Went to see Twisters with Daughter #2 yesterday. It’s not something that I would ordinarily bother to see in the theaters but Daughter wanted to see it so I played along.
I was entertained. The movie centers around storm chasers, which are a breed of foolishness that inexplicably run towards tornados instead of away from them. This one involves a woman (Kate) who is the bestest storm chase ever with the most awesome skills ever, but she screws up and tragedy strikes so she stops chasing storms. Then she gets convinced to chase storms again by someone who, it turns out, is a bit morally ambiguous.
Since this is Hollywood there has to be a romantic hook to the plot. The formula demands it. Enter Tyler, a storm chasing YouTuber showboat with a million subscribers and a cowboy hat. He also has a pickup truck that looks awesome but, honestly, I think that thing would sink into farm fields up to its frame if you tried that shit for real. Or you’d just blow out the suspension considering all the extra weight on the truck. Anyway, in the end, the day is saved and the romance blossoms. Roll credits.
As I said, I enjoyed the movie, although it took a small effort of will to suspend my disbelief. I know that actual storm chasers exist. I know that one even got himself killed. Mostly, the entire topic just makes me shake my head. I grew up in the midwest hiking & canoeing & biking & dodging big storms, including tornados. As a teenager, I also had a bad run-in with 90mph straight line winds. So believe me when I tell you, one does not run towards big winds. One runs away from them. (Actually, perpendicular to the tornado’s line of travel if you can manage it.). Barring that, find a ditch and kiss your ass goodbye.
What you don’t do is drive straight into a tornado, even a little one, and shoot off fireworks. If you think that’s a good idea, well, you get what you get.
So, yep, I had to work to suspend my disbelief. But the soundtrack was good, the special effects were fun (if wildly unrealistic), and there was a few laughs to be had. Not sure I recommend paying to see Twisters in the theater but if it pops up on Amazon or Hulu or something, I think you should give it a go. So long as you don’t mind watching people get sucked into the sky to their doom.
By the way, did I mention I got the senior discount at the theater? First time ever. Not sure how I feel about that. On the one hand, I saved five bucks. On the other, it’s one more sign that I’m old. sigh Time marches on.