Gun-Free Entertainment: Twisters

The entertainment and the danger are real!

Reality in a theater near you

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We are overdue for another edition of Gun-Free Entertainment, and this may shock some people, but Twisters is the way to go. Go see it while you still can!

The most important reason to see this film is, of course, no guns! Finding such entertainment for adults is hard these days! (Even Wonka has a scene with a gun. Sheesh!) Right up there in importance: this is the first mainstream blockbuster I’ve watched that presents people with a no-nonsense narrative about what climate change is, and what it will do, now and in the future, to communities across the globe. Some could argue this film isn’t about climate change and that “We’ve always had tornadoes!” Riiiiight. Twisters explicitly acknowledges a clear reality of our climate change era: the frequency and severity of existing weather phenomenon are increasing and will continue to do so. 

So, what the heck do we do about it? Good question! That’s a powerful driver of Twisters’ script and story: the plot follows a scientist’s quest—wonderfully played, by a woman (thank you!), Daisey Edgar-Jones—to successfully test a method for weakening the force of tornadoes before they become too strong and destructive. I know nothing of the science, but be warned, there’s no room in this post for “yeah but that’s unrealistic because the high pressure blah blah” guy. The point is the search for possibility and solutions, something we will require in large supply. So, if a film like Twisters dramatizes people actually trying to do something about worsening weather conditions on our planet…count me in!

I read a stupendously dumb review of this film—so dumb I won’t link to it—about how Twisters is a “red-state movie” and that Hollywood is finally making films for this specific (and fictional) class of people (yes, let’s do away with all those “blue state” western, sniper, and military-special-ops films). Let me be clear about what makes this film real: it’s a film for everyone, about everyone, and the fact that much of it is set in Oklahoma has nothing to do with politics; I am going to go out on a limb and say that it has more to do with a location known for frequent tornadoes. “Red” and “Blue” state designations describe the political class in America far more than they do every day, regular people. 

Climate change is real and it affects all of us. I think about it every day in relation to my children’s future. Thus, Twisters is what I would call a “moment.” Much like science-fiction (I would argue there are sci-fi elements working in this film), Twisters asks us to imagine the future through a lens that includes more than just problems, but also solutions beyond merely surviving the disaster. Isn’t that the goal or conclusion of many other “human versus nature” films? The characters just want to stay alive and get to the end and say “Phew, we made it!” You know, like when you blow up a giant shark with an oxygen tank, have a quick laugh, and then swim to shore in time to start filming the sequel.

The director of Twisters, Lee Isaac Chung, is also very smart. Chung is a master in taking a vehicle that is full-on mainstream entertainment and artistically conveying to the audience that there is a serious message wrapped up in all this fun. Put another way: he gives the audience credit and doesn’t feel the need to overexplain. My reading of Chung’s message: when it comes to disaster films (expect many more with the success of Twisters) there is now almost no separation between our entertainment and our reality. How should we interpret and respond to this fact? Well, one way might be to dramatize science as a positive force for good. To not merely show people’s hurt and suffering, but to also include characters working to alleviate and eliminate the cause of that condition. I will carefully avoid spoilers here: the film’s most important scene involves a movie theater (no accident!) and it delivers one of the smartest and most stunning shots I have ever seen on film. In that single shot, the film’s full message is delivered as real art, not lecturing. You’ll all know it when you see it and you feel something in that moment I would describes as sublime.

Much of our climate-change reality and its narratives generate feelings of hopelessness (and for good reason: see this from a few days ago), but we have to overcome that and commit to solutions, even when recurring failure is part of the process. That’s another great element of Twisters—as you would expect in any conflict, there is much failure and trial and error. It’s all part of the process until you can achieve a victory and move forward to build on that success.

And for all you Glen Powell fans out there: yes, he’s good, charming, has white teeth and is semi-good looking. I get it. In Twisters, he is the same character that he played in Top Gun: Maverick but in a different costume. Out with the helmet and in with the cowboy hat. He also swaps out a fighter jet for a monster truck, and that is what earns him his way into Gun-Free Entertainment. Why? The fighter jet has guns, the monster truck only occasionally shoots fireworks. (Consider yourself lucky, Mr. Powell!) Powell is getting much attention for this film, but to this viewer, Daisey Edgar-Jones is the highlight, Anthony Ramos is incredible, and we have another appearance by our ER favorite, Maura Tierny! Tierny also starred in The Iron Claw and I, for one, am very excited about the Tierniassance.

I love arthouse films. Many think I am an arthouse guy. But that’s only true some of the time. Something was drawing me toward Twisters and I am thrilled I saw it. I’ve been thinking about it a lot and I bet it will get your mind twisting as well.