Summary
- Twisters sequel successfully captures magic of original but raises issues for future sequels.
- Setting future sequels in Oklahoma may be impossible due to storm rarity mentioned in film.
- Resolution of Twisters makes tornadoes less dangerous, posing a challenge for future films.
Twisters has done an incredible job living up to the legacy of the 1996 original, but it may have created a couple of problems for the future of the franchise. In 1996, Twister hit theaters and became a defining picture for disaster movies. Thanks to Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton’s incredible chemistry, the direction of Jan de Bont, and a story by the incredible Michael Crichton, who also wrote and directed Westworld, and had his novel Jurassic Park adapted into a major success that sparked a decades-long franchise, Twister managed to pull in a box office just shy of $500 million.
Twister became a once in a generation film that remained a classic, so when Twisters was announced to act as a standalone sequel, fans were nervous. However, Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones captured the magic of the original and once again created something spectacular. With heart-pounding action, an enemies to lovers romance story, and a story rooted in tragedy, Twisters is an exceptional and worthy follow-up. But, there were some details that could create issues for any planned future sequels that won’t be easy for fans to dismiss.
Related
Major Twisters Detail Teases What Happened To Jo & Bill After The 1996 Original
Twisters doesn’t bring back Helen Hunt or Bill Paxton’s characters, but one detail teases what happened to Jo and Bill after the original 1996 movie.
Twisters Makes Another Oklahoma Set Movie Impossible
A Sequel Will Need To Move Beyond Oklahoma
One of the ways that both movies felt connected, apart from a male and female lead chasing storms, was the setting of both films. Rather the story taking place on the East or West coast of the United States, two areas that tend to be film magnets in general, both stories take place in Middle America. Specifically, Oklahoma. This gave both movies a grounded, small town feel, where the community comes first, and everyone is somewhat connected.
However, Twisters referenced the events of the film as a “once in a generation” level storm. This somewhat ties up the concept of any future sequels taking place in Oklahoma, due to the incredibly small chances of a once in a generation storm hitting the same spot twice in just a few years. While the rest of Middle America is still on the table, it’s a shame that the sequel won’t be able to follow the biggest events within the hometown of characters like Kate Carter (Edgar-Jones). Especially because having another natural disaster happen so close to home builds incredible tension.
Twisters Successfully Disrupting Tornadoes Makes Them Less Dangerous
They Solved The Twister Problem
While the issue of needing a new location for a future sequel is pretty easily overcome, there is a much larger issue that came from the resolution of Twisters. The film follows Kate, a bright and optimistic young woman who has a dream of finding a way to slow down and stop hurricanes before they can cause significant damage and harm. Initially, she fails, and struggles to return to her research because her mistakes cost the lives of several of her dearest friends and her high school sweetheart. However, Tyler Owens (Powell), a self-proclaimed “Tornado Wrangler,” helps her to restore her confidence and try again.
The film wraps up with an intense storm that threatens to destroy a small town and kill many people. Kate’s plan is then put into place, with the necessary levels of drama and tension, and it works. This makes for a beautiful ending to Twisters, but it also makes tornadoes considerably less dangerous. Presumably, Kate will refine her technique, and get better at halting tornadoes. But where does that leave a future sequel of a movie about the devastating power of tornadoes? While it’s possible that they can work around this, it’s a big problem that any future sequels will need to address.