Set in the heart of tornado alley, Twisters follows Kate Carter (Daisy Edgar-Jones), a brilliant meteorologist haunted by a tragic storm encounter in her past, who reluctantly returns to the field when her college friend Javi (Anthony Ramos) recruits her for his cutting-edge storm-tracking program. What begins as a technological mission quickly becomes personal when Kate crosses paths with Tyler Owens (Glen Powell), a social-media-famous storm chaser whose reckless bravado masks a surprisingly deep understanding of the storms he pursues. Director Lee Isaac Chung — known for the Oscar-winning Minari — brings emotional grounding to the spectacle, ensuring that even amid the chaos, audiences genuinely care about the people on screen.

The tornadoes are rendered with state-of-the-art visual effects that represent a significant leap beyond what was possible in the 1996 original. Giant EF5 storms tear through drive-in theaters, small towns, and open plains in sequences that are as terrifying as they are jaw-dropping in their scale. IMAX screenings in particular showcased the full power of the film's sound design and cinematography, praised for capturing the visceral, unpredictable nature of severe weather. Practical elements — real wind, debris, and on-location shoots in Oklahoma — ground the CG in a tangible reality that gives every storm scene an authentic edge.

Beyond the spectacle, Twisters works as a character study about risk, loss, and the fine line between courage and recklessness. Glen Powell's performance as Tyler became a genuine pop-culture moment — charismatic, funny, and unexpectedly moving — while Daisy Edgar-Jones anchors the film with the same quiet intensity she brought to Normal People. The film's country-music-inflected soundtrack and its loving portrait of rural Oklahoma communities gave it a distinctive regional identity that separated it from generic blockbuster fare, making it one of summer 2024's most crowd-pleasing surprises.