Ladies and gentlemen, gather ’round for the latest Hollywood escapade that’s stirring up quite the buzz. We’re talking about “Twisters,” the storm-chasing sequel that’s not only raking in positive reviews but also giving Glen Powell a much-needed boost this summer.
With an impressive 84 percent “Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it seems like this film is blowing audiences away with its portrayal of unprecedented storms wreaking havoc across the American heartland, complete with plenty of meteorological mumbo jumbo.
But wait, there’s a twist – or should we say a twist-less twist. Despite the deluge of weather-related jargon, “Twisters” is conspicuously silent on one hot-button topic: climate change.
Now, you’d think that with all the hoopla about climate change these days, they’d squeeze in a mention or two, right? After all, scientists are still piecing together the puzzle of how climate change might be affecting tornadoes. There’s chatter about changing tornado patterns, more tornadoes hitting on the same day, and even tornadoes popping up outside the usual Tornado Alley.
And let’s not forget the American Red Cross chiming in, telling ABC News that they’re dealing with nearly twice as many large disasters now compared to a decade ago, thanks to the so-called “climate crisis.”
So here we have a 2024 flick about a never-before-seen tornado outbreak, and you’d think it’s the perfect chance to throw in some climate change drama, right? Picture this: Daisy Edgar-Jones, all frazzled, staring at Doppler radar and quoting some fancy statistic like, “The Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society projected a 6.6 percent nationwide increase in supercell thunderstorms by the end of the century due to global warming – but nothing like this!” Boom! Instant scientific heft for your summer popcorn flick.
But director Lee Isaac Chung had other ideas. According to Chung, even a throwaway line like that would be akin to whacking red-state moviegoers over the head with Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth.” In his own words to CNN, Chung explained, “I just wanted to make sure that with the movie, we don’t ever feel like it is putting forward any message. I just don’t feel like films are meant to be message-oriented.”
There’s a scene where Maura Tierney’s character mentions that storms and floods are becoming more frequent, but – surprise, surprise – no mention of climate change. Chung insists, “I think what we are doing is showing the reality of what’s happening on the ground … we don’t shy away from saying that things are changing.”
He adds, “I wanted to make sure that we are never creating a feeling that we’re preaching a message because that’s certainly not what I think cinema should be about. I think it should be a reflection of the world.”
Or maybe, just maybe, it’s a reflection of a studio playing it safe in a polarized world, looking to score a summer hit without wading into controversial waters. Either way, “Twisters” is twirling its way to a projected $72 million opening after whipping up $10.7 million in previews. And that, folks, is how you spin a tale in Tinseltown.