Twistersis the kind of movie that fans probably thought they saw in 1996. Reviewing the original through new eyes can paint a different picture. What seemed like a movie filled with natural disasters is relatively light or at least it is compared toTwisters.
A movie sequelshould be all about outdoing the last film in terms of special effects and the sheer amount of destruction on screen.Twisterssucceeds in making a bigger blockbuster. One is not better than the other though. They’re just different experiences aimed at similar crowds. These two movies do share some common plot lines worth analyzing though.
6The Cold Open
Death Fuels Research
The opening ofTwistershows Jo, Helen Hunt’s character, being locked down in a cellar with her mom and dad during a tornado. During the struggle,her dad is whisked awayby the storm and then things warp to the present day presumably in 1996.Twistersopens similarly with a tornado death, three in fact. While on a survey mission, Kate and her team get their truck knocked over by a tornado.
In their run for cover, Praveen gets caught by the wind along with Addy. Kate’s boyfriend, Jeb, also dies while trying to protect her. Unlike Jo who fueled her need to chase tornadoes by her dad’s death, Kate ran away from the subject after witnessing those three deaths. Eventually, Kate gets inspired again so it’s a nod, but in a different way.
5Dorothy
Technology Of The Past Fuels The Future
Jo and her team were trying to get their Dorothy pods into a tornado throughout the entirety ofTwister. Dorothy was a series of analyzers, in ball form, that could map out a tornado’s trajectory. Naming them Dorthy was a nod toThe Wizard of Ozfranchisewhich saw the protagonist, Dorthy, wind up in a magical land after a tornado swept her away.
At the beginning ofTwisters, Kate’s team uses a modified version of the Dorothy balls. The twist is that they were also trying to stop a tornado by adding nitrates and other chemicals to the mix. Later, there is a further reference toThe Wizard of Ozas Javi named his scanners after other characters like Lion, Scarecrow, and Tin Man. It’s a fun little nod to a tornado-related tale.
4The Love Triangle
A Thriller Would Not Be Complete Without Romance
Twisterhad a weird romance in it that still seems confusing. Bill, Bill Paxton’s character, leaves Jo to be with another woman, Melissa. He enters the film wanting Jo to sign the divorce papers because he plans to marry Melissa soon. Eventually, Bill realizes he still loves Jo, Melissa sees that, so she leaves Bill amicably.
It didn’t seem realistic fora 90s movieand it certainly doesn’t seem realistic today. InTwisters, Kate’s boyfriend, Jeb, dies in that aforementioned opening thus leaving room for Javi to swoop in. Instead, Kate goes for the newbie, Taylor, and Javi once again is in the friend zone. It’s not a direct 1:1 to the original film but it can’t be a coincidence inTwisters.
3A Paxton Among Us
A Tribute To A Legend
Bill Paxton was a cinema legend starring in other hits besidesTwisterlikeTitanicandAliens. Sadly, he passed away in 2017 but not without bearing a son who also became an actor. James Paxton is a character actor who has appeared most notably in Agents of SHIELD as the younger version of John Garret, Bill Paxton’s character.
While Bill does not appear inTwisters, James does. He plays the rude motel guest named Cody who eventually gets swept away along with his girlfriend. It’s a lesson in karma. Don’t be rude to the service industry or else a tornado may seek revenge.
2The Money Grubbers Vs The Helpful
There Is Always A Lesson To Be Had
In Twister, there was a “bad” set of tornado chasers that copied the Dorothy idea and wanted to make a profit from it. That was not Bill and Jo’s plan as they simply wanted Dorothy for research opportunities only. Toward the end of Twister, these villains aretaken out mostly off-screeneven though they weren’t typical movie villains.
There are two main teams inTwisters. There is the more analytical team led by Kate and Javi and then there is Tyler and his YouTube crew. It seems like a setup close to the original except it is switched. Kate doesn’t know she is on the money-grubbing side and she finds out Tyler is donating a lot of money to disaster relief funds. It was a fun way to play with expectations while paying homage to the original’s plot.
1Oklahoma
Look Out For Tornado Alley
The biggest nod to the original is settingTwistersin Oklahoma. It is a state part of the infamous Tornado Valley which has shifted over the years. Weather patterns are scary, especially during these global warming events.
Twistersdoesn’t mention global warming in a big sense but it didn’t need to. A more rambunctious sequel may have tried to set it inNew York City, which it could have since Kate lived there. Instead, it smartly went back to the homeland and showcased a different set of society not often placed on film. That’s what made Twister a classic too.
