Twisters review: 'warm-blooded' film explores dangerous weather
The film, focusing on 'tornado wranglers', stars Daisy Edgar-Jones and Glen Powell

Jan de Bont's "Twister" (1996) was a diverting "summer thrill ride", said Robbie Collin in The Telegraph. Now we have a stand-alone sequel, directed by Lee Isaac Chung (Minari), and a film that could have been a "faintly desperate revival of an ageing blockbuster brand" turns out to be vastly better than the original. I am happy to report that "Twisters" is a "wholehearted, warm-blooded, meticulously crafted good time".
Daisy Edgar-Jones stars as Kate Cooper, a meteorologist who is researching tornadoes in Oklahoma when one of them turns on her and her team, killing three of them. Five years on, her fellow survivor, Javi (Anthony Ramos), persuades her to come out of semi-retirement, and return to Oklahoma to monitor an especially virulent tornado season for the dodgy estate agency he is working for. But they're not the only storm chasers in town: Tyler (Glen Powell), a swaggering "tornado wrangler" with a million followers on YouTube, has also arrived to capitalise on the season. The film's formula is simple and winning: "everyday heroes you can't help but root for", enjoyable supporting turns (including from "Downton Abbey"'s Harry Hadden-Paton), and "light-touch direction" that "foregrounds" the human experience.
"Twisters" "does what it says on the tin, which is subject you to extremely bad weather over and over", said Deborah Ross in The Spectator. You may feel that "once you've seen one big storm, you've seen them all", but the film "never lets you off the hook, and is so furiously and incessantly loud that a doze is impossible. God knows I tried."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Well, "I liked the original a lot" and I enjoyed this follow-up too, said Matthew Bond in The Mail on Sunday. "Genuinely spectacular", and built around a "well-developed script", this is "classy" popcorn fare.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The state of Britain's Armed Forces
The Explainer Geopolitical unrest and the unreliability of the Trump administration have led to a frantic re-evaluation of the UK's military capabilities
By The Week UK
-
Anti-anxiety drug has a not-too-surprising effect on fish
Under the radar The fish act bolder and riskier
By Devika Rao, The Week US
-
Sudoku hard: April 21, 2025
The Week's daily hard sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff
-
Exploring the three great gardens of Japan
The Week Recommends Beautiful gardens are 'the stuff of Japanese landscape legends'
By The Week UK
-
One-pan black chickpeas with baharat and orange recipe
The Week Recommends This one-pan dish offers bold flavours, low effort and minimum clean up
By The Week UK
-
G20: Viola Davis stars in 'ludicrous' but fun action thriller
The Week Recommends The award-winning actress plays the 'swashbuckling American president' in this newly released Prime Video film
By The Week UK
-
6 must-see homes in Boston
Feature Featuring a factory-turned-loft in South Boston and a wraparound roof deck in South End
By The Week US
-
Cartier at the V&A: a 'dazzling' show
The Week Recommends A 'once-in-a-lifetime' display of the French jeweller's 'exquisite' objects
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK
-
What is Free Speech?: a 'meticulous' look at the evolution of freedom of expression
The Week Recommends Fara Dabhoiwala provides both history and critique while 'correcting misconceptions'
By The Week UK
-
Rupert Gavin shares his favourite books
The Week Recommends The theatre impresario picks works by Dan Jones, Annie Ernaux and Floella Benjamin
By The Week UK
-
What They Found: Sam Mendes's powerful debut documentary
The Week Recommends The Oscar-winning director's harrowing film features footage and first-hand accounts of the liberation of Bergen-Belsen concentration camp
By The Week UK