Twisters, the storm-chasing sequel, has received great reviews (now 84 percent “Fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes) and continues Glen Powell’s much-needed summer. The film follows an unexpected outbreak of powerful storms that rip through the American heartland, with characters spewing plenty of meteorological jargon.
The one thing Twisters lacks is a connection to climate change.
This is somewhat surprising. The potential impact of climate change on tornadoes is complicated and still being investigated, but scientists appear to agree that tornado patterns are changing. In any case, the American Red Cross recently informed ABC News that “the climate crisis is forcing the American Red Cross to respond to nearly twice as many large disasters as we did a decade ago.”
it, if you’re filming a 2024 film about a never-before-seen tornado outbreak, you’ve got a very good reason to do it. Simply have Daisy Edgar-Jones frantically look at some Doppler radar and mutter an actual study statistic like: “The Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society projected a 6.6 percent nationwide increase in the frequency of supercell thunderstorms by the end of the century because of global warming — but nothing like this!” And now your summer tornado popcorn movie has some “but seriously, this could really happen” semi-scientific gravitas.
READ MORE: Protesters Against Climate Change Storm Tesla’s Gigafactory In Europe
But, according to filmmaker Lee Isaac Chung, even such a passing allusion would be like to bashing red state viewers over the head with a DVD copy of An Inconvenient Truth.
“I just wanted to make sure that with the movie, we don’t ever feel like it is putting forward any message,” Chung told CNN in an interview. “I just don’t feel like films are meant to be message-oriented.”
In one scenario, a local farmer played by Maura Tierney claims that storms and floods are becoming more often, but she makes no mention of climate change.
“I think what we are doing is showing the reality of what’s happening on the ground … we don’t shy away from saying that things are changing,” he told reporters. “I wanted to make sure that we never created the impression that we were preaching a message, since that is not what I believe cinema should be about. I believe it should be representative of the world.”
Or, at the very least, a reflection of studio caution in these polarizing times when hunting for a summer movie smash.
Radiant TV, offering to elevate your entertainment game! Movies, TV series, exclusive interviews, music, and more—download now on various devices, including iPhones, Androids, smart TVs, Apple TV, Fire Stick, and more.
