Twisters 2024 Review
Was Twisters (2024) the storm-chasing sequel we’ve been waiting decades for, or did it get swept away by its own lofty ambitions? Fans of the original Twister (1996)—a groundbreaking hit for its time—had plenty of reasons to be both excited and skeptical about a long-awaited follow-up. The original wasn’t just a disaster movie; it was a cultural phenomenon that combined jaw-dropping effects, heartfelt character dynamics, and an unforgettable portrayal of humanity’s battle with nature’s fury.
Fast forward to 2024: Twisters arrives with cutting-edge CGI, a new cast of storm chasers, and some big shoes to fill. Director Lee Isaac Chung steps into the genre with a vision that blends visual spectacle and intimate storytelling. But does it deliver on all fronts? Can it recapture the thrilling magic and emotional depth of its predecessor?
I’m going to break down and review everything you need to know about Twisters—its plot, characters, visuals, worldbuilding, cinematography, directing, and overarching themes. And along the way I’ll also be putting it side-by-side Twister, the "original" and see if it stands tall as a modern classic or fizzles out under the weight of expectations.
Plot Breakdown: Bigger Storms, Higher Stakes
At the heart of Twisters lies the journey of Kate Carter (Daisy Edgar-Jones), a former storm chaser whose life was upended by a catastrophic EF5 tornado that claimed the lives of her boyfriend and two close friends. Haunted by trauma and guilt, Kate trades the adrenaline-fueled world of storm chasing for the safety of a desk job at NOAA in New York City.
Five years later, she’s convinced her storm-chasing days are behind her—until her old friend Javi (Anthony Ramos) arrives with an ambitious new project. Javi, now leading a cutting-edge storm-tracking initiative, needs Kate’s expertise to help deploy a revolutionary system capable of predicting tornadoes with unprecedented accuracy. Despite her reluctance, Kate is pulled back into the field, returning to Oklahoma to join Javi’s team.
Along for the ride is Tyler Owens (Glen Powell), a brash social media sensation whose flashy storm-chasing antics contrast sharply with Kate’s methodical approach. As the team tracks a series of increasingly destructive tornadoes, the stakes rise dramatically. The storms are bigger, faster, and deadlier than ever before, culminating in a monstrous EF5 tornado that threatens the small town of El Reno. But the film doesn’t just focus on nature’s fury—it dives into the ethical dilemmas and interpersonal conflicts within the team. Should storm chasing be driven by scientific discovery or social media fame? Can technology ever truly "tame" nature? These questions underscore the human drama that unfolds alongside the larger-than-life tornadoes.
While Twisters delivers adrenaline-pumping action, it also attempts to delve into deeper themes of trauma and redemption. Kate’s return to storm chasing becomes a metaphor for confronting her past, but the film struggles to fully flesh out her emotional arc.
Unlike Twister, which masterfully tied its central conflict to its protagonist’s personal stakes, Twisters sometimes sacrifices emotional resonance for spectacle.
Kate Carter: Defined by Trauma, but Missing Depth
Kate Carter is positioned as the emotional core of Twisters, a woman grappling with grief, guilt, and the weight of failure. Her backstory is compelling—once a passionate storm chaser working toward her Ph.D. at Muskogee State University, Kate’s life took a tragic turn when her experiment to “tame” a tornado backfired, resulting in the loss of her boyfriend and two close colleagues. The trauma drives her to abandon her career and seek refuge in the stability of a desk job at NOAA in New York City.
It’s a backstory rich with dramatic potential, yet the film struggles to fully capitalize on it. While Daisy Edgar-Jones delivers a solid performance, imbuing Kate with vulnerability and resilience, the script falters in giving her the emotional depth and urgency necessary to make her arc truly impactful.
Kate’s Trauma: A Missed Opportunity
Kate’s past is ripe with opportunities to explore themes of guilt, redemption, and resilience, but the execution often feels surface-level. The opening flashback of the tornado that killed her colleagues and boyfriend attempts to set the stage for her emotional journey but lacks the visceral intensity to truly resonate. We’re told about Kate’s trauma more than we’re shown its lingering effects. For example, her PTSD is briefly touched upon during a storm-chasing mission, but the film never delves deeper into how these experiences shape her decisions and relationships.
Compared to Helen Hunt’s Jo Harding in Twister, who was driven by a deeply personal connection to tornadoes and a clear sense of purpose, Kate’s motivations feel more abstract. Jo’s grief over her father’s death was intricately tied to her mission, giving her a tangible goal and emotional urgency. Kate, on the other hand, is burdened by a vague sense of failure that doesn’t feel as immediate or personal. Her reluctance to return to storm chasing is understandable, but the narrative fails to convincingly bridge the gap between her trauma and her eventual decision to face the storms again.
A Journey of Redemption, but at What Cost?
One of the most interesting aspects of Kate’s arc is her relationship with her past work. Her experiment to “tame” a tornado—a bold and ethically murky endeavor—is an ambitious idea that aligns with her scientific mind but also sets the stage for her internal conflict. The catastrophic failure of this experiment looms large over her character, but the film doesn’t explore the ethical dilemmas or emotional fallout in enough detail.
When Kate finally decides to reattempt the experiment in the climactic El Reno sequence, it’s a moment of redemption—but it’s also a bit rushed. The adjustments she makes to the experiment, alongside Tyler’s help, feel too convenient, undermining the gravity of her journey. Her decision to drive into the tornado to deploy the solution is undeniably heroic, but it doesn’t feel fully earned because the film doesn’t spend enough time unpacking the complexity of her guilt or her motivations.
Comparisons to Jo Harding: What’s Missing
Helen Hunt’s Jo Harding in Twister was a character whose personal and professional lives were inseparably intertwined. Her mission to understand tornadoes was fueled by a need to regain control over the chaos that had shaped her life. Jo’s passion, combined with her fearless determination, made her a compelling protagonist.
Kate, by contrast, feels more reactive than proactive. While her trauma gives her a strong foundation, the lack of exploration into her inner world leaves her feeling distant. The audience is told that Kate is haunted by her past, but we rarely see her wrestle with those emotions in a meaningful way. Her relationships—with Javi, Tyler, and even her late boyfriend Jeb—are touched on but not deeply explored, leaving her arc feeling incomplete.
Despite the shortcomings of the script, Daisy Edgar-Jones brings a quiet strength to Kate. Her performance captures the vulnerability of someone trying to outrun their past while grappling with the weight of their decisions. Edgar-Jones shines in moments of introspection, such as when Kate revisits her mother’s farm and confronts the remnants of her old life. These scenes hint at the depth the character could have achieved with more focused writing.
Kate’s a protagonist with enormous potential—a character who could have embodied the tension between ambition and fear, science and morality, resilience and vulnerability. While Twisters 2024 gives her a solid foundation, it falls short of delivering the nuanced, fully-realized character that could have anchored the film. In a story about the unpredictability of nature, Kate’s arc deserved to be just as turbulent, messy, and ultimately rewarding.
Javi: The Loyal Friend Torn Between Science and Ethics
Javi is a layered character in Twisters, embodying a mix of loyalty, scientific curiosity, and lingering grief. A survivor of the tragic storm that took the lives of his friends, Javi channels his pain into his work with Storm Par, a mobile radar company specializing in advanced storm-tracking systems. Javi’s character only appears to serve as a bridge between Kate’s past and present and it feels the film occasionally undercuts his potential by easing him to the sidelines in favor of flashier characters like Tyler Owens.
Javi’s Backstory: Science Meets Survival
Javi’s history as a storm chaser alongside Kate, Jeb, Praveen, and Addy forms the emotional foundation of his character. Unlike Kate, who was directly in the tornado’s path during their ill-fated experiment, Javi remained in a relatively safe position, collecting data. This physical distance from the disaster adds an interesting dimension to his survivor’s guilt—Javi’s pain isn’t just about loss; it’s about helplessness. While Kate’s trauma is tied to her proximity to the storm, Javi’s is rooted in the knowledge that he could do nothing to save his friends.
This distinction makes Javi a compelling foil to Kate. Where Kate retreats from storm chasing, Javi leans into it, perhaps as a way to honor the memory of their team. His decision to join Storm Par and focus on cutting-edge technology reflects a practical approach to dealing with his grief, but it also exposes him to moral conflicts that challenge his principles.
A Balancing Act: Javi’s Loyalty vs. Ethics
Javi’s role within Storm Par places him at the center of a critical ethical dilemma: the company’s primary investor, Marshall Riggs, is exploiting storm-damaged communities for profit. This conflict pits Javi’s scientific integrity against the financial demands of his employer, creating tension that mirrors the broader theme of “man vs. nature.”
Javi’s loyalty to Kate is evident throughout the film, from persuading her to return to Oklahoma to defending her to Scott, his business partner. However, this loyalty is tested when Kate confronts him about Riggs’ unethical actions. Their heated argument—where Javi reminds Kate that he too lost people in the EF5—reveals the depth of his own unresolved grief and his frustration with Kate’s perceived self-centeredness. It’s a raw moment that adds layers to their relationship but also highlights the film’s missed opportunity to further explore Javi’s internal conflict.
Javi’s Character Arc: Redemption Through Action
Javi’s arc revolves around his journey from passive participant to active decision-maker. At the start of the film, he’s a team player, balancing Scott’s demands with his commitment to science. By the climax, however, Javi chooses to prioritize people over profits, quitting Storm Par and risking his life to help the residents of El Reno. This decision not only cements his moral integrity but also reaffirms his loyalty to Kate and their shared mission.
The climactic sequence, where Javi helps rescue Tyler and later joins Kate in deploying the solution to dissipate the storm, serves as a redemption moment. By the film’s end, Javi has fully embraced his role as a protector, willing to put his life on the line to prevent further loss.
Comparing Javi to Supporting Characters in Twister
Javi shares some similarities with Bill Harding from Twister, particularly in their grounded, pragmatic approach to storm chasing. Both characters are dedicated to operating sophisticated tornado tracking equipment and ensuring their teams stay focused on the science, even in high-pressure situations. However, Javi’s relationship with Kate adds a layer of emotional depth—rooted in shared history and survivor’s guilt—that echoes the professional respect and camaraderie between Jo and her team in the original. Unlike Bill, Javi’s role isn’t tied to romance, but his steady presence and moral conviction serve as a quiet counterpoint.
However, Twisters doesn’t fully capitalize on Javi’s potential as a secondary lead. While he plays a crucial role in the plot, the film occasionally sidelines his character to focus on the rivalry between Kate and Scott or the dynamic between Kate and Tyler. This underutilization makes Javi feel less impactful than he could have been, despite Anthony Ramos’ sincere and grounded performance.
Anthony Ramos: Javi’s Elevation of the Material
Anthony Ramos brings an understated warmth to Javi, balancing the character’s scientific pragmatism with his emotional vulnerability. Ramos excels in quieter moments, such as his apology to Kate at her mother’s farm, where he conveys both regret and lingering affection. His ability to navigate the tension between loyalty and ethics gives Javi a subtle depth that the script doesn’t always provide.
Javi is a character brimming with untapped potential. His survivor’s guilt, scientific ambition, and moral struggles make him a fascinating counterpart to Kate, but the film doesn’t dig deep enough into his psyche. While his redemption arc and ultimate rejection of Storm Par’s exploitation add weight to the narrative, more focus on his internal conflict could have elevated him from a strong supporting character to a true co-lead.
Tyler Owens: Tornado Wrangler with Heart
Tyler Owens is a character brimming with charm, bravado, and surprising depth. Known as the “Tornado Wrangler,” Tyler is a YouTube-famous storm chaser whose flashy antics—like firing fireworks into tornadoes—make him both a celebrity and a controversial figure in the storm-chasing world. Beneath his larger-than-life persona, however, is a man shaped by resilience, a love for the unpredictable forces of nature, and an emerging sense of responsibility.
Tyler’s Backstory: Rodeo Cowboy Turned Meteorologist
Tyler’s past as a rodeo cowboy informs much of who he is—a thrill-seeker drawn to high-risk, high-reward situations. His transition from wrangling livestock to wrangling tornadoes is a thematic parallel that adds an intriguing layer to his character. Both careers require courage, precision, and a willingness to confront forces beyond human control, making his choice to enter the meteorology field feel like a natural progression rather than a contrived detail.
Unlike Kate and Javi, whose motivations are rooted in scientific discovery, Tyler initially approaches storm chasing as an adrenaline rush. His YouTube fame hinges on viral stunts, and his crew—the Tornado Wranglers—reflect his high-energy, thrill-seeking personality. Boone, Lily, Dexter, and Dani act as his support system, but they also serve as a window into his leadership style: spontaneous, chaotic, but ultimately loyal.
Tyler’s Arc: From Thrill-Seeker to Hero
When we first meet Tyler, he’s brash, confident, and seemingly more interested in creating content than understanding tornadoes. His crew’s antics—like shooting fireworks into a storm—highlight his prioritization of spectacle over science, a sharp contrast to Kate’s methodical, data-driven approach. This tension positions him as both a foil and a reluctant ally to Kate, setting the stage for his eventual transformation.
Tyler’s turning point begins during the rodeo sequence, a pivotal moment that humanizes him. Here, he reveals his past as a rodeo cowboy and his motivations for becoming a meteorologist, opening a window into the vulnerability behind his bravado. When the tornado unexpectedly strikes the rodeo, forcing Tyler and Kate to take shelter in an empty pool, the reality of the destruction he chases begins to hit home. This moment, where lives are lost despite their best efforts, strips away Tyler’s performative swagger and begins to awaken a deeper sense of accountability.
By the time the tornado threatens El Reno, Tyler has undergone a complete shift in priorities. No longer the carefree showman, he’s fully committed to helping others, even at great personal risk. From rescuing his teammate Lily to assisting Kate and Javi in their efforts to deploy the experimental solution, Tyler evolves into a selfless hero. His decision to face danger head-on during the El Reno sequence, despite being injured, reflects his newfound understanding of the responsibility that comes with storm chasing.
Tyler and Kate: A Dynamic Relationship
The dynamic between Tyler and Kate starts off as antagonistic, with Kate dismissing him as a reckless opportunist and Tyler viewing her as overly rigid. Their initial clash is emblematic of their contrasting approaches to storm chasing: Tyler thrives on spontaneity, while Kate relies on calculated precision. However, as the story unfolds, their shared experiences allow them to challenge each other’s perspectives and find common ground.
The rodeo scene stands out as a turning point in their relationship. Bonding over their shared Oklahoma roots, Tyler and Kate begin to see each other in a new light. Tyler’s vulnerability, as he discusses his journey from rodeo cowboy to meteorologist, contrasts with Kate’s guarded demeanor, creating a sense of mutual respect.
Their collaboration deepens when Tyler follows Kate to her home in Sapulpa, Oklahoma. By assisting her in revisiting and refining her experiment, Tyler not only proves his commitment to the mission but also helps Kate confront her lingering self-doubt. This partnership evolves into a quiet, understated connection, culminating in the film’s open-ended conclusion at the airport. While their romantic chemistry isn’t as charged as Jo and Bill’s in Twister, their relationship is grounded in mutual growth and understanding — even though there was a reason for that.
Tyler’s Team: The Tornado Wranglers
Tyler’s crew—Boone, Lily, Dexter, and Dani—mirror his personality, bringing energy and chaos to the story. While they don’t receive as much development as Tyler, their camaraderie and shared passion for storm chasing add a layer of fun to the film. Lily, in particular, stands out as a competent and resourceful drone operator, and her interactions with Tyler underscore his role as both a leader and a teammate.
The Tornado Wranglers serve as a counterpoint to Javi’s more structured team, highlighting the tension between professionalism and thrill-seeking in the storm-chasing world. However, the film could have delved deeper into their motivations and dynamics to make them more memorable.
What Works: Glen Powell’s Performance
Glen Powell brings charm and swagger to Tyler, striking the right balance between humor and sincerity. Powell excels in the film’s lighter moments, such as Tyler’s fireworks stunt, but he also shines in the emotional beats, particularly during the rodeo sequence and the El Reno rescue mission. His chemistry with Daisy Edgar-Jones is serviceable, though it never quite reaches the level of romantic tension needed to elevate their relationship.
Tyler’s larger-than-life personality evokes memories of Dusty (Philip Seymour Hoffman) from the original Twister, but with a modern twist. While Dusty provided comic relief, Tyler’s role is more central to the plot, serving as both a foil and a partner to Kate. However, unlike Twister’s supporting cast, Tyler’s team lacks the depth and individuality that made Jo’s crew so memorable.
Tyler Owens is a character who evolves from a thrill-seeking showman to a selfless hero, embodying the film’s themes of responsibility and redemption. While his relationship with Kate and his team could have been explored more deeply, Tyler’s arc adds energy and heart to Twisters 2024. Glen Powell’s performance elevates the character, making Tyler a standout presence in a film that often struggles to balance spectacle with substance.
Direction & Cinematography
One of the standout aspects of Twisters is its technical execution. Director Lee Isaac Chung, best known for the Oscar-nominated Minari, brings a fresh perspective to the disaster genre, emphasizing grounded human drama alongside breathtaking storm sequences. Partnering with cinematographer Dan Mindel (Star Trek, The Force Awakens), Chung crafts a film that marries modern CGI with practical effects, creating a visceral and immersive viewing experience.
Lee Isaac Chung: Balancing Intimacy and Spectacle
Chung’s direction is a fascinating choice for a disaster movie. His work on Minari demonstrated his ability to tell deeply personal stories rooted in human emotion, and he brings that sensibility to Twisters. Chung approaches the story with a focus on character-driven tension, grounding the larger-than-life tornadoes in relatable human stakes.
However, while his dedication to exploring trauma and redemption adds emotional depth, the pacing occasionally falters. The quieter moments that should flesh out the characters sometimes feel rushed, while the storm sequences dominate the screen time. This imbalance leaves some arcs underdeveloped, particularly for supporting characters like Javi and Tyler’s team.
Dan Mindel’s Cinematography: Gritty and Realistic
Shot on 35mm film, Twisters has a grainy, textured aesthetic that sets it apart from the hyper-polished visuals of many modern blockbusters. Mindel’s decision to use analog film pays off, lending the tornado sequences a raw, almost documentary-like quality. This approach grounds the CGI storms in reality, making them feel more tangible and immediate.
Mindel also uses wide, sweeping shots of the Oklahoma landscape to emphasize the scale of the storms. These vast expanses of flat plains, punctuated by towering tornadoes, create a sense of awe and foreboding. Meanwhile, the intimate close-ups during key emotional moments, such as Kate’s panic attack or Tyler’s entrapment under debris, keep the audience connected to the human stakes.
The Blend of CGI and Practical Effects
The storm sequences in Twisters are a masterclass in blending CGI with practical effects. Visual effects supervisor Ben Snow (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) designed six unique tornadoes, each with distinct characteristics that reflect their scale and intensity. From smaller EF1s to the towering, city-threatening EF5, each storm is visually stunning and terrifying in its own way.
Chung’s decision to incorporate practical effects alongside CGI adds a layer of realism. Jet engines capable of producing winds up to 180 mph were used to simulate tornado-force gusts, allowing the actors to physically react to the chaos around them. In addition, large-scale practical stunts—such as debris flying across the screen or cars being overturned—ground the digital effects, making the destruction feel real.
One particularly striking sequence involves a tornado hitting an oil refinery, resulting in a firestorm. The scene showcases the film’s ability to combine environmental storytelling with visual spectacle, as the fiery tornado becomes both a physical and symbolic manifestation of unchecked chaos.
The film’s practical effects team went to great lengths to simulate the tactile elements of storms. Heavy rainfall was created using 10,000-gallon dump tanks, while hailstorms were replicated with water-soluble polymer pellets. These details, combined with the sound design—howling winds, thunderous crashes, and eerie silences—immerse the audience in the storm-chasing experience.
Chung’s strength lies in his ability to build tension within storm sequences. Each tornado feels like an escalating threat, with the pacing ramping up as the storms grow more dangerous. The final act, which centers on the EF5 tornado threatening El Reno, is a high-stakes, edge-of-your-seat spectacle. However, the film occasionally struggles with pacing outside of the action. The quieter, character-driven moments sometimes feel undercooked, as though the film is eager to rush back to the next tornado. This creates an uneven rhythm that undermines the emotional resonance of certain scenes.
Lee Isaac Chung and Dan Mindel succeed in crafting a visually stunning disaster movie that captures the awe and terror of tornadoes. The blend of CGI and practical effects, paired with the gritty aesthetic of 35mm film, creates a visceral experience that stands out in the genre. While the focus on spectacle sometimes overshadows the emotional depth of the characters, the film’s technical achievements make it a must-watch for fans of disaster cinema.
Themes: Exploring the Heart of the Storm
While Twisters 2024 is a visual spectacle, its thematic depth lies in its exploration of human resilience, the conflict between science and ethics, and humanity’s relationship with nature. Building on the legacy of the original Twister, the film tackles modern concerns like corporate greed, social media influence, and the emotional toll of failure, creating a narrative that feels both timeless and relevant.
Man vs. Nature:
Humanity’s Struggle Against the Unpredictable
At its core, Twisters carries forward the traditional theme of “man vs. nature,” a hallmark of disaster films. The tornadoes in the film aren’t just destructive forces—they’re symbols of nature’s unpredictability and humanity’s hubris in attempting to control it.
Kate’s initial experiment to “tame” a tornado encapsulates this tension. Her ambition to use science to reduce the destructive power of tornadoes is admirable, but the catastrophic failure of her experiment underscores the dangers of underestimating nature’s power. This theme reaches its climax during the El Reno sequence, where Kate’s decision to drive into the tornado to deploy the revised solution represents both humanity’s courage and its vulnerability in the face of natural forces.
Trauma and Redemption:
Facing the Past to Move Forward
The emotional heart of Twisters lies in its exploration of trauma and redemption, particularly through Kate’s character. Her journey from a guilt-ridden NOAA scientist to a proactive storm chaser parallels her struggle to confront her past. The film uses the storms as external manifestations of her internal turmoil, with each tornado representing a step in her healing process.
Javi’s arc complements this theme, as he grapples with survivor’s guilt and the moral compromises of his work with Storm Par. His decision to quit the company and prioritize saving lives reflects his own redemption, mirroring Kate’s eventual return to the field.
Science vs. Ethics:
The Cost of Progress
The ethical dilemmas surrounding storm chasing and scientific experimentation form one of the film’s most compelling themes. Kate’s and Javi’s respective experiments highlight the potential benefits and dangers of technological advancements in storm tracking. While their intentions are noble, the film doesn’t shy away from showing the unintended consequences of their actions, from the deaths of Kate’s colleagues to the destruction caused by Riggs’ profiteering.
This theme is further explored through the rivalry between Storm Par and Tyler’s Tornado Wranglers. While Javi and his team represent a more data-driven approach, Tyler’s crew initially prioritizes social media clout over scientific rigor. As the story unfolds, both sides come to understand the ethical responsibilities that come with their work, emphasizing the importance of balancing ambition with accountability.
Corporate Greed:
A Modern Conflict
Marshall Riggs, the unseen investor behind Storm Par, serves as a representation of corporate greed and exploitation. By profiting from storm-damaged communities, Riggs embodies the darker side of disaster capitalism, adding a layer of modern relevance to the film’s narrative.
Kate’s confrontation with Javi over Riggs’ actions highlights the tension between financial interests and ethical responsibilities, forcing the characters—and the audience—to question the true cost of progress. This subplot provides a thought-provoking critique of how corporate agendas can undermine scientific integrity and humanitarian efforts.
Comparisons to Twister (1996): Expanding the Narrative
The ethical dilemmas and trauma arcs are compelling, but they occasionally feel overshadowed by the film’s action sequences. Twisters tackles a wide range of themes, from the timeless struggle of humanity against nature to the modern challenges of ethics and capitalism. While not all of these ideas are fully realized, they add depth and complexity to the film, elevating it beyond a simple disaster movie. By exploring the emotional and societal dimensions of storm chasing, Twisters invites viewers to reflect on the balance between ambition, responsibility, and resilience.
While the original Twister explored themes of grief and loss through Jo Harding’s mission to understand tornadoes, Twisters broadens its thematic scope to include ethical and societal questions. The focus on corporate greed and social media influence feels distinctly modern, reflecting contemporary concerns about technology and capitalism. However, where Twister excelled in tying its themes directly to its characters, Twisters sometimes struggles to fully integrate its ideas into the narrative.
Final Verdict: C+
For fans of the original, Twisters offers plenty of nostalgia and jaw-dropping storm sequences, but it doesn’t quite recapture the magic of 1996. Instead, it carves out its own space as a visually stunning, if slightly less emotionally engaging, successor to one of the genre’s most iconic films.
While Twisters successfully updates the disaster genre with cutting-edge visuals and timely themes, it falls short of capturing the emotional resonance and ensemble magic that made Twister a classic. The original’s strength lay in its ability to balance spectacle with heart, creating a story that felt both thrilling and deeply personal.
