Twisters First Reviews: Thrilling, Immersive, and Surprisingly Full of Heart

More than 28 years after its release, Twister has a sequel. According to the first reviews of the long-awaited follow-up — going by their Tomatometer scores — Twisters is even better. This standalone installment stars Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, and Anthony Ramos in a romance narrative threaded into its overarching storm-chasing plot. While the disaster movie spectacle gives audiences a lot of bang for their buck, director Lee Isaac Chung, the Oscar-nominated filmmaker behind Minari, reportedly brings more substance to this blockbuster.

Here’s what critics are saying about Twisters:

Is this one of the best blockbusters of the summer?

I’m happy to say that Twisters is just about as good as a summer movie gets.
— Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly

As a summer blockbuster, Twisters more or less meets the requirements.
— David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

It’s always wonderful to see a big summer movie that simply works as well as this one does… [It’s] one of this summer’s most emphatic arguments in favor of the big screen experience.
— David Ehrlich, IndieWire

Simply put, Twisters wears its Big Summer Movie heart on its sleeve. The score is rousing and righteous, the star power at times overwhelming to look at directly (to clarify, Powell walking through a downpour in a white T-shirt serves absolutely no narrative purpose).
— Beth Webb, Empire Magazine

(Photo by Melinda Sue Gordon/©Universal Pictures)

Does it do justice to the original?

Twisters outstrips Jan de Bont’s original blustery blockbuster for scale while keeping things shudderingly immersive. You’ll emerge bruised and buffeted, and likely hoping it’s not another 28 years until we twist again.
— Jamie Graham, Total Film

Whether or not it lives up to it might depend on your personal connection to – and nostalgia for – the original movie. But Twisters still delivers where it counts with thrilling huge-scale set pieces which are very wet and very windy.
— Ian Sandwell, Digital Spy

Much like its predecessor, this rousing and surprisingly romantic gust of multiplex fun spins a strange combination of genres into a conventionally satisfying ride.
— David Ehrlich, IndieWire

It’s not nearly as good.
— Owen Gleiberman, Variety

How is the action?

You won’t be disappointed with the spectacle on offer with Twisters.
— Ian Sandwell, Digital Spy

Anyone coming to Twisters primarily for the tornado action will likely enjoy the ride.
— David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

The film’s climactic tribute to the original’s drive-in sequence would likely have been this year’s best action sequence if Furiosa hadn’t decided to crawl under an oil tanker two months ago.
— Clarisse Loughrey, Independent

Twisters delivers a hugely entertaining and engaging white-knuckle ride unlike no other and I would honestly be surprised to see a better action movie this side of Christmas.
— Linda Marric, HeyUGuys

(Photo by Melinda Sue Gordon/©Universal Pictures)

What about the special effects?

Props must first and foremost go to the formidable CGI team for creating such visually stunning and terrifyingly realistic tornado sequences.
— Linda Marric, HeyUGuys

The extent to which all this is conjured with a digital paintbox lessens the pulse-quickening awe of nature at its most destructive.
— David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

It’s rare to see a summer blockbuster where the special effects are so inextricable from the emotion, but it stands to reason that everything in this one should be swirled together like that.
— David Ehrlich, IndieWire

Will fans of Minari find things to appreciate here?

Director Lee Isaac Chung handles the character beats with grace, retaining some of the heart and detail he brought to indie charmer Minari.
— Jamie Graham, Total Film

Chung’s indie sensibilities shine through, infusing the blockbuster spectacle with a nuanced exploration of human resilience and the intricate relationship between people and nature.
— Linda Marric, HeyUGuys

There’s a part of Twisters that feels expected from director Lee Isaac Chung, the man behind the tender, observant 2020 immigrant drama Minari. Real, tangible communities lie in the path of devastation, yet there’s such a feeling of solidarity and resilience in the air that it lends an otherwise chaos-dictated disaster spectacle a surprising touch of hopefulness.
— Clarisse Loughrey, Independent

There is nothing in [Minari]… to suggest that Chung was going to pivot to special effects-driven action-adventure pictures. But sometimes talent is talent, no matter the genre.
— Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly

(Photo by Melinda Sue Gordon/©Universal Pictures)

How are the performances?

Daisy Edgar-Jones is excellent… Powell here shows he can add more layers still behind his movie star charm.
— Jeff Ewing, Collider

Powell’s charisma is turned way up in Tyler’s cocksure swagger and in the unapologetic egomania fed by his social media fame.
— David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

Anyone expecting the sly, charismatic Powell we saw in Hit Man will be sorely disappointed.
— Damon Wise, Deadline Hollywood Daily

And the writing?

As a whole, Twisters’ script boasts an enjoyable narrative with tight pacing, solid tension, and emotional moments that land.
— Jeff Ewing, Collider

Though Twisters’ screenplay is silly, the characterization is played straight… there’s a ton of technobabble that you have to take on faith, but Jones and Powell do more than sell it; they make it compelling.
— Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly

Mark L. Smith’s screenplay settles into a routine pattern in which one whirlwind follows another with too little incremental buildup.
— David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

It shares the previous film’s main flaw, which is that it doesn’t really have a plot – it just has bland characters driving into bad weather, over and over again.
— Nicholas Barber, BBC.com

(Photo by Melinda Sue Gordon/©Universal Pictures)

Is the movie too ridiculous?

Twisters revels in a let’s-not-take-this-too-seriously vibe… Though Twisters’ screenplay is silly, the characterization is played straight.
— Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly

Any major complaints?

The many terrific supporting actors don’t get much time to shine… My guess is that a few group scenes got cut.
— Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly

Twisters’ biggest vice is a woeful misuse of Ramos’ Javi in a way that suggests they didn’t quite know how to make the character fit.
— Jeff Ewing, Collider

A braver film might have admitted that addressing the causes of extreme weather might be more useful than throwing nappies at it.
— Nicholas Barber, BBC.com

76% Twisters (2024) opens in theaters on July 19, 2024.

Thumbnail image by ©Universal Pictures
On an Apple device? Follow Rotten Tomatoes on Apple News.