JuliaMaia is a writer and filmmaker originally from Brazil. She grew up watching every piece of television and film she encountered from all over the world, which inspired her to come to Los Angeles to study film. She always knew that in order to be happy and fulfilled she had to be surrounded by art. She is always in search of the next film, show or performance that will inspire her. Her background in filmmaking helps her appreciate the technical elements of a film, as well as relish the journey of each story being told. There is not a topic Maia enjoys talking about more than film and the film industry and how it impacts the world and vice versa. The Hollywood Insider is the perfect platform for Maia to participate in the discourse about anything film related with many that , much like herself, love to take part in real important conversations and deeply appreciate the art of telling stories.
Sep 1, 2024
Table of Contents
It is impossible to think of disaster films and not think of Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton as Dr. Jo Harding and Bill Harding in ‘Twister’. Jan de Bont’s film was the second-highest-grossing film of 1996 and had a very significant impact on popular culture, becoming a fan favorite and influencing storm chasers all over. There was never a continuation until now with Lee Isaac Chung’s stand alone sequel‘Twisters’ (2024), and now a new crew will be chasing a few storms together.
‘Twisters’ was directed by Minari’s Lee Isaac Chung. We follow Kate Cooper (Daisy Edgar-Jones), a former tornado hunter, who ends up being lured back to her passion by her friend Javi (Anthony Ramos). Javi convinces Kate by assuring her the testing of this new experimental weather-tracking system could help the people who would be directly affected by the aftermath of a tornado. Kate accepts her friend’s invitation and on this mission, she crosses paths with Tyler Owens (Glen Powell), a social media icon who shares his tornado-chasing adventures. As tornado triggering storm season intensifies, leading to inevitably terrifying events. The storm-chase competitors, Kate and Tyler, find themselves in the middle of a precarious situation, putting their lives at the mercy of mother nature and the storm they dedicate their lives to finding.
There are some nods to the original film but the only cameo from the original film comes in the form of “Dorothy,” the data collection device from the first film. Helen Hunt unfortunately did not make an appearance and Dr. Jo Harding, not was she mentioned. The late bill Paxton couldn’t have made an appearance but Bill Harding didn’t get a mention in the film and neither did any other character from the 1996 film have not even been mentioned in the sequel. That was a bit of a bummer, but makes sense for a stand alone sequel.
Man vs. Nature
The man vs. nature conflict from an economic standpoint continues to be the theme in the sequel, only now it would be impossible to make a tornado film post hurricane Katrina and the tornado outbreak without taking into account the socio-political impacts and the aftermath of the 2005 disaster. We have the big corporation trying to profit from victims and the ones most economically affected by a tragedy and the pathos is there. Our characters feel for the victims and they want to help and they want to stop the exploitation from continuing to happen. Our characters care, which makes us care even more. The one thing that needs to be brought up is that even though I really enjoyed the film and the experience of watching it in theaters, I can’t help but grieve the missed opportunity to make it a message piece and address the current climate change that has been greatly affecting all of us on Earth for a couple of years now. This is a huge blockbuster and a box office triumph about weather and natural disasters, which was a great opportunity to touch on a vital topic that affects us all as the film has been reaching so many people.
From the leads Daisy Edgar-Jones and Glen Powell, to the supporting cast Maura Tierney and Brandon Perea, performances are great across the board. The special effects are very immersive and real. The cinematography by Dan Mindel takes you to Oklahoma in the middle of the horrifying scenes. Oftentimes it feels like a proper action film, which makes sense since Mindel has a long list of action films he’s credited on films such as ‘Mission impossible III’ (2006), ‘Star Trek’ (2009), ‘John Carter’ (2012), ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2’ (2014), ‘Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens’ (2015) and ‘Pacific Rim: Uprising’ (2018).
In the end, Twisters is a film that asks its characters to make difficult choices, choices that the audience judges as being the right thing. It is a matter of right and wrong and they make it easy for us to fully empathize and support the victims and root against the greedy corporations. It’s a film that will have you exercise your empathy. It is also a film that is a guaranteed good time. It will take you on an adventure with great special effects and cinematography, compelling characters and a crazy adventure. Even though there was some missed opportunity for an important message, this film was still a great time and an incredible theater experience.
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JuliaMaia is a writer and filmmaker originally from Brazil. She grew up watching every piece of television and film she encountered from all over the world, which inspired her to come to Los Angeles to study film. She always knew that in order to be happy and fulfilled she had to be surrounded by art. She is always in search of the next film, show or performance that will inspire her. Her background in filmmaking helps her appreciate the technical elements of a film, as well as relish the journey of each story being told. There is not a topic Maia enjoys talking about more than film and the film industry and how it impacts the world and vice versa. The Hollywood Insider is the perfect platform for Maia to participate in the discourse about anything film related with many that , much like herself, love to take part in real important conversations and deeply appreciate the art of telling stories.
JuliaMaia is a writer and filmmaker originally from Brazil. She grew up watching every piece of television and film she encountered from all over the world, which inspired her to come to Los Angeles to study film. She always knew that in order to be happy and fulfilled she had to be surrounded by art. She is always in search of the next film, show or performance that will inspire her. Her background in filmmaking helps her appreciate the technical elements of a film, as well as relish the journey of each story being told. There is not a topic Maia enjoys talking about more than film and the film industry and how it impacts the world and vice versa. The Hollywood Insider is the perfect platform for Maia to participate in the discourse about anything film related with many that , much like herself, love to take part in real important conversations and deeply appreciate the art of telling stories.
JuliaMaia is a writer and filmmaker originally from Brazil. She grew up watching every piece of television and film she encountered from all over the world, which inspired her to come to Los Angeles to study film. She always knew that in order to be happy and fulfilled she had to be surrounded by art. She is always in search of the next film, show or performance that will inspire her. Her background in filmmaking helps her appreciate the technical elements of a film, as well as relish the journey of each story being told. There is not a topic Maia enjoys talking about more than film and the film industry and how it impacts the world and vice versa. The Hollywood Insider is the perfect platform for Maia to participate in the discourse about anything film related with many that , much like herself, love to take part in real important conversations and deeply appreciate the art of telling stories.
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