During the Super Bowl, we got a teaser for Lee Isaac-Chung’s “Twisters.” A full-fledged trailer has now been released by Universal. HOT TAKE: it looks very similarly structured to the 1996 original.
Chung’s last film was the Oscar-nominated indie “Minari.” I am very curious to see how he adapts his indie sensibilities into a major studio blockbuster like this one. Based on the trailer alone, what we do know is that it’s once again centered on a pair of storm chasers who risk their lives in an attempt to experiment on tornadoes.
As mentioned, this looks fairly similar to the original, but dare I say, the storm looks less naturalistic and more CGI-heavy in this reboot. Hollywood can’t ever grasp the “less is more” approach. There was a test screening for this one earlier in the year, and reactions were “okay,” but nobody I spoke to was, pardon the pun, blown away by it.
A reboot of “Twister” was announced last December, with Chung hired to direct it. It’s an odd project for Chung given that he’s primarily known for his well-reviewed indie films. The cast will be led by Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, David Corenswet, and Brandon Perea. It’s set to be released during the thick of summer movie season, on July 19, 2024.
Speaking with Inverse, in one of his rare interviews, the 1996 original’s director Jan de Bont stated that he was not a fan of this upcoming reboot, saying that he’ll have someone else watch “Twisters” for him when it opens next July.
When things fell from the sky, there were real things falling from a helicopter…If you film a car escaping a tornado in a hail storm, it was real ice that came at us. It’s a movie that cannot be remade…That would never, ever happen again.
De Bont’s concerns have to do with the original “Twister” using practical effects, which has become a rare thing in today’s CGI-dominated landscape.
“Twister” was a big hit in 1996, having grossed $240 million — its effects were so accomplished that a slew of films tried to copy it in the years after its release. It would end up being nominated for the Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects and Best Sound, losing the former to Independence Day.