In the middle of a meadow, the winds start to strengthen, dark clouds begin to twist above and a fully-formed, 2,000 foot-tall tornado spiraling at 30 miles per hour starts to pick up. What would you do? A logical solution would be to take shelter in the only structure in sight: an overpass.

Twisters, an action/thriller movie directed by Lee Isaac Chung, debuted over the summer, starring Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones and Anthony Ramos. With a budget of $155 million, several hot stars in Hollywood were featured. Country singer, Luke Combs, wrote his song, “Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma”, specially for the movie. In just over two hours, the actors portray the story of meteorologist and tornado chaser, Kate Carter (Edgar-Jones), who has a lifelong passion for following extreme weather events. After a traumatic tornado experience, Carter stops chasing tornadoes for a few years. However, Javi (Ramos), an old friend, convinces her to face the fields, and her fears, again. He asks Carter to help him test a life-changing tornado technology. As she cautiously re-enters her love for tornado chasing, she meets Tyler Owens (Powell), a charismatic tornado “wrangler,” who posts all of his storm adventures on social media. As more tornadoes appear in the area, and harm is done to civilians, Carter and Owens clash on their approaches for tornado-handling, as they both fight for their passion for tornados, and each other, in the heart of Oklahoma.

Edgar-Jones portrays the shattered emotion of Kate Carter after the trials she has faced — trials that make her fear her own passions. Powell’s performance as Owens, one that required subtle sentiment yet intense bravado, matched that of Edgar-Jones perfectly, as Owens sees the fire inside Carter, and urges her passion to outweigh her fear.

The 2024 Twisters is a remake of the 1996 movie starring Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton and Philip Seymour Hoffman. There were a few homages to the original throughout the remake, including a cameo of Bill Paxton’s son, James Paxton, who played a complaining motel guest alongside Powell and Edgar-Jones.

The film reached the grasp of Tik Tok, Instagram and other social media platforms quickly, especially with Powell’s growing fanbase. Several video edits were made of Powell along with constant commentary.

Along with the film’s online attention, Gavin Steenblock (10) shares his thoughts on the film. “Personally, I thought Glen Powell’s performance was a bit lackluster, it lacked some of the drama that would come with experiencing a tornado,” Steenblock said. “If he had added that, I would’ve felt the true impact of the tornado more deeply.”

Otherwise, Twisters had a positive reaction from the public. IMDb rated the movie a 6.7 out of 10 and it scored a 75 % by Rotten Tomatoes, a solid 11 % higher than the rating for the original. The movie has also been nominated for a Golden Trailer Award.

Along with the critics, Adriana Adatiya (10) felt positively about the film. 

“I heard about the film on social media and wanted to see it because I love Glen Powell,” Adatiya said. “I love all action movies, and this was by far one of my top favorites.” 

She especially appreciated the film’s connection to reality.

“I think tornados are often thought of as fictional situations in movies and books, but it really does happen in real life and causes harm to people and their property,” Adatiya said.

Contrary to Steenblock, Adatiya thought the actors and their performances matched their given roles perfectly.

In the last couple weeks of play time in the theatre, make sure to catch the show, or in the words of Owens, “If you feel it, chase it.”