Twisters (2024) is a thrilling disaster film that serves as a standalone sequel to the 1996 classic “Twister.” Directed by Lee Isaac Chung, the movie follows the intense and dangerous world of storm chasing, focusing on the lives of those who risk everything to study and understand tornadoes.
The story begins with Kate Carter, a dedicated meteorologist working in Oklahoma. Kate is part of a team of storm chasers that includes her boyfriend, Jeb, and colleagues Javi, Addy, and Praveen. They are equipped with a cutting-edge device called the Dorothy V doppler, designed to launch barrels of sodium polyacrylate beads into tornadoes to reduce their intensity. Their goal is to secure funding for further research by proving the effectiveness of their technology.
During one of their missions, the team encounters a powerful tornado that quickly escalates into an EF5, the most severe category. Despite their best efforts, the tornado proves too strong, and the team is caught in its path. Tragically, Addy, Praveen, and Jeb lose their lives in the disaster, leaving Kate and Javi as the sole survivors. This traumatic event leaves Kate deeply scarred and questioning her future in storm chasing.
Five years later, Kate has moved to New York City and works at a NOAA office, far removed from the storm-chasing world. However, her past catches up with her when Javi, now working for a mobile tornado radar company called Storm Par, reaches out to her. Javi offers Kate a one-week position with his team to test a new tornado scanning system using phased-array radar. Initially hesitant, Kate is convinced to join after seeing a news report about a tornado destroying a town.
Kate returns to Oklahoma and joins the Storm Par team, which includes Javi’s business partner, Scott. At the same time, a popular YouTube storm chaser named Tyler Owens, known as the “Tornado Wrangler,” arrives in the area with his crew, including Boone, Dani, Dexter, and Lily, as well as a British journalist named Ben. Tyler is eager to capitalize on the predicted tornado outbreak and gain more followers for his channel.
The teams soon find themselves in the midst of a series of tornadoes. They first encounter an EF1 tornado at a nearby wind farm. During this chase, Kate suffers a panic attack, unable to help Javi set up the final scanner. She drives away, overwhelmed by memories of the past. Despite this setback, the team continues their mission, tracking another storm that produces an EF1 tornado with a satellite that splits off and intensifies into an EF3. The tornado destroys their third scanner, and Kate and Javi barely escape with their lives.
As the tornado outbreak continues, the teams converge on the town of Crystal Springs, which has been ravaged by the storms. Kate and Javi, along with Tyler’s crew, assist in the recovery efforts. During this time, Kate and Tyler develop a mutual respect for each other’s skills and dedication. They realize that they must work together to survive the escalating tornadoes and protect the townspeople.
The climax of the movie sees the teams facing an unprecedented tornado outbreak, with multiple EF5 tornadoes converging on central Oklahoma. Kate, Javi, Tyler, and their crews must use all their knowledge and technology to track and mitigate the tornadoes’ impact. In a race against time, they deploy the Dorothy V doppler and the new phased-array radar system, hoping to gather crucial data that could save lives and advance their research.
In the end, the teams manage to survive the onslaught of tornadoes, but not without significant losses and sacrifices. Kate finds closure and a renewed sense of purpose, realizing that her work can make a difference in understanding and mitigating the destructive power of tornadoes. The movie concludes with a sense of hope and determination, as the storm chasers continue their mission to protect communities and advance scientific knowledge.