stakes, structure and dangers are.

Twisters (Tornadoes in French) begins in a beautiful way with the presentation of five young meteorological enthusiasts about to test their theory. According to them, sodium polyacrylate, the absorbent substance found in diapers, can smother a tornado. Kate Cooper (Daisy Edgar-Jones, seen in the series Normal People And Under the Banner of Heaven) leads the project in his native Oklahoma. In a short time, one becomes attached to the dynamic group. As in MinariLee Isaac Chung quickly manages to establish a closeness with his characters. Unfortunately, the forces of nature surprise the scientists and the worst happens.

A five-year time jump brings us to New York, where Kate is now a weather analyst in a building far from the devastating whirlwinds and her loved ones. One day, her old friend Javi (Anthony Ramos, In The Heights, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts) arrives with technology inspired by her time in the military that would allow her to more precisely dissect powerful natural phenomena. Kate’s initial refusal to return home is short-lived.

Javi leads an all-male team of ex-NASA, MIT and every other acronym in the book, but he needs Kate because of her natural ability to predict the weather. Scott (David Corenswet, the next Superman) doesn’t hesitate to question her instincts. Still haunted by the EF5 tornado five years ago, she struggles to regain her former self-confidence.

The arrival with drums and trumpets of the “tornado tamer” Tyler Owens (Glen Powell, Anyone But You, Hit Man), a YouTube sensation, will spark a competitive spirit between him and Kate. And gradually other feelings. Accompanied by a team of friendly adrenaline junkies, Tyler will demonstrate that he is more than just a face on a t-shirt that says “Not My First Tornadeo.”

Of love and disasters

Rather than the old separated couple who are getting back to each other Twisterthe variant written by Marl L. Smith (the Revenant) and Joseph Kosinski (Top Gun: Maverick) traces the – blurred – lines of a love triangle. We can understand the protagonists’ restraint, but the timid romance does not compete with the intensity of the swirling winds. Especially since the cycle of “more or less assumed flirting-tornado ravages” keeps repeating itself.

The rivalry between the two teams of hunters is also much less tense than that of 1996. Here again, we can applaud the greater civic-mindedness that our era imposes, but the entertainment suffers.

When the storm hits, the sense of danger is very well rendered. The tornadoes are impressive, their impact is staggering and the damage is colossal. The actors are all convincing when the elements are agitated.

Glenn Powell displays all the American charisma that made him a rising star. Like many before him, he plays the role of the alpha male who finds the one who stands up to him with just enough detachment. Daisy Edgar-Jones is the tested woman who has chosen to put her brilliance on hold until the day when the right guy revives it.

Rather than building on the legacy of the original film – or addressing the climate crisis – Twisters relies on a classic approach to male-female relationships. Therein lies the influence of the 1990s.

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Disaster movie

Twisters (VF: Tornadoes)

Lee Isaac Chung

With Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell, Anthony Ramos

1:57

5.5/10