‘Twisters’: A Refreshing Lack of Villains
This dumb as a rock blockbuster understands a core principle of storytelling.
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You see the trailer for a film like Twisters and you decide to go see it not because it looks smart, or because it promises paradigm change, but because you want to see some kick-ass tornadoes1. You want to see cows flying in the air, idiots being sucked up into the maelstrom because they cannot listen to simple instructions, wanton destruction and sets that make the American Midwest resemble the surface of the Moon2.
On that level, Twisters delivers, though it also makes a game attempt to make Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones happen in clear violation of the natural law stating that people named Glen or Daisy can never happen3. A kind of non-sequel to the 1996 film, Twisters follows teams of storm chasers who descend on Oklahoma due to a rare cluster of powerful storms rampaging around the state. Tyler Owens (Powell) is there for the clicks, as his Youtube channel is blowing up thanks to his disregard for personal safety in the face of a tornado4. Kate Carter (Jones) is there five years after her team of storm researchers were killed in a tornado because the only other survivor, Javi (Anthony Ramos), is trying to launch a company building off their earlier work together, and has asked for her help5.
There’s a story: Javi is working with a shady real estate baron, using his storm data to help scoop up destroyed properties for pennies on the dollar, which horrifies Kate when she figures it out. Kate is dealing with her PTSD and guilt, and Tyler is just a good old boy, never meaning no harm, who gives away free food and supplies whenever a storm destroys a town6.
The story is kind of typically bad for a big-budget Hollywood disaster film, so let it slide7. What’s interesting about Twisters is that it’s that rare modern-day film that understands that your antagonist doesn’t have to be a villain—or even a person.
If You Feel It, Chase It!
Twisters is set in a bizarro Oklahoma populated by people who have apparently never experienced, heard of, or imagined a tornado, despite the fact that there have been nearly 5,000 recorded tornadoes in the state since 19508. Whenever a tornado heads towards a town in this movie the citizens react as if the sky just turned purple, and it’s implied that only the intervention of the out-of-state storm chasers spares these towns from total destruction and depopulation (despite the fact the all the storm chasers do is run around yelling at people to get to shelter)9. There are no storm shelters anywhere, and the only piece of storm infrastructure we witness is a single alarm that goes off. It’s as if the good people of Oklahoma decided there’s simply nothing that can be done about these pesky tornadoes, so they all just sit on the ground and wait to be carried off10.
As Kate slowly deals with her trauma, Tyler slowly falls in love with Kate, and Javi comes to regret his deal with the devil, you slowly realize that no one here is actually a villain. Tyler’s the trademark Glen Powell Cheerful Asshole with a Nerdy Side11, but he’s basically a good person. Kate is noble and always tries to do the right thing. Javi has a conscience and slowly realizes he’s on the wrong side. The closest thing the film has to an actual villain is Marshall Riggs (David Born), the corrupt real estate developer, but he’s onscreen for so little he has almost nothing to do with the plot12.
No, there’s no villain in the story. There is an antagonist, however, which any writer will tell you doesn’t have to be a villain, or even human. That’s right, the antagonist is the tornadoes13.
You Don't Face Your Fears—You Ride 'Em
It’s actually kind of refreshing to have a big-budget film simply forego the desire to have a Cary Elwes character racing around in a literal black hat being all evil and stuff. Most Hollywood filmmakers believe the audience is too simple not to have a villain they can hiss and boo, which is why there’s almost always a Cary Elwes character in films like this—an unnecessary villain who serves simply to be hateable14.
Initially, Javi seems like he might be that character; after all, he lures Kate to Oklahoma without telling her all the details of his deal, and he seems pretty okay with selling out victims of a disaster so he can get his research funded. But he almost immediately regrets his decisions, and eventually emerges as the third protagonist of the story. Javi’s partner, Scott (David Corenswet) is totally villain material, eager to step on the poor folks of Tornado Alley if he has to, but he has so little impact on the plot he can’t be a villain15.
In the end, Javi, Kate, and Tyler team up to fight back against, yes, tornadoes. Is it a little ridiculous? Sure! But it makes sense, because the tornadoes were the antagonists all along. If Kate’s brains, Tyler’s weird engineering, and Javi’s rich data can combine to defuse tornadoes before they can kill again, the world will be a better place16!
Or something. No one claimed this movie makes a whole lot of sense. Glen Powell’s grin is powerful charming, Daisy Edgar-Jones inspires feelings of protectiveness similar to distressed kittens, and Anthony Ramos plies an off-center charm that is always compelling. You’re forty minutes into this movie before you even wonder if you’re enjoying it, because everyone is just so damned pretty and charismatic17. But at least there’s no drooling, unnecessary villain cluttering things up.
I used to enjoy hurricanes and inclement weather when I was a kid, but that’s because I owned nothing and thought I was immortal. These days even a light drizzle has me pacing the house like a caged animal. All that to say that I totally endorse killing the tornadoes.
NEXT WEEK: Furiosa and furious competence.
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Unless you go to see all the pretty people like Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones strut about in their hotness, in which case: Fair.
I mean, I know the Midwest is a vast underpopulated tundra, but this film makes it look like there are 5 people living in Oklahoma at any given moment.
This because of the When Harry Met Sally Rule that you can’t say stuff like “Oh yeah, do it to me Glen” with a straight face.
This actually feels like a very truthy and plausible plot point, sadly. I was born too soon — if I’d been born 30 years later, I’d absolutely have died in a Youtube click-farming related accident of some sort.
This film drops down and rolls around in the old trope that science! is always done in extremely dangerous way by extremely attractive people, instead of in extremely boring ways involving math and people who look like they’re very good at math.
Cast Glen Powell as a Bond Villain, I dare you.
You can have kick-ass tornadoes or you can have a story that makes sense, because a realistic story about tornadoes is three hours of people cowering in a storm cellar.
Here in New Jersey we had a small earthquake for the first time in years and it caused absolute pandemonium, despite the fact that it didn’t even knock pictures off my walls.
Seriously, all the native Oklahomans just stand around staring dumbly at the tornadoes waiting to be sucked up like the Rapture until Daisy Edgar-Jones shows up to yell at them.
Actually, that sounds so very American I am now revising my position on this and am willing to go with it.
You know: Was a desperately unhappy geek in high school, discovered the gym and Accutane in college, emerged from his cocoon as a 35-year old hottie who’s still crippled by insecurity. This likely describes Glen Powell himself.
You could, in fact, cut him entirely out of the story and nothing would change. There’s a writing lesson there, if you want it.
SURPRISE!
This is also the role I have grudgingly accepted in life, especially when I review books professionally.
Or remembered: I had to Google his character’s name. You will too.
Especially because, if we eliminate tornadoes, they won’t be able to make a third film called Twisterific or something.
This describes hanging out with me, too. Except the pretty and charismatic aspect is provided by my five cats, who are all handsome, charming, and smell like cookies.
Thanks, Jeff. I love how you make subtle or hidden references to a song by John Mellencamp and another song by Waylon Jennings in the article. Also, I appreciate how you pointed out that the antagonist doesn’t always have to be human. That’s always a fun exercise to work with when trying to write a story when lacking ideas.
There was one other thing I liked about this movie, which is maybe a tiny spoiler: ultimately, Kate performs the final life-saving action sequence alone while the men stay behind and help the townspeople. Nobody runs after her or tells her she’s being reckless or tries to save her. I can’t think of many films (or books) that allow a female heroine a moment like this.