Look. We know that Deadpool & Wolverine is about to take over theaters and probably dominate the summer box office narrative. We, too, are excited to see the merc with a mouth team up with everyone’s favorite clawed hero. But, what we fear may get lost in the MCU shuffle is another fun summer blockbuster already out in theaters: Lee Isaac Chung’s Twisters.

This sequel to the 90s hit that put disaster movies on the map stars Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos, and a slew of other up and coming actors who all give charismatic performances. The story follows Kate (Edgar-Jones), a former tornado chaser and meteorologist who reluctantly returns to her home state of Oklahoma and finds herself going head-to-head with Tyler the “tornado wrangler” (Powell), a showboating YouTuber who thrives on danger.

In this episode of The Long Take Review, Greg, P.T., and I share what we thought was fun about Twisters, while acknowledging what doesn’t work and doesn’t make sense. We dissect the film’s themes, identify places where we see Oscar-nominated director Lee Isaac Chung’s influence coming through, and debate whether or not this should actually count as a sequel to Twister. Why did Jen regret not wearing a sweatshirt to her screening? Why does P.T. feel the need to get on a soapbox? What’s Greg’s genius movie pitch to Universal Studios? Tune in to find out. And stay until after the outro for not one but two humorous clips Jen had to edit out of the main show.

You can listen to The Long Take Review on Substack, Spotify, Apple, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Image Credit: People

Movie News Update: We check in on the summer box office. 2:56

The Short Take Our overall impressions of Twisters. 18:04

The Recommendation Algorithm Do you need to have seen Twister (1996) before Twisters? Do you hate fun if you don’t like this movie? 29:05

SPOILER MODE What surprised us? What let us down? How does this film intersect with its predecessor? To what extent does Twisters engage with political/social commentary? 38:14

The Rhetorical Situation Does Twisters actually count as a sequel? How do we define a sequel? 1:18:35

Oscars Watch Can Twisters get sucked up by the Oscar vortex, or will it dissipate into the atmosphere? 1:41:24

All music licensed through Epidemic Sound.

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