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 framed as the emotional center of Twisters 2024, a woman grappling with guilt, grief, and failure after a tragic experiment to "tame" a tornado cost the lives of her boyfriend and close friends. Leaving her storm-chasing past behind, Kate retreats into a safer career at NOAA—until she's drawn back to the plains.
It’s a compelling setup, but the film only skims the surface. Daisy Edgar-Jones brings quiet vulnerability and strength to the role, but the script doesn’t fully explore Kate’s trauma or inner conflict, leaving her arc feeling less urgent than it should have been.
While the opening flashback sets up her guilt, it lacks the intensity to make her struggle truly visceral. Her PTSD is touched on during a chase, but never meaningfully explored. Compared to Jo Harding in Twister, whose grief fueled her mission with tangible passion, Kate’s motivations feel more abstract, tied to a vague sense of failure rather than a clear personal drive.
Kate’s arc flirts with fascinating ideas—especially her ethically questionable attempt to control tornadoes—but her climactic redemption at El Reno feels rushed. Her decision to deploy the solution is heroic, but because the emotional groundwork isn’t fully laid, it doesn’t hit as hard as it could.
Despite the writing’s limitations, Edgar-Jones manages to shine in the quieter moments—especially when Kate returns to her mother’s farm and faces the life she left behind. These glimpses suggest the deeper, messier character the film doesn’t quite deliver.
Ultimately, Kate had the potential to embody the chaos and resilience the story needed. Instead, she feels more reactive than proactive, her emotional arc muted when it could have been as powerful as the storms she chases.
Javi: The Loyal Friend Torn Between Science and Ethics
Javi is one of Twisters 2024’s more layered characters, shaped by loyalty, scientific drive, and lingering grief. A survivor of the tornado that killed his friends, he throws himself into his work with Storm Par, specializing in storm-tracking technology. Yet despite his potential, the film often sidelines him in favor of flashier figures like Tyler Owens.
Javi’s survivor’s guilt stems not from direct confrontation with the storm like Kate’s, but from his helplessness to save others. Where Kate withdraws from chasing, Javi leans into it, trying to honor their team’s memory through advancing storm science. This puts him at odds with Storm Par’s corporate backers, especially when he realizes their true motives lie in disaster profiteering.
His loyalty to Kate is clear, but it’s tested when ethical lines are crossed. Their heated confrontation — where Javi reminds Kate he also lost people in the EF5 — reveals his bottled-up grief and frustrations, offering one of the film’s stronger emotional beats.
Javi’s arc quietly evolves from being a passive player to someone who actively chooses morality over ambition. By quitting Storm Par and helping save El Reno’s residents, Javi reclaims his integrity and reaffirms his bond with Kate.
Much like Bill Harding from Twister (1996), Javi is the pragmatic, grounded scientist holding the team together. His steady presence contrasts the chaos of characters like Tyler, but unlike Bill, Javi’s story isn’t driven by romance — it’s about loyalty, guilt, and personal redemption. Unfortunately, the film underuses him at times, keeping his potential as a true secondary lead just out of reach.
Anthony Ramos delivers a heartfelt performance that elevates Javi beyond the limited material he’s given. His emotional subtlety — particularly in the quieter scenes with Kate — adds a warmth that the script itself doesn’t always fully earn.
Ultimately, Javi is a character full of untapped depth. With stronger focus, he could’ve been one of Twisters 2024’s standout emotional anchors rather than simply a strong supporting piece.
Tyler Owens: Tornado Wrangler with Heart
Tyler Owens, known as the “Tornado Wrangler,” is a flashy YouTube-famous storm chaser whose larger-than-life stunts—like firing fireworks into tornadoes—put him on the map. Beneath all the showmanship, though, is a man shaped by resilience, a deep love for nature’s chaos, and a growing sense of responsibility.
A former rodeo cowboy turned meteorologist, Tyler’s background explains a lot about him. He’s used to dangerous, high-stakes situations and treats storm chasing with the same mix of daring and skill. Early on, Tyler comes off more interested in spectacle than science, which puts him at odds with Kate’s cautious, data-driven methods. His crew—the Tornado Wranglers—mirror his wild energy, though they don't get the same depth as characters like Jo’s team in the original Twister.
It’s during the rodeo sequence where we first see the cracks in Tyler’s bravado. Forced to take shelter during a deadly tornado, Tyler confronts the real cost of the chaos he usually chases from a safe distance. By the time the final El Reno storm hits, he’s no longer chasing tornadoes for fame—he’s risking everything to help save lives. His evolution from showman to hero feels natural, and it’s one of the more satisfying arcs in the film.
Tyler’s relationship with Kate grows from tense rivalry to understated partnership. Bonding over their Oklahoma roots and shared experiences, Tyler proves he’s more than just flash when he helps Kate refine her experimental solution to weaken tornadoes. Their chemistry is more subtle than Jo and Bill’s fiery dynamic in Twister, but it fits the quieter, more grounded tone of their characters.
Glen Powell’s performance is a highlight, balancing humor and heart without ever letting Tyler feel one-note. While Tyler’s team could have used a little more development, Tyler himself stands out as one of Twisters 2024’s most compelling characters, injecting energy, growth, and a bit of old-school swagger into the story.
Direction & Cinematography
One of Twisters 2024’s biggest strengths is its technical execution. Director Lee Isaac Chung, best known for Minari, brings a grounded, human-centered approach to the disaster genre, while cinematographer Dan Mindel (Star Trek, The Force Awakens) crafts a gritty, visceral aesthetic that makes the tornado sequences feel raw and immediate.
Chung’s focus on character-driven tension helps ground the larger-than-life storms, but the film doesn’t always balance spectacle and intimacy perfectly. The emotional beats—especially for supporting characters like Javi and Tyler’s team—sometimes feel rushed, as the film clearly prioritizes tornado action over quieter development.
Shot on 35mm film, Twisters has a textured, almost documentary-like look that separates it from modern, overly polished disaster films. Mindel’s sweeping shots of the Oklahoma landscape, combined with intimate close-ups during moments of danger, keep the human stakes front and center amid the chaos.
The storm sequences themselves are a masterclass in blending CGI with practical effects. Using everything from real jet engines simulating 180-mph winds to water tanks for rainfall, Chung and his team ground the spectacle in realism. One standout moment—a tornado slamming into an oil refinery, creating a fiery twister—perfectly captures the film’s ability to marry environmental storytelling with visual awe.
While the film’s pacing stumbles at times—rushing character moments in favor of getting back to the next big storm—Chung and Mindel ultimately succeed in creating a thrilling, immersive experience. Twisters captures both the awe and terror of tornadoes in a way that feels both modern and timeless, even if the emotional resonance sometimes gets lost in the winds.
Themes: Exploring the Heart of the Storm
Twisters 2024 might be packed with visual spectacle, but underneath the chaos, it explores surprisingly thoughtful themes—human resilience, the collision between science and ethics, and humanity’s ongoing battle with the forces of nature. Like the original Twister, it balances timeless ideas with sharp modern commentary on corporate greed and social media culture.
Man vs. Nature: Humanity’s Limits
At its core, Twisters sticks to the disaster movie tradition of "man vs. nature." The tornadoes aren't just threats—they symbolize the arrogance of trying to control nature’s fury. Kate’s failed experiment to weaken a tornado brings this theme to life, and her final, courageous decision to confront the El Reno storm captures both human bravery and vulnerability.
Trauma and Redemption: Healing in the Eye of the Storm
The emotional spine of the film lies in Kate’s struggle with guilt and redemption. Her arc—from a NOAA scientist running from her past to a storm chaser reclaiming her purpose—mirrors the storm cycles she faces. Javi’s journey, battling survivor’s guilt and reclaiming his integrity, adds a parallel path of healing and second chances.
Science vs. Ethics: Ambition with Consequences
Twisters also digs into the moral gray areas of scientific ambition. Kate and Javi’s experiments are well-intentioned but fraught with unintended fallout—a reminder that even noble pursuits can have devastating consequences. The contrast between Storm Par’s corporate-driven research and Tyler’s initially fame-focused chasing sharpens the tension between scientific rigor and exploitation.
Corporate Greed: The Darker Side of Disaster
Marshall Riggs, the film’s behind-the-scenes villain, embodies disaster capitalism at its worst. His exploitation of storm-ruined communities brings a modern, cynical edge to the story. Kate’s confrontation with Javi about Riggs’ true motives forces the characters—and the audience—to grapple with the ethical costs of chasing progress at any price.
Comparisons to Twister (1996): Expanding the Narrative?
While Twisters 2024 brings compelling ethical dilemmas and emotional arcs to the table, they occasionally get overshadowed by the film’s emphasis on action. Still, the movie broadens the disaster genre's scope, exploring humanity’s ongoing struggle with nature, the costs of ambition, and the impact of corporate greed and technology on storm chasing.
Where the original Twister rooted its emotional core tightly in Jo Harding’s personal grief, Twisters aims wider—tackling modern anxieties about capitalism and social media. Yet, the newer film doesn’t always weave these themes as seamlessly into its character arcs. Though Twisters adds layers of complexity, it sometimes struggles to fully ground its bigger ideas in the personal stakes that made Twister (1996) so memorable.
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.
