When the original Twister came out in 1996, it was part of a
wave of films that took special effects to a whole new level. Thanks to
Jurassic Park three years earlier, the mid-90’s saw the likes of Independence
Day and Twister, upping the game for moviemakers, and taking audiences into a
world of adventure, suspense and action that looked and felt real.
It’s interesting why it took almost three decades to make a
follow up to Twister. Not that the original film needed a sequel, and the
heroes achieved their goal of having Dorothy the machine with the little
mechanical devices fly up into the tornado and give them the information they
needed. But as we learn in this follow up, that was just the first step in
understanding and avoiding the destructive path of nature’s most formidable and
unforgiving natural phenomenon.
Special effects have come even further since the original
and it shows here. As you would expect, the twister scenes are realistic,
thrilling and intense. But what mattered more to audiences was making sure the
story was good and the characters were likable. That’s what made the first film
so memorable. And I’m pleased to say they’ve achieved that here.
Twisters is not a remake of the original film. It’s not a
reboot of the franchise. It is essentially a stand-alone film, as there are no
characters from the original film present. However, there is a reference to one
thing from the original you will see early on, which was a nice touch.
The difference this time, is the reluctant character is the
woman, and the crazy tornado chaser is the man. Whereas in the original film
Helen Hunts Jo was the one driving head on into the destruction and Bill
Paxton’s character was the weatherman just happy to watch from the sidelines
initially, But here, the roles are flipped.
And the new element to their chase is to try and “shut down”
a tornado with a new technology, which is risk in every way, but could make a
real difference to the millions of people who live in the heart of tornado
alley and can have their homes, and lives, wiped away in an instant.
The new film is exciting, entertaining, and engaging. You
will like the characters, as they have depth and substance to them, and the
actors do a good job. Watching this new installment felt like I was back in the
90’s, experiencing the first film all over again. I believe this one will
garner repeat viewings and bring a whole new audience into the world of
disaster movies.
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