Twistersis the throwback hit of the summer, a classic disaster movie premise delivered by hot, rising stars and crafted with a refreshing amount of heart. Directed byLee Isaac Chung, the film starsDaisy Edgar-JonesandGlen Powellas Kate Carter and Tyler Owens, two storm chasers who find themselves in repeated, heart-stopping attempts to track and even stop tornadoes in Oklahoma. WhileTwistershas no shortage of exciting spectacles on the big screen,the movie also aims to explore human stories and realistically depict the impact of stormson communities like the Oklahoma towns depicted throughout the narrative.Twistersis fun, but it is also thoughtful andeven borrows elements from real-life tornadoesin crafting a harrowing portrayal of devastating real-world events. By threading the needle between a heartfelt, human story, and a big, blockbuster event film,Twistersstands out as a sincere and refreshing summer movie. A lot of care was put into making the storm-chasing action as exciting as possible, but just as much was poured into building characters who strive for scientific achievement in an effort to help small-town communities.This connection to real-world events is most evident in the movie’s climax set in a local movie theater.
A Mayfield, Kentucky Tornado Influenced Imagery Lee Isaac Chung Included in ‘Twisters’
In December 2021, an EF-4 tornado touched down in Mayfield, Kentucky, causing insurmountable damage.The storm claimed the lives of an estimated 80 Kentucky residentsand damaged thousands of structures, making it one of the deadliest tornadoes in recent American history. This event speaks to the sheer magnitude and incomprehensible nature of devastating weather events like a tornado, andfor one Mayfield resident, inspired a sobering photograph.Shawn Triplett, a U.S. Marine and Mayfield native, came across the damaged American Legion Theater, where the screen of one of the auditoriums had been ripped clean through the back wall, creating a viewing window to the damage outside the theater. In addition to capturing the photograph, Triplett helped organize community fundraisers andled an effort to purchase Christmas giftsfor children who were impacted by the storm.
‘Twisters’ Is Returning to 4DX — And Bringing Its Predecessor With It
Ride the storm.
Triplett’s image is a powerful one, and Chung was moved by it when approachingTwisters.The director spoke to IndieWirewhile promoting the film, saying: “When you see that photo, you can’t help but really be sober about what tornadoes can do – We’re making a movie about tornadoes, and it’s got to be a wild and funny, kind of a silly, campy adventure, but also we’re talking about something very serious that’s happening in the real world.” On top of the obvious, emotional quality of the photo,Chung was moved by the composition of the photographwhich spoke to the idea of a smaller screen ripped away to reveal a much larger picture outside.
Twisters’third act features a massive tornado that heads toward a small town in Oklahoma. With little shelter in sight, Cate and Tyler usher residents into a movie theater asFrankensteinis screened.The storm tears through the exterior wall and rips the screen to pieces in a harrowing moment that leaves an opening on the theater’s wall like the one depicted in Triplett’s photo. Borrowing from this real-life tragedy, Chung wanted to ensure thatTwisterstreated storm damage with the appropriate reverence, while also capturing the sheer spectacle that comes with natural disasters of this magnitude.
‘Twisters’ Offers Blockbuster Spectacle While Handling Storm Damage With Sensitivity
Whether you’re looking atdisaster films, war films, or any movie based on a real-life story, there is always a risk of making something that feels exploitative to certain groups of people. Using real tragedy for entertainment or art’s sake is a tricky topic, one that is tackled with a lot of self-awareness and direct reflection in a film likeMartin Scorsese’sKillers of the Flower Moon.Twisters, being positioned as more of a standard summer blockbuster, was never going to be broadly held to high moral standards about how it depicts storm damage. But what makes the film special is thatTwistersdoes take that extra step toward making the destruction carry more weight than a pure, spectacle-driven film necessarily needs.
The empathy extended by Tyler’s crew toward people who have lost their homes in the storms is what makes Kate, and the audience, realize the true intentions of the rag-tag group of storm chasers. In comparison, Kate’s business affiliates have been withholding vital information from her that connects their work to a clear profit motive, based on exploiting the survivors' grief and loss of property for their own benefit. Kate falls in love with storm chasing again because she is reinvigorated in her goal to actually help the people who have been displaced by tornadoes.
With a narrative arc built around a conflict between profits and people,Twistersis a blockbuster with a lot of heart. Small-town, rural areas are often depicted in broad strokes, with stereotypical aesthetics that can lean into classism (seeHillbilly Elegy), butTwistershas a lot of reverence for the placement of its story. The film’s rural Oklahoma setting does not share the exact same culture or environment as the bulk of the more central, mid-western states that Tornado Alley runs through, or Mayfield, Kentucky, where a devastating storm hit a few years ago, but the setting grants viewers a rare disaster film that isn’t coastal, or set in a densely populated city.The change of scenery also comes with a refreshing amount of respect for everyday, small-town people like Shawn Triplett, who help others when disasters hit close to home.
Twistersis currently showing in theaters in the U.S.
Get Tickets
