Perfect Summer Movie Combining Anxiety-Producing Suspense, Heartbreak And Thrills
Published: July 25, 2024
By: Sydney S., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 14
Daisy Edgar-Jones stars as Kate Cooper, a former storm chaser haunted by a devastating encounter with a tornado during her college years who now studies storm patterns on screens safely in New York City. She is lured back to the open plains by her friend, Javi to test a groundbreaking new tracking system. There, she crosses paths with Tyler Owens, the charming and reckless social-media superstar who thrives on posting his storm-chasing adventures with his raucous crew, the more dangerous the better. As storm season intensifies, terrifying phenomena never seen before are unleashed, and Kate, Tyler and their competing teams find themselves squarely in the paths of multiple storm systems converging over central Oklahoma in the fight of their lives.
KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Sydney S. comments, “Twisters is an action-packed movie with realistic special effects that make the tornados feel authentic and dangerous. However, the plot is mediocre and not very memorable. The characters don’t have much emotional range and don’t have great chemistry together, either.” See her full review below.
Twisters
By Zoe C.
KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, Age 15
Twisters is an action-packed movie with realistic special effects that make the tornados feel authentic and dangerous. However, the plot is mediocre and not very memorable. The characters don’t have much emotional range and don’t have great chemistry together, either.
The film follows Kate Cooper (Daisy Edgar-Jones), who has a history of tornado chasing. She has avoided the matter until her friend wants to collect new tornado data and asks her to come along, and they find themselves competing with others to catch a tornado. Suddenly, the group is faced with the extreme tornadoes, leaving all their lives threatened.
The main characters are Kate, Tyler Owen (Glen Powell), Javi (Anthony Ramos) and Ben (Harry Hadden-Paton). The characters don’t seem to really resonate with one another. I presumed that Kate and Tyler would eventually become each other’s love interest, but nothing actually happens between them. None of the characters really show much emotion at all and their attitude is pretty uninspired. For instance, Kate stares emotionless into the distance, and I guessed that is because she’s afraid due to her past experiences, but nothing is mentioned. Also, we know very little about Tyler besides his live-streaming. Does he have experiences that define why he is here? Again, we are left with a guessing game. In terms of camera work, at the beginning of the film, the cinematography is so shaky that it was hard to concentrate. However, the cinematography improves later on. The makeup, especially when there’s blood involved, is great. Kate’s scar on her leg looks realistic. The CGI is also convincing. The tornadoes look natural and the green screens don’t have any faults. For example, when there are twin tornadoes shown and they come apart from each other, it looks genuine! My favorite part of the movie is the exciting action, which got my heart racing. For instance, when the ceiling of a building is about to cave in, the suspense is thrilling. It’s disappointing that once the action happens, the plot plods along, which means there is a lack of balance.
The message of Twisters is hidden, but it calls the audience to action. Tornadoes happen in many places, and the film brings awareness to how fatal tornadoes can be. Climate change is not mentioned, since director Lee Isaac Chung believes the audience should not be “preached” to, but it hangs in the distance. You should be aware there is mild cursing.
I give Twisters 3.5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 12 to 18, plus adults. Twisters releases in theaters July 19, 2024.
Official Trailer:
