When I was younger I enjoyed the original Twister Movie. I watched that Movie a lot as I have always wanted to be a Meteorologist. In the year 2010 I became a Meteorologists. When I found out earlier this year that a new Twister movie was going to be made I was eager to see it. Last week me and my wife went to see the movie Twisters. Today I will be doing a review and my own take of the movie.

Disclaimer- this may contain a few spoilers this is not intentional.

Twisters starts off similar to the original movie. It starts off stating how a severe outbreak of tornadoes will likely impact Oklahoma and Kansas. However, this is revealed to be a flash back. A young meteorologist and storm chaser named Kate leads her team into where the tornadoes form. Kate has a theory that she can weaken EF2 or higher type tornadoes. She has her team get close to a tornado. However, without warning the tornado changes direction. The tornado proves to be an EF5 and most of her crew is killed. Haunted by the incident Kate continues to be a meteorologist but does not chase for several years. In fact she goes to work for the Weather Service in New York City.

In the original twister movie a tornado outbreak occurs in Oklahoma and Kansas to start the movie. A tornado hits Jo, who is a child in the opening scene, family house. Jo and her family make it to the storm cellar but her dad is killed by trying to hold the lid on the shelter down by an EF5/F5 type tornado.

Several years later in the movie Twisters another outbreak is expected in Oklahoma and Kansas. Forecasters explain how this could be historic like the one that occurred several years ago. Kate's former tornado chasing friend seeks her out to try to get her to try it again. He explains how he has a new radar system. Kate agrees to come but is haunted by the past and seeing a violent tornado triggers the flashback yet again. She is hesitant but decides to join the team.

While joining the team they meet with other chasers who have a friendly rival with her friend's team. The two teams try to see who can chase the most tornadoes and get more data. However, after several violent tornadoes ravage towns. Kate learns that her friend is being sponsored by a shady business character who buys destroyed people's land. Kate then joins the rival team and they decide to try her project one more time.

This is once again similar to the original Twister Movie except for a few new twists. In the original Movie Bill had left Jo, who is his estranged wife, team to become a TV meteorologist. He meets Jo's team so he can get closure but decides to help his former team chase the tornadoes. Also, they meet a rival tornado chasing team whose team leader Jonas is funded by a shady businessman. Who takes advantage of those who have been impacted by tornadoes. Jonas also steals ideas. Like the new film the original film saw the two storm chasing teams trying to chase the most tornadoes to collect data.

The final moments of the Twisters movie sees Kate's former friend turn on the business man who is supporting him after he sees him trying to buy people's land after an EF4 tornado destroys the town. He and Kate and Tyler who Kate is falling for see a violent tornado touch down near El Rino the tornado changes directions and intensifies into an EF5 the three try to get people to safety. Kate tries her theory one more time and at the last second causes the tornado to dissipate. Kate, Tyler, and Javier, who is Kate's friend, form their own chasing team. Kate and Tyler start a relationship.

Okay, this is once again like the original movie although it is different. In the original movie a violent EF4 hits a movie theater. The next day new violent tornadoes develop with one of them being an EF5. The EF5 changes direction and Jonas is killed trying to get close to it. Bill and Jo get their Dorothy to fly into the tornado collecting Data. Bill rejoins Jo's team and the two reconcile their marriage. In Twisters the EF5 hits the town of El Reno Oklahoma. The three chasers nearly escape with their lives but get important data. Kate and Tyler start a relationship. In the mean time Javier apologizes to Kate for being suckered into dealing with the shady businessman. It should be noted there are no romantic feelings between Kate and Javier. In the original film Bill and Jo stare up in the sky as the movie ends. At the end of the Twisters movie the three stare up in the sky as cleanup begins.

Twisters makes reference to some historical events, which I'm going to explain.

Cloud seeding was at one time attempted to weaken hurricanes and tornadoes during the 1960's. Researchers started to wonder if cloud seeding using cold iodine could weaken a tornado or a hurricane. In the 1960's the US government used Hurricane Hunter aircraft to dump the iodine into the hurricanes. The first hurricane weakened from a category 4 to a category 2. However, this was not due to cloud seeding but due to an eyewall replacement cycle. 12 hours later the hurricane was back up to a category 4. A second seeding was done with no effect. Another hurricane was seeded, but it had no effect. Finally another hurricane was seeded a few years later in a last attempt. But once again it failed to weaken a hurricane.

The same thing was tried with tornadoes. Aircraft would get really high above the tornado producing storm and dump the cold iodine in it. Like in the movie they even tried containers of iodine. Like the hurricanes it had no effect. By 1969 the projects where scrapped and it was determined that hurricanes and tornadoes cannot be weakened by mankind. Instead the government started to focus on better warnings concerning hurricanes and tornadoes.

The El Reno tornado in the Twisters movie is a reference to two EF5 tornadoes that decimated El Reno. In 2011 an EF5 tornado hit El Reno doing millions dollars of damage and killing 9 people. This tornado was rated an EF5 with winds estimated to be 225 mph. Two years later another EF5 tornado hit the town again producing similar results killing 8 people and causing millions in damage. The 2013 tornado rating is heavily disputed. Storm Chasers radar measured winds at the surface at 246 mph which would be well over the EF5 criteria. NOAA has the tornado rated as an EF3 with winds up to 160 mph. However, other rating agencies rated it as an EF5 due to the winds. IN my opinion as a meteorologist it was an EF5. Anyway, both tornadoes killed people and caused millions of damage when they hit the town of El Reno.

Well like most movies both movies have historical inaccuracies.

First inaccuracy- Most people get killed by tornadoes by being sucked up. This is seen in both Twister films. While that can happen and has been reported. Most people are not killed by being sucked up in a tornado. In fact, most people are killed by tornadoes by flying debris. Second, most people are also killed by tornadoes by being crushed in their mobile homes or regular houses. Again a tornado has been known to suck people up, but this is rare and is not what mainly kills people.

Second inaccuracy- Cloud seeding can weaken a tornado. I already have covered how this is not true and impossible. This had already been tried before and it did not work.

Third inaccuracy- You can shoot fireworks in a tornado Tyler does this in his truck. This is just Hollywood right here. driving into a tornado is reckless and is often deadly. There have even been professional storm chasers get killed by driving into a tornado.

Fourth Inaccuracy- This one is short of true but not 100%. In the fiml Tyler's truck can anchor into the ground to protect it from a tornado. There are cars custom built to anchor into the ground called tornado tanks. However, these tanks do not directly drive into the tornado. Even a tornado tank that is anchored in the ground can still be tossed by an EF2 or higher tornado. So yes they are specialized storm chasing cars that can do that. However, they cannot go directly inside the tornado.

Fifth- you can successfully out drive a tornado. While it is possible to out drive a tornado it is very risky and should only be done at a last result. Some of the fastest tornadoes can move more than 60 mph. trying to out drive a fast moving tornado is dangerous. Also, its nearly impossible to tell how fast the tornado is moving.


Overall, I think Twisters is a good movie and I like how it referenced the original movie. I like how it has things similar but it offered something different at the same time. I like the original movie slightly better, but this is a very close second. It is a good movie with its plot and scenes. I highly recommend going to see the new Twisters movie. If you like storms this movie is for you. If you do not care for storms but like a good movie, well this one is for you too.

It's good to hear that that movie ended up being good. I've seen differing opinions on that one, whether they think it's just a cash grab or if they genuinely like it like you did. After reading this thread, I may give it a shot if I get the chance.