Movie Review

Tornados and big stars make Twisters the blockbuster of the summer

Daisy Edgar-Jones and Glen Powell in Twisters.

Photo by Melinda Sue Gordon / Universal Pictures; Warner Bros. Pictures; & Amblin Entertainment

When a movie becomes a blockbuster, odds are great that it will soon be followed up by a sequel. 1996’s Twister made almost $250 million in the U.S. alone, so the fact that it’s taken almost 30 years for someone to try to expand upon the world it created is surprising. Even more surprising is that the spiritual sequel, Twisters, doesn’t just go the easy route and play on nostalgia for the original.

The star of the film is Kate Carter (Daisy Edgar-Jones), who has the belief that she can stop a tornado in its tracks via a special compound designed to be sucked up into the storm’s core. An early tragedy puts those plans on hold for a while, but when a member of her crew, Javi (Anthony Ramos), approaches her for help with a new venture, she’s soon headed back to Oklahoma to put her skills to the test again.

Javi, whose group is backed by a big-money donor whose ultimate goals might be less than honorable, and Kate butt up against a ragtag rival group led by Tyler Owens (Glen Powell), who seems more interested in views for his YouTube channel than anything else. But as the two groups chase down tornado after tornado, Kate and Tyler start to earn each other’s respect, banding together to try to help people who find themselves in the paths of the twisters.

Directed by Lee Isaac Chung and written by Mark L. Smith, the film is a hell of a ride, about as good as anyone could reasonably expect from an attempt to turn a one-off film into a franchise. Notably, the filmmakers actually put an effort into making connections with the characters. Kate and Tyler are fully three-dimensional, Javi is given more depth than a third-wheel usually gets, and Tyler’s crew is made up of many interesting personas, including Boone (Brandon Perea), Dexter (Tunde Adebimpe), and Dani (Katy O’Brian).

This storytelling is appreciated since the biggest thing most moviegoers will be interested in are the tornados. Chung and his team deliver mightily in this respect, marrying CGI technology with practical special effects to construct scenes that are alternately exhilarating and terrifying. The set pieces never feel repetitive, and each one seems more spectacular than the one before. But the film is about more than just thrills, as it has a social conscience about the impact the storms have on the towns they devastate and what its characters can do other than just chase twisters.

Instead of direct nostalgia, the film makes do with allusions to aspects of the original. An early scene has Kate’s group using the same technology as the first film, and Kate herself has a preternatural ability to sense the movement of storms, much like Bill Paxton’s character. The rivalry between Tyler’s loose, free-wheeling group and Javi’s rigid, moneyed one emulates the first film. And both films feature a tornado tearing through a movie theater as a horror movie plays, an ironic touch given the horror playing out in real life for the characters.

After Top Gun: Maverick, Anyone But You, Hit Man, and now this, there is no doubt that Powell is a full-on movie star. But the Austin native feels like a down-to-earth person, and he makes Tyler into a relatable character despite his cockiness. Edgar-Jones is not as big a star yet, but more roles like this one that showcase her likability and acting skills could make her into one. The supporting cast members never feel out of place and make the story feel interesting throughout.

Twisters is a fantastic blockbuster movie, giving fans moments that will blow them back in their seats and make them hold their collective breath. But it also never loses its humanity in the chaos, allowing its characters to show they understand the impact the storms have on the world around them and the work they are doing.

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Twisters opens in theaters on July 19.

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Movie Review

New movie Being Heumann spotlights rousing fight for disability rights

Photo courtesy of Apple TV

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The presence of building ramps, curb ramps, wheelchair-accessible stalls, accessible parking spaces, and more accommodations for people with disabilities is now so ubiquitous in the United States that it’s hard to remember a time without them. But as the new film Being Heumann ably demonstrates, the fight to get those things was as difficult as any civil rights battle.

The film focuses on a specific period of time in 1977 when disability rights activist Judy Heumann (Ruth Madeley) led a movement to try to get U.S. Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare (HEW) Joseph Califano (Mark Ruffalo) to sign Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. After years of no progress under Presidents Nixon, Ford, and Carter, Heumann and her group of other disabled people and allies decide to stage a sit-in at the HEW offices in San Francisco.

What begins as a temporary event turns into a prolonged ordeal, with Califano initially unmoved and the protesters unwilling to leave the building. The strong-willed Heumann, helped by fellow leaders like Kitty Cone (Madeline Delp) and TV reporter Evan White (Dylan O’Brien), not only puts pressure on Califano and other HEW staffers, but also members of her own group, some of whom are unable or unwilling to stay as long as she wants.

Directed by Sian Heder (CODA) and written by Heder and Rebekah Taussig, the film features a rousing story made all the more effective by the presence of actual disabled people. In addition to people in wheelchairs like Madeley and Delp, the cast features people who are blind, deaf, are short-statured, and more. Some of the cast members are professional actors, some aren’t, but they all bring a realism that enhances the story.

Heder and her team underscore the importance of the story by taking their time telling it. That doesn’t just mean giving Madeley and others extra scenes to demonstrate their skills, although the 127-minute film provides plenty of time for that. More pointedly, Heder allows the disabled people to take however long they need to do something, like trying to navigate inaccessible stairways or using a pointer to spell out words. The respect this approach shows the actors brings extra heft to the story they’re trying to tell.

There are multiple moments in the film where audience members may scoff at what’s happening to the disabled people, most notably when they are met with derision by government officials and even regular passers-by. Heder occasionally overplays her hand by either showing Califano as being overly callous or White being supremely helpful, but she mostly plays things straight, allowing the difficulties the protestors face speak for themselves.

Madeley, a veteran actor with over 30 credits to her name, puts in an award-worthy performance. While the reality of her disabled body plays a part in her role, it’s mostly the fieriness and determination that she shows that make it stellar. Others like Delp, Antwan Tolliver, Rio Finnegan, and more prove crucial in supporting roles. Known actors like Ruffalo, O’Brien, and Rob Delaney are fine, but secondary to the main group.

Being Heumann is a great way to honor the legacy of Heumann, who passed away in 2023. There is still work to be done to ensure disabled people are given access and respect in the U.S., but the events in the film show that people like Heumann and the groups they lead have power when they choose to fight.

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Being Heumann is now playing in select theaters and streaming on Apple TV.

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