The original Twister starred Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt as intrepid storm chasers, and if you forgive the pun, it took the box office by storm back in 1996.The new incarnation stars Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones and Anthony Ramos.
This new version rekindles some of the romantic tension from the first film. There's even a love triangle, a little along the lines of the one we saw in Challengers, the decent tennis movie out earlier this year.
I watched it in IMAX, and it was the very definition of edge of your seat stuff. The ramped up sound ratchets up the tense feeling, as the storms sweep up everything that stands in their path, including cars, bystanders and buildings. 4DX apparently is a good format to catch it in, if you fancy a full back massage!
The running time zipped by, and I really liked Glen Powell as "tornado wrangler" and YouTube sensation Tyler Owens. Edgar-Jones plays Kate Cooper, who's a former storm chaser now studying storm patterns from the safety of computer screens in New York City, after tragically losing three of her friends when chasing down a tornado during her college years.
Tempted back to Central Oklahoma for a week when an old friend gets back in touch, Cooper is quickly shacked up with several teams of storm chasers who are all competing to get the best coverage during storm season. Motivations are questioned, friendships are tested to the limit, and homes are flattened. It's definitely not umbrella weather.
This was one of my most enjoyable trips to the cinema so far this year, and I liked it far more than I expected to. Whilst I'm sure the science of storms is fascinating, this was quickly glossed over, and the focus is more on the characters and story, which is no bad thing in my book. I can't imagine ever wanting to emulate these characters' journeys. In the event of a storm, I'll hide in a Mr Matey bubble bath until it passes over!
Meanwhile, Longlegs sees Nicolas Cage turn into a cross between Pennywise and Ronald McDonald, as the FBI go on the trail of a serial killer who has evaded capture for decades. There's been a lot of hype around this film, and it's far exceeded expectations, but I'd say it was more super creepy and chilling than out and out scary. The story is a little disjointed, and it wins some praise from me for not resorting to 'jump scares', which is often the easy option in horrors these days.
It was amusing hearing someone behind me commentating on the actions of Agent Lee Harker (Maika Monroe), as it echoed my thoughts. There's no way I'd ever investigate a creepy basement or strange noise at the front door. I've watched enough horror films to learn this never goes well. Nice twist at the end too, which I didn't see coming. Worth at least half of the hype that it's been afforded, but not the scariest film you'll ever see.
Alex Cann's weekly film blog - 9th January
