A first-look trailer for Twisters aired during a Super Bowl LVIII commercial break on February 11. The hotly anticipated disaster movie is a standalone sequel to 1996’s Twister and looks set to be every bit as exciting as its predecessor.
The original film follows a team of storm chasers in Oklahoma as they try to deploy a new device that will help them learn more about tornadoes – and the sequel looks like it follows a similar plot.
However, as good as the first movie was, it had flaws. If its sequel wants to improve on it, it needs to follow five critical instructions. Here’s how Twisters can be better than Twister.
Flesh Out Its Characters More
Twister had some fantastic actors in its cast – the late Bill Paxton, Helen Hunt, the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Cary Elwes, for example – and they all did a great job with their performances. However, their characters weren’t fleshed out well at all. Twisters needs to tell audiences more about the characters and develop them better so they care about them more. The more viewers learn about characters, the more they’re concerned about their well-being and the more invested they are in the movie.
A Less Generic Plot
As thrilling as Twister sometimes is, the excitement is often offset by its painfully generic plot. It’s essentially just a group of people driving towards storms, with the obvious associated risks that entails. Granted, there’s the side story about past trauma and a love triangle to spice things up a little, but it’s too predictable and straightforward for such a high-concept film. Twisters should have some twists, for want of a better term, and some intriguing deviations from what will otherwise be another predictable movie about storm chasers.
More Peril
To say it’s a disaster movie, Twister has an almost bizarre level of an upbeat feel. The storm chasers’ excitement when approaching the most destructive tornadoes means there’s never a genuine sense of danger – especially not to the main characters, who you always feel will come away from the movie unscathed. That needs to change in Twisters. Audiences require a real sense of peril to be placed on the edge of their seats, which adds a lot to any disaster film. Hopefully, the sequel delivers in that regard.
A Connection to the Original
In a conversation with Collider, Twisters’ screenplay writer, Mark L. Smith, said there were no story connections to the original movie. Moreover, its lead male star, Glen Powell, spoke to Vogue and said it’s an entirely original story. But should we believe them? Twister couldn’t benefit from a predecessor, but Twisters can latch onto the 1996 movie and add some entertainment value with even the most minor link. A character related to one of Twister’s characters would do the job. Never underestimate the power of nostalgia – especially when it comes to movies.
Great Acting Performances
As already mentioned, the cast of Twister was great. In particular, Bill Paxton, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Helen Hunt were superb – as they are in everything. With that in mind, the cast of Twisters will have to deliver excellent performances to improve on those of the original movie’s cast. Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos, Maura Tierney, Brandon Perea, Daryl McCorm, the new Superman himself, David Corenswet, and the rest of the new cast will need to be in top form to match those who came before them in the Twister franchise. If they succeed in that regard, there’s every chance Twisters will be a huge critical and commercial success that leaves its predecessor in the dust.
