I made the correct decision and saw this in 4DX. This is the best way to watch Twisters. 4DX is a format that utilizes in-theater effects including smoke, mist, wind, rain, strobes, puffs of air, and seats that move/shake and vibrate (think of the seats as motion simulator seats. Yes, the movement can get intense or rough, so hang on). It's similar to the defunct Shrek 4-D attraction at Universal Studios Florida. Watching Twisters in 4DX is quite an experience, you could even call it a "ride" if you wished. The 4DX experience was definitely top-notch.
As for the film itself: It’s more of a re-boot/re-imagining of Twister than anything else. The DNA of Twister is deeply ingrained into every bit of Twisters. I wouldn’t necessarily consider this a bad thing though. Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones make for great leads, though it’s easier to buy them as close friends than it is as romantic partners. Powell continues to fit the role of Hollywood’s next Bill Paxton well (though he isn’t playing Bill Paxton from the OG here).
There are numerous times throughout Twisters that Kate has the Helen Hunt fit down perfectly (Shout out to the costume design by Eunice Jera Lee). She looks great in a tight white tank top and kahki shorts (and yes, there are times where she ties her jacket around her waist, also much like Hele Hunt's Jo). Jones most impresses out of all the assembled cast (and often looks EXACTLY like a young Helen Hunt...almost alarmingly so much of the time), and Twisters makes for a nice calling card for the young actress.
If you’re hoping for some legacy characters to appear in Twisters, you're going to be sorely disappointed. The only legacy character that makes a brief appearance is Dorothy, and it's very early on (You could argue this points to Twisters taking place in the same world as the original, but it's honestly unclear). That said, expect some familiar terms to pop up. One character uses the phrase "suck zone" once and only once, and the categories for the twisters are basically the same (in the OG they were rated from F1s to F5s, here they are rated from E F1s to E F5s). Twisters takes place in Oklahoma, but Wichita is never featured. Also, don't expect any flying cows (Though there are some flying chickens, oddly enough).
Twister is well-known as a cheesy, campy B-movie. Twisters is pretty silly as well, but it isn't campy or cheesy. There is no dumb divorce plot-line to be found here (thank God), and the script by Mark L. Smith (Vacancy, The Revenant, Overlord) is fairly solid. Jospeh Kosinski, of Top Gun: Maverick fame, came up with the story. Lee Isaac Chung (Minari) directs, and is a surprisingly a good fit for director of a throwback to 90s disaster flicks. The score by Benjamin Wallfisch (A Cure for Wellness, It, It: Chapter Two, Blade Runner 2049, The Invisible Man) is pretty great too, and fits the film it accompanies very well.
The vfx are about as good as the vfx for Twister was (and yes, the vfx for the OG still hold up remarkably well today, so this isn't a knock against either film). The multiple practical sets used for areas post-twister destruction all impress thanks in large part to the production design by Patrick M. Sullivan Jr. and the set decoration by Missy Parker. The twister scenes are what most paid to see, and every single one is a highlight of the film. The parts in-between move slower, but there's never too long of a gap in-between the disaster scenes. In other words, you shouldn't ever be bored (and who could honestly get bored watching Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell, or Anthony Ramos?).
The one point I will give to Twister over Twisters is that Twister had more memorable side-characters and spent more time with them. That being said, Twisters is a welcome throw-back to old-school 90s big-budget disaster flicks. It's silly, but always thrilling and fun. Surprisingly, Twisters is one of the most entertaining films of 2024.
3.5 STARS