All the rumors have been flying about Twisters (Tornadoes in VF) by Lee Isaac Chung. On arrival, it is not a remake of the Twister by Jan de Bont, which took the screens by storm in 1996. It is not a reboot either. It is not a prequel. Some references indicate that it is a form of sequel… but at the same time, it is not quite that. In short, although the two feature films share an obvious lineage, the disaster film from the director of the magnificent Minari is its own thing.
Because there is this way in which the filmmaker manages to give the viewer the impression of being at the heart of the storm, of experiencing it from the inside. There is this way of scripting and filming the chases and clashes between humans and nature, in crescendo of course, but avoiding the feeling of repetition. There is this soundtrack with country accents perfectly appropriate in these Oklahoma landscapes. There is this perfectly measured humor and these references to Wizard of Oz (Dorothée finds her friends here!).
And there is the crazy charisma of Glen Powell (Hit Man) as a cracking but cute tornado chaser/social media star. He’s up against Daisy Edgar-Jones (Normal People), great in “ reluctant hero » (because of a tragedy that occurred five years earlier) who ends up landing on his feet. The chemistry between the two is so electric, and Mark L. Smith’s script does not sin by excess of originality, that we quickly know where the palpable tension between the two characters is going. We also guess very quickly that the bluff of one team (since, unsurprisingly, rival teams there are) hides a form of greatness of soul and that behind the generous intentions of the other lurk less noble inclinations.
The whole thing is carried by special effects whose quality, as we know, has climbed several rungs on the Fujita ladder since Twister arrived like a storm on the screens. Several scenes (wind turbines bending their knees like, in 1998, our electricity pylons; the crushing of a water tank, etc.) are breathtaking. Except that in this area, Jan de Bont’s film (which still holds up superbly) benefited from the “wow!” of the never-before-seen (who doesn’t remember the flying cow?). Twistershe arrives when we expect to be able to see everything on the screen – and we see a lot (too much).
Add to that the very real increase in natural disasters and the number of their victims. It is perhaps not for nothing that this type of film is less popular today than it was in the 1980s and 1990s. Although, if the production climbs and settles at the top of the box office, the sirens of Hollywood (their song is like ka-ching, ka-ching) risk making themselves heard and giving birth to a ” twisterverse “. Even if there is a feeling of unease in being entertained to this tune. Here, moreover, how can we not judge the absence of two words in Twisters other than a lack of political courage? Climate change, anyone?