Twisters (2024)
Overview
”Twisters”(2024) by Lee Isaac Chung with the script by Mark L. Smith is standalone sequel to the “Twister” (1996) telling the story of storm chasers, consisting of Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell and Anthony Ramos facing a violent tornado outbreak in Oklahoma. The movie of course debuted in London on July 8, 2024, received good critics and made 337 million USD. 6 million globally.
Plot Summary
It centres on Kate Carter –, portrayed by Daisy Edgar-Jones – a storm chaser who is forced back into the profession after a family tragedy. After getting aid from meteorologists Javi portrayed by Anthony Ramos, and storm chaser Tyler Owen portrayed by Glen Powell, they encounter more intense tornadoes which reaches to a point into a town by a mile-wide EF5 tornado. The team comes up with a plan that is likely to destabilize the tornado hence creating a great climax in the end.
Filming
Principal photography of “Twisters” was initially intended to happen in Georgia state, but it was moved to the appropriate state of Oklahoma. Principal photography started in May 2023 and was shot at the Prairie Surf Studios besides other parts shot in real towns such as El Reno and Chickasha in Oklahoma. The production underwent many challenges, including time consumption because of constant incidents of tornadoes and storms. The production was put on hold in July for the SAG-AFTRA strike but resumed in November and continued till December.
The director of the film Lee Isaac Chung decided to shoot the picture on the 35 mm film with the support of Steven Spielberg on the Panavision XL and handheld Arri cameras with anamorphic lenses. Weather was an important factor in the making of the production and several safety aspects had to be compiled with since the shooting was frequently delayed by adverse weather conditions.
Post-production
The tornadoes as featured in “Twisters” film were achieved by combining special and visual effects. For references, real footage of tornadoes were used and for special effects, wind fans, jet engines and water cannons were used. The company that made the visual effects were Industrial Light & Magic. The film’s editor Terilyn A. Shropshire, however, had to work hard to include fun moments in the film while at the same time addressing the issue of natural disasters. The film attached a production budget of $200 million which was later down scaled to $155 million only.
Music
The film’s score was composed by Benjamin Wallfisch, and the accompanying soundtrack, *Twisters: Its fourth studio album, entitled *The Album*, was released on the 19th of July, 2024. It has 29 songs, all from most popular country singers and ‘Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma’ by Luke Combs is its lead soundtrack. The entire album has more than 175 million streams before the outlaunched of the movie.
Release
“Twisters” was the first to be premiered in London on July 8, 2024, and the second, and last in the Taormina Film Fest in Italy. The film was released in the United States by Universal Pictures on 19 th July 2024 while the International release was done by Warner Bros Pictures. Another mode of distribution was to release it online as digital purchase was made possible on August 13, 2024.
Marketing
The marketing mix for “Twisters” for instance included strategic affiliations with major sporting occasions like NASCAR, MLB, WWE, and so forth, furthermore, an advertisement crusade with the circulation of pieces of promotional tour through selected cities in the United States of America. There were night events at Oklahoma and on soldiers camps which proved to have a huge contribution in the sales of the films especially across the middle American region.
Reception
“Twisters” grossed $337. 6 million around the globe by August 2024, if they aren’t stagnating; a powerful opening in the United States and Canada. Audiences and critics were divided on whether or not this sequel was better than the original movie or not; however, there was praise for the movie’s visuals, and performances of the two leading actors, namely Edgar-Jones, and Powell. Also, the general problem of the film was commented on – the lack of direct references to climate change in the film.
Scientific Accuracy
While filming, the producers reached out to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and certain elements of tornado portrayal in the movie were deemed as false. It also attracted controversies in regards to not depicting the relationship between climate change and tornadoes;
Future
Likewise, director Lee Isaac Chung and the primary characters have shown interest in having a sequal during the release of the film in July 2024 to open for the characters’ folllowing stories. Of course, one should not exclude the possibility of making the next movie based on this story.
