Twisters Review: Lee Isaac Chung Delivers an Epic Summer Spectacle

Lee Isaac Chung – who charmed us in 2020 with his Oscar-winning indie Minari – has traveled one state to the west for his first big-budget studio movie Twisters, a loving reboot of Jan de Bont's 1996 Twister, who follows two close-to-divorce storm chasers on a mission to create a weather alert system.

For the modern-day, Chung brings in hot movie star of the moment Glen Powell to star opposite the fabulous Daisy Edgar-Jones. Powell is Tyler Owens, a YouTuber with a million subscribers, who fearlessly chases down tornadoes, making a spectacle of the deadly cyclones that have left Edgar-Jones's Kate Cooper with severe PTSD.

Kate has hung up her storm-chasing boots for a tamer career as a meteorologist and now must return home to Oklahoma five years after an EF5 tornado took the lives of two of her best friends and her boyfriend. She is now working in tandem with her friend Javi, played by Anthony Ramos, to track the weather patterns that are wreaking devastation across the state.

Twisters doesn't make us wait for the action. Mere minutes pass before we get swept away in a devastating tornado, which sets the tone for the rest of the film. Chung wants to give us a big-time nostalgic summer blockbuster that is epic in its action, tender in its quieter moments, and technically on point.

In the film's production notes, Chung spoke about his adoration of Jan de Bont's original movie, saying, "I wanted to run toward my fears and not away from them" in stepping into blockbuster territory. The result? A film that makes us feel like we've stepped back in time and embodies that signature Amblin magic.

Chung understands what makes an audience go to the movies. The hypnotic enchantment that comes from getting lost in a story? Yes. But also the storytellers who steal our hearts.

The second Glen Powell enters the energy shifts. There's a lot of talk about the dying art of the movie star, but Powell is pushing to keep that narrative alive. He is magnetic, and it's impossible not to be locked in when he's on screen. The way he elevates the performance of everyone around him is worth praising, and from Anyone But You to Hit Man to – now – Twisters, Powell has established himself as the leading man of a generation.

Chung also unknowingly makes a case for how a movie gets made being just as important as what the narrative is offering. The choice to shoot on film has elevated the picture to another level, throwing us deep into nostalgia through an aesthetic that works in favor of Powell but also for the film as a whole.

The score, the soundtrack, the framing, the action, and the movie star moments all feel reminiscent of a period in cinema history that feels long forgotten.

Beyond this, if we learned anything from Chung's Minari, it's that the landscape means just as much to him as a storyteller as his characters. Oklahoma is the film's beating heart, with its gorgeous terrain spanning miles.

It's so easy to lean into Twisters because it roots us in place, a hallmark of independent cinema in North America. Chung's history working on smaller pictures is the power of Twisters. He knows how to make us feel part of the community his film represents.

Its relationship with nature is romantic, and that love and care for the beauty of Oklahoma is reflected in Chung's depiction of the blossoming closeness between Tyler and Kate.

Powell could spark electric chemistry with a wall, but he is three-for-three on co-stars who match his energy in the last 12 months. He and Edgar-Jones craft a dynamic that Chung doesn't tease us with. He knows that we want to see the big tornadoes wreaking havoc but we also want to watch Powell and Edgar-Jones develop their relationship and we get a healthy portion of both.

Not only does Twisters deliver epic action and swoon-worthy romance, but it also has heart.

Chung is having a subtle conversation throughout Twisters about the power of community, the importance of trying to make a difference, and who profits when devastation rains down on a population. It is nice to see a tentpole movie be interested in delivering more than just a return at the box office, offering emotion, laughter, thoughtful dialogue, and something meaningful beyond thrills.

The film's nuance makes it endlessly watchable, feeling like one of those you'll want to return to each year or watch multiple times on the big screen.

It has everything going for it, and it's out July 19.