Get swept up in Twisters (2024)

 By Sarah Jester

Twisters (2024)

3.5 stars

Most of the nation would agree that Twisters was a delight. Boasting Tom Cruise-anointed Hollywood darling Glen Powell and a fresh Daisy Edgar-Jones as its leads, the sequel to the 1996 classic took tornado-busting tech a step further.

Glen Powell and Brandon Perea’s comedic chemistry was undeniable, and almost successful in distracting me from Anthony Ramos’ flatness. He’s brought charm and likeability to other recent supporting roles, namely A Star is Born (2018), so I found his portrayal disappointing. Luckily, I noted a great sophomore performance from Katy O’Brian following 2024’s queer hit Love Lies Bleeding, who plays marvelously alongside A24 darling and American Honey lead Sasha Lane. Both deliver compelling and memorable performances as idiosyncratic hobbyist storm chasers.

Some of the Twisters cast. Source

I can certainly understand Lee Isaac Chung’s desire to position Twisters for a sequel (2wisters, TwIIsters, 2 Hot 2 Twister?). But failing to deliver on the romantic buildup between Powell and Edgar-Jones was both a mistake and a letdown. Folks online raged as the now-infamous photos of a cut kiss in the airport circulated, accompanied by rumors that Spielberg told Chung to cut it to avoid a cliched ending. Has the man never seen his own films? I’m attending Twisters for the cliches.

However, I can see the benefits in concluding the movie with Edgar-Jones remaining independent---and the significance of that choice in comparison with the finale of the 1996 smash. I’ve had the good fortune to work for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) during Twisters fever. During that time, I've had the chance to chat with our “storm chasers” about both the original movie and the sequel.

Dr. Elizabeth Smith, Research Meteorologist at NOAA’s National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL), initially discussed the impact of Twister with our Heritage Team:

“As a relatively young woman in severe weather field research, it was not rare for someone to make a usually well-intentioned comparison between me and Jo [the 1996 Twister heroine]. It felt reductive at best to be viewed as the one example of a woman represented in pop-culture in our field; plus, her plot line was based mostly around pining for romance. Now it's 2024, I am at NSSL -- no romance plot required! -- climbing trucks, deploying instruments, and always looking to make room for more Jo’s.”

When I spoke with Dr. Smith for the Planet NOAA Podcast, she shared the following: 

“In the new "Twisters" movie, we see a lot more women in general. We see women students, hobbyist chasers that are women. We have a main character in "Twisters" as well that is a woman. And somewhat similar to the character of Jo, this woman has a very strong presence in the field and her presence is valued. So it's nice to still see that being carried with the main character, but it's also nice to see so many supporting roles showing that there are women doing this work.”

This compelling cast of female characters is proudly led by Edgar-Jones, who plays a NOAA National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologist stationed at one of NWS’ 122 Weather Forecast Offices (WFOs). And trust me, these WFO sets are meticulously designed. This year, I got my first major peek at Hollywood consulting and set design through the eyes of the incredible meteorologists and storm researchers that I’m fortunate to work alongside every day. And thanks to their work, Edgar-Jones and Ramos proudly sport the NOAA “meatball” lanyards that I wear to the office each day. That’s not to mention the actual equipment used by actors on set. NSSL Research Meteorologist Sean Waugh put in some serious blood, sweat, tears, and personal time to recreate actual NSSL equipment and visuals for use by the Twisters storm chasers.

On the Planet NOAA Podcast, Waugh shared: 

“I actually consulted pretty heavily with the movie; I advised them on types of equipment to use, and, “Put this many antennas on this car. Here's what a radar image should look like.” All of the radar images that you see…in the movie; those are real radar data cases from real events. Several of the props that you see, like the equipment racks that are on top of the vehicles…those are actual racks that I built in my garage at home that completely mimic the work that we do here at the National Severe Storms Laboratory. So in a lot of ways we were able to actually take real equipment that we use, things like the phased array panels and equipment and technology like that, and put it into that movie world.”

Waugh was careful to note that some elements of the film are a bit exaggerated. And NOAA meteorologists will be the first to remind you that YOU SHOULD NOT TRY ANY OF THIS AT HOME.

In the face of increasing misinformation about storms---and more dangerous storm impacts due to climate change---Chung & cast could not have selected a better time to enter the Twister universe, nor to highlight the critical work that science agencies like NOAA pursue. A whole cohort of meteorologists, storm researchers and scientists have cited Twister as an early inspiration for studying the weather and keeping folks safe from storms. With its offbeat humor, dazzling tools & tech, and major star power, it’s my hope that Twisters will do the same for the next generation of meteorologists.