Twisters Review: Is The Disaster Movie Worth Watching?

Yes, Twisters is worth watching—but only if you’re in the right headspace for spectacle over substance. The 2024 disaster film delivers exactly what its marketing promises: stunning tornado sequences, charismatic leads, and two hours of pure visual entertainment.

However, if you’re expecting a tightly plotted narrative with complex characters and genuine emotional stakes, you’ll leave disappointed.

The film’s massive audience reception (92% on Rotten Tomatoes) versus its more measured critical reception (77%) tells you everything you need to know: Twisters is a crowd-pleaser that knows what it is, even if critics wish it aimed higher.

The question isn’t whether Twisters is a good movie by traditional filmmaking standards—critics have already noted its lack of originality and shallow character development.

The real question is whether you’re willing to trade narrative depth for spectacle, and whether you find value in two hours of impressive special effects and likable performances from Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones. For casual moviegoers seeking summer entertainment, the answer is a resounding yes. For serious cinephiles, it’s a harder sell.

Table of Contents

• Should You See Twisters Based on Critical Reception?
• The Visual Spectacle That Makes Twisters Worth the Ticket Price
• The Lead Performances That Elevate Generic Source Material
• Understanding Twisters’ Plot and Narrative Structure
• Understanding Your Audience and Who Should Skip Twisters
• Box Office Success and What It Means for the Disaster Genre
• The Future of Disaster Cinema in the Age of CGI Spectacle

Should You See Twisters Based on Critical Reception?

The gap between critical and audience scores reveals a fascinating divide in how different groups evaluate this film.

Critics awarded twisters a 77% on Rotten Tomatoes, praising the visual effects and the natural chemistry between lead actors, but expressing frustration with the formulaic plot and underdeveloped character arcs. Meanwhile, audiences gave it 92%—a 15-point difference that’s unusual in the modern film landscape.

This disparity suggests that Twisters succeeds on an entertainment level, even when it fails on a storytelling level.

The film’s IMDb rating of 6.5/10, meanwhile, places it firmly in the “watchable but not exceptional” category. This critical-audience split isn’t uncommon for blockbuster entertainment, but it’s worth noting before you decide to buy a ticket. If you trust critical consensus as your guide, expect a film that’s technically proficient but narratively predictable.

If you trust audience scores, expect pure fun. The difference comes down to priorities: do you want a movie that challenges you as a viewer, or one that relieves you of the burden of complexity? Twisters makes its choice clear from the opening scene.

The Visual Spectacle That Makes Twisters Worth the Ticket Price

where Twisters genuinely shines is in its tornado sequences and overall technical execution. The visual effects work stands as the film’s greatest achievement, delivering a level of disaster spectacle that justifies the theatrical experience.

Watching a tornado tear through a landscape on a massive screen, with surround sound amplifying every roar and rumble, is precisely the kind of sensory experience that cinema does better than any other medium.

Critics specifically highlighted the strength of these sequences, noting that the visual design and CGI work represent some of the best disaster effects in recent memory.

However, there’s a significant limitation to acknowledge: the film’s impressive effects are deployed in service of a relatively thin narrative.

Once you’ve seen the third or fourth tornado sequence, diminishing returns set in, and you’re left watching the characters navigate predictable plot beats between action set pieces.

This is where the “hokey and dumb, but spectacular fun” assessment from critics becomes relevant—the visuals carry the film when the story falters. Additionally, while the effects are impressive on a large screen, watching Twisters on a phone or small TV diminishes its primary selling point substantially.

The Lead Performances That Elevate Generic Source Material

Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones bring genuine charm and charisma to their roles as former storm chasers reuniting for another adventure. Both actors have proven their ability to carry films, and here they demonstrate why audiences connect with their on-screen presence.

Their banter has an ease that suggests real chemistry, and their performances make scenes that could otherwise feel rote land with some emotional resonance. Powell, in particular, continues his streak of playing likable, slightly self-aware action heroes who don’t take themselves too seriously.

Edgar-Jones brings a layer of competence to her character that prevents her from becoming a damsel-in-distress archetype.

The limitation here is significant: no amount of charismatic acting can overcome shallow character writing. Both leads work with characters who lack genuine depth or surprising character development. We learn basic information about their shared past and their motivations, but the film rarely digs deeper or reveals meaningful layers to these characters.

Their performances make you enjoy spending time with them, but they also highlight what a more ambitious screenplay might have accomplished with richer material. The supporting cast, meanwhile, largely fades into the background—a waste of talented actors who could have added texture to the ensemble.

Understanding Twisters’ Plot and Narrative Structure

Twisters follows a familiar formula: former partners with a complicated history reunite for one last mission, navigate obstacles both physical and emotional, and ultimately reconcile their differences while saving the day. The plot hits every expected beat with the precision of a well-programmed machine.

You’ll know exactly where the story is heading within the first thirty minutes, and the film makes no attempt to subvert expectations or introduce genuine plot surprises. This predictability isn’t necessarily fatal to a summer blockbuster, but it does explain why critics found the narrative underwhelming compared to the spectacle.

The primary comparison worth making is to other recent disaster films: Twisters feels more like a scaled-down cousin of films like San Andreas or 2012, borrowing their structure without matching their scale or ambition.

Where those films occasionally attempted something beyond the basic formula, Twisters settles comfortably within established parameters. If you’ve seen disaster movies before, you understand what’s coming. This is both a strength (it delivers what you expect) and a weakness (it delivers nothing you don’t expect).

For viewers seeking novelty or surprise, the plot represents a significant drawback. For viewers seeking comfort and entertainment, it’s perfectly adequate.

Understanding Your Audience and Who Should Skip Twisters

The most important question is whether you fall into the audience segment for which Twisters was designed. If you’re someone who enjoys popcorn blockbusters, values spectacle over narrative complexity, and appreciates likable character performances over profound character arcs, Twisters is genuinely worth your time and money.

The film’s massive opening weekend ($80.5-$81.25 million domestically) and record-breaking status as the largest opening for a natural disaster film suggests that millions of viewers found tremendous value in exactly what the film offers. These aren’t critics—they’re ordinary viewers who paid money and came away satisfied.

However, there’s a significant warning for other audiences: if you prize intelligent screenwriting, original storytelling, or complex character development, Twisters will frustrate you. The film makes no bones about its intentions, which is admirable in its own way, but also means it’s not trying to be something it isn’t.

The lack of originality isn’t a flaw you can overlook—it’s baked into the film’s DNA. If you’re drawn to cinema for its artistic merit, as a medium for exploring human experience, or as a launching point for original ideas, Twisters represents a significant opportunity cost.

You might spend two hours on this film, or you might use that time on something that challenges or moves you in new ways.

Box Office Success and What It Means for the Disaster Genre

Twisters’ opening weekend of $80.5-$81.25 million established it as a genuine success, the third-largest opening of 2024 behind Inside Out 2 and Dune: Part Two. More significantly, it holds the record for the largest opening ever for a natural disaster film (unadjusted for inflation).

This financial performance suggests genuine audience appetite for disaster cinema, provided the film includes charismatic stars and technical polish. The comparison to previous disaster films is instructive: Twisters outperformed San Andreas’ opening ($18 million) substantially, though adjusted-for-inflation comparisons might tell a different story about how the genre has evolved.

This box office success validates a particular approach to blockbuster filmmaking: invest heavily in spectacle, cast recognizable stars, keep plot complexity minimal, and trust that audiences will show up. Whether this approach is sustainable long-term remains to be seen, but Twisters demonstrates its effectiveness in the current marketplace.

The film’s strong audience scores suggest that viewers felt they received genuine value for their ticket price, even if critics disagreed about whether the film aspired to excellence or merely competence. This creates a scenario where box office success and critical disappointment coexist—a reminder that audience satisfaction and critical acclaim don’t always align.

The Future of Disaster Cinema in the Age of CGI Spectacle

Twisters arrives at an interesting moment for the disaster genre. The film demonstrates that audiences still crave large-scale disaster entertainment, particularly when delivered with modern visual effects and charismatic performances.

The gap between critical and audience reception suggests that the average viewer cares more about the quality of the spectacle and the likability of the cast than about narrative originality.

This may influence how studios approach disaster films going forward, potentially leading to more emphasis on visual effects budgets and star power at the expense of screenwriting. The forward-looking question is whether the disaster genre can evolve beyond the formula that Twisters perfects but doesn’t transcend.

Will future disaster films attempt more ambitious narratives, or will Twisters’ commercial success validate the current approach? The evidence suggests the latter, though there’s always hope that somewhere, a filmmaker will combine spectacle with substance, delivering a disaster movie that satisfies both critics and audiences equally.

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