Twister vs. Twisters: An exhaustive analysis of the tornado movies
Twisters, the disaster movie sequel for 2024, comes 28 years after the first was released and the two films have inevitably attracted comparisons.
Which of Twister and Twisters tells a better story?
Storywise, Twisters basically starts as an extension of the mission Twister outlines. While Kate Carter, played by Daisy Edgar-Jones in Twisters, aims to possibly disrupt a tornado, Jo and Bill Harding, played by Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton in the original, seek to gather never-before-seen data from inside a tornado to enable a better warning system. Both tales also have a central character who has lost loved ones in tornadoes. While in Twister this drives Jo Harding, for Kate Carter it causes anxiety and doubt.
Bill Paxton's death in 2017 made his return impossible, but his son James Paxton plays the enraged hotel guest Kate and Tyler try to save from the tornado outside the rodeo in Twisters.
Twisters also reenergizes the concept of two rival storm chasing teams, pitting Tyler Owens' seasoned guerilla storm chasers against Javier's highly educated military-grade storm chasers. Twister mirrored this dynamic with the upstart homemade science and technology against Jonas Miller, played by Cary Elwes, and his team funded by corporations. At last, both tales center on their main characters fighting several fatal tornadoes before finally succeeding in their individual missions. Jo finds the data she is looking for, and Kate effectively breaks up a tornado.
Though the tales are similar, Twisters offers a more whole and complete narrative. The modern film features more fully realized characters since Glen Powell's Tyler Owens and Daisy Edgar-jones' Kate Carter just have more depth than Helen Hunt's Jo Harding and Bill Paxton's Bill Harding. The twist—no pun intended—that Tyler Owens' team has pure intentions while Javier's Storm PAR team is working for a corrupt land baron presented an interesting change in the second half of the film and helped both Tyler Owens and Kate Carter's characters show some actual development.
Which has the better cast, Twister or Twisters?
Though Helen Hunt might not have returned for Twisters, her impact was evident in the ongoing use of names connected to the Wizard of Oz for the scientific tools Kate and the Storm PAR team used. Twister was such a huge hit at the box office partly because Hunt was leading a remarkable ensemble. Early in their careers, Hunt and Bill Paxton used it as a star-making turn; it also included several other well-known actors and actresses including Jami Gertz, Jeremy Davies, and future Academy Award winner Phillip Seymour Hoffman.
Though they weren't quite at legendary status at the time the film was released in 1996, Twister also included some real A-listers. Alan Ruck was well-known for his Cameron portrayal in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Cary Elwes was already an icon thanks of his leading roles in The Princess Bride and Robin Hood: Men In Tights, and Lois Smith had four decades of filmography under her belt at that time. Looking back, the cast was absolutely outstanding and helped the film to be a great success.
Cast and Characters: Twisters:
Kate Daisy Edgar-jones
Tyler's Glenn Powell
Javi: Anthony Ramos
Boone made by Brandon Perea
Tierney, Maura, Cathy
Jeb was Daryl McCormack.
Lilly Lane, Sasha Lane
David Corenswet plays Scott.
Addy Kiernan Shipka as Kiernan Shipka
Twisters seems to have for its cast an eerily similar effect. Daisy Edgar-jones and Glen Powell are right on the brink of household names, just as Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton were in 1996, and Twisters could drive them over the top. Talented up-and-comers including Anthony Ramos, Brandon Perea, Sasha Lane, Katy O' Brian, and David Corenswet abound in the supporting cast as well. Time will tell whether this cast reaches the standards of its predecessor, but right now Twister boasts a better ensemble.
Which has better action—Twister or Twisters?
As far as disaster movies are concerned, the gifted team behind Twister's practical and special effects changed the game Their enormous budget helped them to create massive funnels and waterspouts, explosions, and storm damage on the screen still holding 28 years of integrity. The tornado scenes are thrilling, and as they tore across the screen, they really seem dangerous.
Twisters does, however, match the action of Twister and pushes it forward. Though it does have the benefit of advances in CGI, the ideas of the twin tornadoes, the massive fire tornado that forms over the oil refinery, and the tornado sequences occurring at the rodeo and in the small town in the movie's finale are all better than what Twister shows. In essence, Twisters improved the best aspects of the action in Twister.
Why Twisters Superior to Twister
Unquestionably, Twister is a classic disaster film film, and a turning point in the evolution of special effects in American film. Still among the best disaster movies of all time, it has aged especially brilliantly. But the 28-year difference between Twister and Twisters allowed director Lee Isaac Chung time to perfect every last detail when it comes to enhancing what made the first movie so outstanding.
A great stand-alone disaster movie, Twisters master every aspect expected of a big summer blockbuster. Anchored by an exceptionally gifted cast of young actors (and Maura Tierney, who elevates almost everything she appears in), Twisters boasts a strong and captivating story. Built on very strong modern CGI techniques, it features heart-stopping action sequences. It features real depth in its characters, who develop and change over the course of the film toward fulfilling arcs. Most importantly, it respects the original Twister without ever feeling like a straightforward remake; this is a great stand-alone disaster movie that excels in every aspect expected of a great summer blockbuster.
