Twisters is on release now at Cineworld and promises a (literally) barnstorming big-screen experience. Want to find out why? Scroll down to find out why it's a must-see summer blockbuster.
1. Modern-day CGI puts you in the heart of the storm
Twisters comes at you in a host of special formats: IMAX, 4DX, ScreenX and Superscreen. This is what you want from a film crammed with this many effects.
Back in 1996, Twister unveiled what was, for the time, revolutionary CGI from industry veterans Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) to bring its wild weather to life. Bear in mind that computer-generated imagery was still relatively new at the time – this was only three years after Jurassic Park (1993) and five years after Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), the latter with its revolutionary liquid metal effects.
If the effects in Twister still stand up pretty well (and they do), Twisters is even more impressive. CGI has made huge strides in the last 25-odd years and so the twisters can be imbued with more physical heft, not to mention their colour grading melds more organically with the live-action photography of the landscape. Plus, there have been significant in-roads in terms of how cameras can dynamically move in and around CG set-ups, recent examples being Jon Favreau's takes on both The Jungle Book (2016) and The Lion King (2019).
In Twisters, we're not merely observing these threats from a distance. We're actively inside them on more than one occasion (this is a key plot point with one of the film's characters), so if you imagine the 'god's finger' finale of the first film amplified and repeated several times over, you've got an idea of how spectacular Twisters is. Just imagine how big those storms will look in IMAX's expanded aspect ratio or the enlarged screens you get with Superscreen.
Don't just observe the effects, however. Feel the impact of ILM's awe-inspiring creations by experiencing the film in motion-sensory 4DX (unique to Cineworld cinemas). It uses moving seats, plus wind, rain and scents to give greater tangibility to the film.
ScreenX, meanwhile, surrounds you with tornado action on all sides. Innovative 270° projection uses up to twelve additional projectors to extend the film out onto the side walls of the cinema.
2. Upgrades to surround sound invest the twisters with a personality
Sound is crucial in a film about tornadoes, from the crash of lighting to the incessant howl of wind that one gets within the core of the storm. The original Twister demonstrated this perfectly and came toward the forefront of the digital surround sound revolution: just three years previously, Jurassic Park's bespoke DTS sound system transformed the movie industry as it amplified the nuances of the various dinosaur roars.
It's little surprise to learn that Jurassic Park director Steven Spielberg was involved in Twister as an executive producer (the film, and this year's sequel, has been released through his Amblin production label). The late Jurassic Park author Michael Crichton also took a story credit on the first film.
Spielberg has always favoured an intricate sound design and that principle is carried into Twisters. Developments in sound design now add greater clarity and sharpness to the whirling debris and the wrench of metal that occurs when each twister touches down.
This is especially true of the IMAX format where a perfectly tuned integrated sound and speaker system produces heart-pounding audio, all of which merges with the expansive visual canvas. Cineworld-exclusive Superscreen, meanwhile, utilises multidimensional sound powered by epic Dolby Atmos speakers to invest the twisters with a more malevolent and majestic life than before.
3. Glen Powell's A-list charisma is off the chain
As if Top Gun: Maverick, Anyone But You and Hit Man didn't make it clear enough, Glen Powell is a dyed-in-the-wool movie star. From the moment he arrives in Twisters, his character Tyler Owens remains just the right side of cocksure, flashing a megawatt grin under his cowboy hat as he racks up YouTube views by recklessly plunging into the heart of the nearest tornado.
Powell even gets an awesomely gratuitous and thirsty wet t-shirt moment to keep the fans ticking over. But it's not just about his physical presence. Throughout the film, Tyler is revealed to be more than just a social media shock jock. Instead, he's a sensitive soul with an acute scientific understanding of natural phenomena. One can sense how Powell is enjoying playing the character to the hilt. There's no denying he's having his place in the sun (pun intended).
4. Daisy Edgar-Jones continues her rise to stardom
Daisy Edgar-Jones first came to prominence opposite Paul Mescal in the excellent BBC series Normal People. Her affinity with character nuance was evident from the start, something she's since channelled into hit films like Where the Crawdads Sing (2022).
Twisters marks Edgar-Jones' graduation into popcorn blockbuster cinema and she passes with flying colours. (Again, pun intended.) Her character Kate is the likeable lynchpin of the entire movie, keeping the audience planted on the ground even while Oklahoma machinery and farms go skyward. Kate is haunted by a tragic event in her past (not to be spoiled here) and her quest for redemption is what powers the film, as she seeks a way to dissolve the tornadoes that are becoming increasingly erratic in the face of climate change.
Edgar-Jones' sparky will they/won't they chemistry with Glen Powell is another winning facet, adding the merest hint of romance amid the action. It very much adds to the film's 1990s feel: much like the original Twister, everything is outsized and earnest in the best possible way.
5. Benjamin Wallfisch's score adds genuine propulsion
Benjamin Wallfisch is fast becoming a hot property on the blockbuster scoring scene. He emerged out of the Hans Zimmer stable to deliver scores both eerie (2017's IT) and heroically rousing (2019's Shazam!) The Twisters score owes more to the major key, the melodious end of Wallfisch's personality, honouring the tone of Mark Mancina's score for the original Twister in its propulsive orchestral/synth set-ups, plus the odd bluegrass infusion for an authentic slice of Oklahoma spirit.
However, much of the score aims to capture the beautiful awe of the twisters themselves. The central piece 'Kate's Theme' is a graceful and flowing piano elegy that imbues Daisy Edgar-Jones' character with redemptive spirit and humanity. Much like the rest of the score, it invites us to be humbled in the face of extraordinary weather phenomena that we're still at a loss to fully explain.
Twisters is on release now at Cineworld cinemas. Click the link below to book your tickets.
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