Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer: streaming

TWISTERS (PG-13; 122 minutes), the summer's unexpected box-office blockbuster, is now available for rent or purchase on digital platforms from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. Recipient of an A- CinemaScore and a Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the "hard-hitting disaster spectacle" (Impulse Gamer) has made history as the biggest opening for a disaster film ever. Exclusively available for purchase from select nationwide retailers, such as Apple TV, Fandango at Home (formerly known as Vudu), Comcast Xfinity, Cox, and Microsoft Movies & TV, is the all-American action-packed adventure with a never-before-seen gag reel and deleted scenes.

Directed by Lee Isaac Chung Munyurangabo and written by Mark L. Smith (The Revenant)—based on a story by Joseph Kosinski (Top Gun: Maverick)—TWISTERS is a standalone sequel to the classic 1996 disaster film TWISTER. Standalone means an in-name-only sequel with zero connections to the original. There are no returning characters and no name drops; only a similar plot with updated technology with a brand-new cast: Glen Powell (Anyone But You, Top Gun: Maverick), Daisy Edgar-Jones (Where The Crawdads Sing, Fresh), David Corenswet (Pearl, “The Politician”), Anthony Ramos (In The Heights, Hamilton), and Brandon Perea (Nope).

The protagonist of this quasi-reboot is Kate (Daisy Edgar-Jones), who gave up pursuing tornadoes across the Oklahoma prairies to safely study them on screens in New York City following a tragic tornado experience. Kate is drawn back to the field by her friend Javi (Anthony Ramos) and a once-in-a-lifetime scientific chance, where she meets Tyler (Glen Powell), a charming daredevil and self-proclaimed tornado wrangler whose appetite for tornado-tracking escapades has made him a social media sensation. As the storm season increases with horrific occurrences unlike anything before, Kate and Tyler realize they must work together to tame and survive an unprecedented outbreak of destructive tornadoes.

The original TWISTER is what I would describe as a "summer blockbuster," it has a special place in my heart because I was a loner midwest teen when it hit theaters in 1996. I was unimpressed when I saw the 30-second TV spot for TWISTERS during the Super Bowl LVIII and automatically labeled the film a "flop." To my surprise—and many others—TWISTERS received generally positive reviews from mainstream critics and grossed $81.3 million during its opening weekend. It's now surpassed the $300 million mark at the worldwide box office.

TWISTERS is surprisingly better than expected, though you can see the best thrills in the trailers. The actors do their best with their two-dimensional characters. The plot is as thin as possible, but I imagine disaster movie fans want to see less story and more destruction. And there's plenty of destruction, but the CGI effects were underwhelming, only saved by the outstanding sound effects.

Overall, TWISTERS is a mindless, entertaining popcorn blockbuster. Is it flawed? Yep! Enjoyable? Sure! ╌★★★★✰