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In just a few weeks, another major entry on the 2024 movie schedule will be upon us, and it promises to (figuratively) blow the roof off cinemas. The highly anticipated Twisters, which stars Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones, has been touted as pure blockbuster fun. Of course, the flick is a successor to the 1996 film Twister, which was directed by Jan de Bont. Interestingly enough, De Bont just revealed that he only recently learned of the forthcoming follow-up’s existence. With that, he has thoughts, which mostly revolve around why he thinks viewers “shouldn’t really call it a sequel.”
Twister is still widely beloved by fans, many of whom have likely shared the flick with newer generations of movie lovers. Jan de Bont seems to feel a great sense of ownership of the classic blockbuster, which starred Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton and Philip Seymour Hoffman. So you can imagine just how surprised he must’ve been when he laid his eyes on the Twisters trailer for the first time. The 80-year-old Dutch filmmaker, who has since retired from the business, opened up about the new movie while speaking to THR about the OG flick and its impact. During the conversation, he questioned how the latest installment could be considered a true sequel, given it’s apparent lack of connections to the first film:
No, I didn’t know that there was [another] movie until I actually saw the first trailer, which was not that long ago. (Laughs.) If you want to make a sequel, it should really be a sequel. It should be about the same people. It should be the same continuing story and saga of the same group of people, preferably in different circumstances that are even more interesting and more exciting. But to make a whole different story [like Twisters], then you shouldn’t really call it a sequel in my opinion.
Directed by Lee Issac Chung (of Minari fame), Twisters is intended to be a standalone sequel to its predecessor. In other words, the film takes place in the same continuity of the original movie but doesn’t build on its characters or plot threads. Throughout the history of cinema, there have been plenty of follow-ups like these, including The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Mad Max: Fury Road and Space Jam: A New Legacy. Jan de Bont does have an interesting perspective in that a film isn’t truly a sequel unless it directly connects to the movie that came before. Whether it’s correct is debatable, but I can say that there have been some exceptional standalone follow-ups that have worked just fine.
What should also be considered is that fans may be in for some surprises when it comes to the latest installment in the disaster movie franchise. More specifically, the film may nod to Twister (which doesn’t completely make sense) in subtle ways. For instance, there could be mention of or even a cameo from Helen Hunt’s Jo Harding. And, as you can already see in the trailer, a version of Bill Harding (Bill Paxton) and Jo’s “Dorothy” device is present in the new film. Personally, I wouldn’t be surprised if there are more connections at play than fans have been led to believe.
But, ultimately, the movie squarely focuses on Daisy Edgar-Jones’ Kate Carter, who – following a terrible accident – is roped back into the world of tornado chasing by her friend, Javi (Anthony Ramos). The two eventually cross paths with viral chaser Tyler Owens (Glen Powell), and the trio and their teams eventually find themselves facing off with a pair of volatile tornadoes in Oklahoma. While the film is centered around new characters, Lee Isaac Chung emphasized that it was “essential” for his film to possess the spirit of adventure that Jan de Bont’s had. Based on the trailer, which you can see below, that seems to be the case:
Even after the film comes out, fans may debate whether or not it’s truly a sequel, and some may side with Jan de Bont. What I’ll say for myself, though, is that I’m just looking for an entertaining flick that has a similar feel to the tornado-centric feature that hit theaters nearly 30 years ago. Should it check that box, it won’t matter to me what label we put on it.
You can finally see Twisters for yourself when it opens in theaters on July 19. And, in the meantime, you can rent or buy Twister, as it’s currently available on several digital platforms.