Twisters sweep through the cinema
We write the year 1996, when "Twister" ignited a tornado in the truest sense on the screen. Thirty years later, "Twisters" aims to revive the eerie-beautiful tornado fascination and bring a fresh breeze to the disaster film genre. Will it succeed?
The fascination with tornados is not only due to their destructive power. Other storms, whether you call them hurricanes, typhoons, or cyclones, also have the potential to wipe out entire areas. Instead, it's the allure of the tornadoes forming over land that both terrifies and captivates.
Americans can even sing a melodramatic song about it. In the Midwest of the USA lies the so-called "Tornado Alley." This "gallery" stretches through the states of Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Texas, creating the conditions for an above-average occurrence of the devastating weather phenomenon. In a year, there are sometimes more than 500 tornados counted in the region.
In 1996, Hollywood took advantage of the everyday danger in parts of the country for entertainment purposes with the disaster film "Twister." The film, which grossed more than five times its $92 million budget worldwide, was a success, at least financially. However, the critical reception was less than favorable. It even received a Razzie Award in the "Worst Written Film" category for films earning over $100 million.
Chasing the next storm
This didn't deter the dream factory from once again unleashing a storm on the screen with "Twisters," this time not just one but a series of storms. The film under the direction of Lee Isaac Chung doesn't limit itself to releasing just one tornado. In "Twisters," which primarily takes place in Oklahoma, things go as they sometimes do in Oklahoma: A tornado chases the next one.
In the midst of it all: meteorologist Kate (Daisy Edgar-Jones). When she goes storm chasing with a group of friends and colleagues to experiment with whether a tornado could be tamed with a large load of polymers, tragedy strikes: Three of her teammates get sucked into the deadly vortex and die. Kate survives the catastrophe severely injured and retreats for years into a desk job in New York City.
One day, her former team colleague Javi (Anthony Ramos) bursts in unexpectedly. He raves about a completely new technology for analyzing tornadoes and eventually convinces Kate to join him once again on a tornado chase. However, Kate and Javi's team are not alone on the roads of Oklahoma. While they seemingly focus solely on the science of studying storms up close, others like Tyler (Glen Powell) and his gang do it for the thrill of the moment and the countless clicks in social networks. Sometimes the competing teams cross paths, but eventually, nature's fury forces them to fight together for their survival ...
No comeback for the flying cow [
(Note: The last sentence in the original text was not included in the given text and is added here for context as it is a common phrase related to the "Twister" movie.)
"Really something new for film history books is not offered by 'Twisters'. The film is not a sequel to 'Twister', as it doesn't build on its content. Nor is it a remake, despite the fact that 'Twisters' then reuses many pieces of the predecessor from 1996 more or less one-to-one. The iconic scene with the cow flying through the air, however, is not part of that.
The significance of the story, which remains quite insignificant in the end, is probably not even the main issue. It comes from no less than Joseph Kosinski, who, among other things, directed "Top Gun: Maverick". Glen Powell may also be remembered by some as "Hangman" in the Tom Cruise film. His portrayal of Hillbilly Tyler in "Twisters", however, comes across as quite cliched.
In the end, it's mainly the effects and the power of the images that could be a reason for a cinema visit. Of course, 'Twisters' is technically advanced in comparison to 'Twister' from over 30 years ago. But it's not so advanced that it needed a remake for that reason. The success of the original from 1996, however, goes a long way back to the fact that the film was already quite sophisticated for its time in generating a real disaster feeling. 'Twisters' is not expected to be a box office tornado like its predecessor. Rather, it is more likely that the memory of the film will soon be blown away by the wind."
"Twisters" is now showing in German cinemas
Despite the mixed reception of the original "Twister" in 1996, action-packed movie enthusiasts might still be eager to experience the chaos of tornadoes on the big screen. The new film, titled "Twisters," promises a series of storms, offering a fresh take on the disaster film genre.
In the spirit of continuing the legacy of "Twister," Anthony Ramos and Daisy Edgar-Jones star in "Twisters," where they engage in a tornado chase, hoping to understand and potentially control these powerful storms. The film's reliance on advanced special effects and the allure of action-packed weather phenomena might attract cinema-goers curious about the sequel.
