2020-2029, Film Review

Twisters (2024)

Posted on July 20, 2024August 25, 2024 by Martin: Through the Silver Screen

**© Warner Bros, Universal and Amblin Entertainment**

Twisters – Film Review

Cast: Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell, Anthony Ramos, Brandon Perea, Maura Tierney, Sasha Lane, Daryl McCormack, David Corenswet, Harry Hadden-Paton

Director: Lee Isaac Chung

Synopsis: Years after a personal tragedy, a meteorologist is drawn back into the world of storm-chasing by an old friend…

Review: Mother Nature can be a very beautiful thing, but she also be extremely frightening and deadly if she wants to be. There is no shortage of natural disasters to unleash on anything and anyone who finds themselves in the path of these deadly occurrences. Yet despite the threat these events pose, there is something that is inescapably compelling, and in some cases, inspiring about watching them unfold on the big screen. 1996’s Twister, despite being plagued by a troubled production of adverse weather conditions, is to this day, one of the best examples of a disaster movie, and led to a rise in the number of students who looked to study meteorology. The forecast at the time would surely have predicted a high probability of a sequel. It has taken nearly 30 years to arrive, but it is here, to blow your socks off.

Kate Carter (Edgar-Jones) is a meteorologist living in New York City. Five years earlier, while chasing a tornado with a team to carry out research on how to reduce the storm’s intensity in Oklahoma, tragedy strikes which leaves most of her friends and fellow storm chasers dead, with the only survivor being Javi (Ramos). Such a traumatic experience has taken its toll on Kate, she initially rebuffs an offer from Javi to get back into the world of storm-chasing. However, upon seeing the damaging impact the storms are having and the potential to save countless lives, Kate joins up with Javi and a new team in Oklahoma. When they arrive, they encounter Tyler “Tornado Wrangler” Owens (Powell) a fellow meteorologist, who also happens to vlog his storm-chasing adventures with his eclectic team.

It will not come as news to anyone that tornados can be immensely dangerous, with the most extreme storms capable of reaching wind speeds of more than 300 miles per hour and can stay on the ground for more than 100 kilometres. These perils are devastatingly realised in an extremely tense opening scene in which director Lee Isaac Chung really makes the audience feel the intensity of these storms and how one wrong move can be catastrophic. The script by Mark L. Smith, which serves as a stand-alone sequel to Jan De Bont’s classic, shares no mutual characters and no connective gusts of wind. However, in a world with the threat of extreme weather events becoming more and more common, the screenplay makes the wise choice to not tinker with what made the 1996 film so successful. It merely brings it into the 21st century, with all the technological advancements that have happened, to enable those who would be brave/crazy enough to venture into the heart of a storm all in the name of scientific research, or for just the sheer thrill of it because: “if you feel it, chase it!”.

As the meteorologist in the eye of these storms, Daisy Edgar-Jones is terrific as Kate. Her talent for storm-chasing is immediately evident and she brings an abundance of enthusiasm for it. You get the sense that after stepping away from it for several years, she is eager to make up for the lost time. In what has been a remarkable rise for him over the last few years, Powell is also on terrific form as Tyler. He very much exudes that charisma and bravado that was on display in Top Gun: Maverick, who is at first solely in the business of storm-chasing for internet fame and daredevil. Though initially on rival storm-chasing teams, the duo begin to work together when the very real threat of these storms stands to cause catastrophic damage across the region. Such is their palpable chemistry, that it blows the rest of the supporting cast to the sidelines, aside from Anthony Ramos’s Javi who finds himself torn between the friendship he has for Kate, and the investor of his company, who may or may not be involved with some rather shady business practices.

After directing the heart-warming and soulful Minari, Twisters is perhaps not the next film many would have forecast Chung to be as his follow-up feature. Combined with the immaculate direction of the storm-chasing sequences, as he showed with his tender debut feature about one immigrant family’s pursuit of the American Dream, Chung brings real humanity to the film as the relief efforts to help the people rebuild their lives, homes, and businesses are given the necessary attention. It’s all well and good chasing a tornado to get the blood pumping, but the film never loses sight of the devasting impact these storms have on the people whose livelihoods are in their path. Unless you are the daredevil sort, storm-chasing is an adventure you probably won’t want to be seeking out any time soon, but it will provide you with a blustery good time at the cinema and who knows, maybe inspire a whole new generation’s interest in meteorology? Lightning could most certainly strike twice.

Following in the path of one of the best disaster films might have been a daunting task, but with the charisma of its cast and thrilling and intense storm-chase sequences, Twisters is a thrilling blast of spectacle and struggle against the perils of Mother Nature.

2020-2029, Film Review

Anyone But You (2023)

Posted on January 6, 2024December 22, 2025 by Martin: Through the Silver Screen

(c) Sony Pictures Releasing, SK Global, RK Films, Olive Bridge Entertainment and Columbia Pictures

Anyone But You – Film Review

Cast: Sydney Sweeney, Glen Powell, Alexandra Shipp, GaTa, Hadley Robinson, Michelle Hurd, Dermot Mulroney, Darren Barnet, Bryan Brown, Rachel Griffiths

Director: Will Gluck

Synopsis: A blossoming romance between a couple quickly sours and takes a turn for the worse when they find out they’re both attending a destination wedding…

Review: Perhaps it is Disney’s influence and the warm, fuzzy feeling that comes with a happy-ever-after tale, but there’s something refreshingly simple and effective about a good romantic comedy. They have an effortless appeal, which we as human beings lap up, because who doesn’t love a good romance when two people, after much will-they-won’t-they antics, finally come to the realisation they are destined for each other and fall in love? It definitely doesn’t hurt when the two people at the centre of this particular tale are two of the most attractive human beings on earth, with an equally beautiful setting to go along with it.

Bea (Sweeney) and Ben (Powell) randomly meet at a coffee shop and strike up a romance, leading them to spend the night together at Ben’s place. Despite what seems to have been a perfect first date, Bea decides to leave first thing in the morning before Ben has woken up. A change of heart leads her to head back, only to hear Ben verbally lash out at her for leaving without saying a word, to his friend Pete (GaTa), all while she is in earshot. The sparks which initially flew at their first meeting are soon replaced by uncomfortable frostiness when they find themselves again in each other’s company at a party several months later. The two are further dismayed when, after being invited to the wedding of Bea’s sister Halle (Robinson) and Pete’s sister Claudia (Shipp) in Australia, they will be staying in the same house. Amid possible schemes from other wedding guests to get them together, Ben and Bea decide to pretend to be in a relationship to get the other wedding guests, as well as their parents, off their backs. Who knows, maybe this will make them realise what made their initial connection so memorable?

Loosely based on William Shakespeare’s play Much Ado About Nothing, the script by Will Gluck and Ilana Wolpert does everything it can to channel the spirit of the Bard himself, as the central couple at the centre of this love/hate relationship sharing the names of the protagonists for good measure (Beatrice and Benedick). Seeing two people who would almost certainly prefer to be in anyone else’s company other than each other’s lends itself to some humorous moments. Despite this animosity, they try to make things as seamless as possible and avoid making a scene at the wedding of two people close to them. Shenanigans are had, with one particular highlight being when the wedding party is out on a hike taking in the scenery that the land down under has to offer, as well as a recreation of the iconic scene from Titanic while the wedding guests are having a party on a boat, what could be more romantic than that? Well until, it goes just a bit wrong and ends up with an unplanned dip while wearing fancy party attire.

It is a fundamental aspect that any rom-com needs chemistry between its leads. Luckily, when you have two of the hottest (literally) rising stars in the business, it counts for a lot as Sweeney and Powell’s chemistry sizzles like the hot Australian sunshine. Their charisma and charm are enough to carry the film practically all by themselves, and Gluck seems to recognise the easy on the eye appeal of his leading couple as much as possible, while cinematographer Danny Ruhlmann utilises the beautiful, picturesque Australian scenery to his advantage. However, their blazing hot chemistry and on-screen charisma can only do so much to elevate the material, as it cannot escape the very formulaic nature of the plot. Despite their bitterness and resentment, they initially have, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that the hostilities between them will inevitably give way to a realisation that maybe these two have romantic feelings for each other after all.

While Sweeney and Powell dominate much of the screentime, Dermot Mulroney provides excellent comedy relief as Bea’s father, scheming with some of the others to get his daughter and Ben to realise what is staring everyone in the face. While they have the limelight stolen from them due to the antics of Ben and Bea, Alexandra Shipp and Hadley Robinson get their time to shine, and so they should, what with them being the couple whose wedding is the reason for this gathering in the first place. It doesn’t break any new ground, but if you’re looking for some glorious sunshine, some attractive people and a simplistic but effective story of two souls taking a long time to realise what the audience knew from the beginning, it certainly ticks all the boxes. But be warned, you will not be able to get Natasha Bedingfield’s certified 2000s pop banger “Unwritten” out of your head for several days afterwards.

It does not win points for its originality, but with Sweeney and Powell’s endless charisma, charm and attractiveness to swoon over, combined with the very picturesque backdrop elevates the material that will satisfy die-hard rom-com fans.

2020-2029, Film Review

Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

Posted on May 28, 2022November 25, 2024 by Martin: Through the Silver Screen

**© Paramount Pictures, Skydance Media and Bruckheimer Films**

Top Gun: Maverick – Film Review

Cast: Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Glen Powell, Lewis Pullman, Ed Harris, Val Kilmer, Monica Barbaro, Charles Parnell, Jay Ellis, Danny Ramirez, Greg Tarzan Davis

Directors: Joseph Kosinski

Synopsis: After decades of service in the US Navy, Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell is called back to train some new recruits for a dangerous new mission…

Review: What more is there to be said about Tom Cruise? For over four decades, here’s an actor who has poured his heart and soul into his projects, pulling off death-defying stunts, all to provide the audience with thrilling entertainment, which has cemented his reputation as one of the best action movie stars of his generation. While his most jaw-dropping stunt work has come in the Mission: Impossible franchise, arguably the first of the many iconic roles that he’s provided audiences with over the years was the cocky US Navy Pilot in Top Gun. Now, somewhat much later than planned due to numerous delayed release dates, Cruise is taking audiences back to the skies once more, for an utterly enthralling sequel that will please long-time fans of the original and new fans alike.

After more than three decades of service in the US Navy, Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell is right where he wants to be, serving as one of the most skilled pilots whilst continuously avoiding the calling of a higher rank that would prevent him from taking flight ever again. However, upon the request of Tom “Iceman” Kazinsky (Kilmer), he’s called back to Top Gun to lead the training of a batch of new recruits, billed as the best that the Navy has to offer, for a highly perilous mission that will test their skills as pilots to the limit. However, whilst training these new recruits, Maverick must contend with the fact that one of the new recruits is Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw (Teller), the son of his late best friend Goose, who died whilst flying with Maverick.

To reprise a role after over 30 years can be a risk, as it can so often be one of two things. It can either tell a story that is worth telling, or it could (especially given Hollywood’s love for using nostalgia) be used as a mere excuse to print money at the box office. While this sequel does walk the line between being nothing more than a nostalgia trip for fans of the original, it does earn its place as a more than worthy sequel. However, while the script by Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer and Christopher McQuarrie certainly weaves some of that nostalgia into the story by immediately blasting Kenny Loggins’s opening song in the opening credits, it is also a story that packs plenty of emotional weight, especially where Maverick, and where he is at this moment in his life, is concerned.

Cruise, as he so often is, is effortlessly watchable. He exudes the swagger, charisma and cockiness that made him such made Maverick such an instantaneous icon of 80s action cinema. However, through all that charisma and extraordinary skill to fly a fighter plane, there’s an overriding sense of guilt that despite being cleared of any blame for the death of Goose, Maverick still feels responsible for what happened. It is a responsibility that he is forced to confront when Goose’s son Rooster becomes one of his pupils. While Maverick has to balance his desire to be the father figure for Rooster that he never had and his teacher, Rooster continues to harbour resentment for Maverick’s part in his father’s death. The dynamic between the two creates an emotional arc that drives the story forward, whilst allowing Teller to remind us of what a talented actor he is with an extremely impactful performance.

For the majority of the new recruits, while they are all charismatic presences, any attempt at a backstory or character development for any of them, apart from Rooster, is minimal at best. This also goes for much of the rest of the new cast. There is an extremely emotional moment between Maverick and Val Kilmer’s Iceman. Jon Hamm shines with what little screen time he has as a Vice Admiral who would love nothing more than to ground Maverick for good. For Maverick’s love interest, there’s no mention of Kelly McGillis’s Charlotte. Instead, she is replaced by Jennifer Connolly’s Penny, a past flame of Maverick’s whose only purpose is to give him the motivation to ensure he makes it back home.

Re-teaming with Joseph Kosinski, who helmed Tron Legacy and Oblivion with Cruise, it’s not overstating it to say that these aerial action scenes are some of the most exhilarating action scenes that have ever been put to film. It is estimated that a whopping 800 hours worth of footage inside real-life planes was shot, enough time to watch the extended editions of the Lord of the Rings trilogy approximately 70 times over! It is an extraordinary herculean endeavour from all of the crew, from Kosinski’s immaculate direction to the terrific sound work, it puts the audience in the cockpit of these planes like they are in the cockpit with these incredibly skilled pilots as they train for the toughest mission of their naval careers. When it comes time for the mission during the all-important third act, the tension is dialled to the maximum and never lets up for the rest of the film. After all those delays due to the pandemic, Top Gun: Maverick earns its wings by becoming a rare sequel that surpasses its predecessor in just about every single way.