Twisters Is An Absolute Disgrace To The Original Blockbuster Masterpiece
We all know that there have been some terrible remakes in Hollywood, and of course, there have been some great ones as well. Dune killed it! Bradley Cooper’s A Star Is Born was phenomenal. However, many of the 80s movies being remade have fallen flat — Footloose and The Karate Kid come immediately to mind. Now we have to contend with Twisters, a supposed remake of the absolute masterpiece from 1996. And from what I’ve seen of the trailer, it’s not looking good.
While Twisters, the remake, hasn’t been released in theaters yet, what we’ve seen so far falls short of even the lowest expectations.
First of all, can you really compete with Bill Paxton? I think not. No more than you could compete with Kevin Bacon or Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita.
What made the original film great was a couple of factors: First, you had a great script written by Michael Crichton and two amazing stars in Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton. Second, the two leads had fantastic chemistry. You could feel the heat, the love, and the loss between the two. Twisters can’t hope to live up to those elements.
Now we have to contend with Twisters, a supposed remake of the absolute masterpiece from 1996.
In the original Twister, Paxton plays Bill Harding, a local weatherman trying to get his estranged tornado-hunting meteorologist wife, Jo (Hunt), to sign divorce papers. Of course, he’s got his delicate, precious fiancee, Melissa, played by Jami Gertz, in tow.
As Bill and Jo argue over the paperwork, a tornado kicks up. You see, Jo has developed a device that can predict tornadoes far in advance of the current warning system, but she’ll have to get up-close-and-personal with the twisters to make her device work.
As she and her team of misfit storm chasers tear off in their van to catch up with the tornado, Bill and Melissa are forced to follow them to get those papers signed. The energy between Bill and Jo throughout the film is electric. You can tell they’re still in love; you know they’re only apart because Bill had trouble keeping up with his distracted, passionate wife, and you want so badly for them to be back together. The fact that the twisters in this film are the third character only heightens the intensity for the viewer.
Though Twisters’ July 19 release date seems to beg for a big, loud blockbuster, so the film may do well in terms of butts in seats.
While Twisters, the remake, hasn’t been released in theaters yet, what we’ve seen so far falls short of even the lowest expectations. Instead of a divorcing couple, we’ve apparently got a meteorologist sent out into the field with innovative technology and a very “geeky” science team to examine tornadoes. When she arrives on the scene, she encounters the brash, egomaniacal storm chaser in his oversized truck with his face on T-shirts.
Daisy Edgar Jones, the lovely actress from Where the Crawdads Sing, and Glen Powell, from Top Gun: Maverick and Anyone But You, try to fill the very large shoes of the original stars. The trailer presents us with an over-the-top, explosive movie filled with cliches and slick moves. It feels cheesy and like it’s just trying too hard. Though Twisters’ July 19 release date seems to beg for a big, loud blockbuster, so the film may do well in terms of butts in seats. With a budget of $200 million, let’s hope so.
