Twisters: 6 Callbacks To The First Movie

Twisters is the kind of movie that fans probably thought they saw in 1996. Reviewing the original through new eyes can paint a different picture. What seemed like a movie filled with natural disasters is relatively light or at least it is compared to Twisters.

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A movie sequel should be all about outdoing the last film in terms of special effects and the sheer amount of destruction on screen. Twisters succeeds in making a bigger blockbuster. One is not better than the other though. They’re just different experiences aimed at similar crowds. These two movies do share some common plot lines worth analyzing though.

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

6 The Cold Open

Death Fuels Research

The opening of Twister shows Jo, Helen Hunt’s character, being locked down in a cellar with her mom and dad during a tornado. During the struggle, her dad is whisked away by the storm and then things warp to the present day presumably in 1996. Twisters opens similarly with a tornado death, three in fact. While on a survey mission, Kate and her team get their truck knocked over by a tornado.

In their run for cover, Praveen gets caught by the wind along with Addy. Kate’s boyfriend, Jeb, also dies while trying to protect her. Unlike Jo who fueled her need to chase tornadoes by her dad’s death, Kate ran away from the subject after witnessing those three deaths. Eventually, Kate gets inspired again so it’s a nod, but in a different way.

5 Dorothy

Technology Of The Past Fuels The Future

Jo and her team were trying to get their Dorothy pods into a tornado throughout the entirety of Twister. Dorothy was a series of analyzers, in ball form, that could map out a tornado’s trajectory. Naming them Dorthy was a nod to The Wizard of Oz franchise which saw the protagonist, Dorthy, wind up in a magical land after a tornado swept her away.

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At the beginning of Twisters, Kate’s team uses a modified version of the Dorothy balls. The twist is that they were also trying to stop a tornado by adding nitrates and other chemicals to the mix. Later, there is a further reference to The Wizard of Oz as Javi named his scanners after other characters like Lion, Scarecrow, and Tin Man. It’s a fun little nod to a tornado-related tale.

4 The Love Triangle

A Thriller Would Not Be Complete Without Romance

Twister had a weird romance in it that still seems confusing. Bill, Bill Paxton’s character, leaves Jo to be with another woman, Melissa. He enters the film wanting Jo to sign the divorce papers because he plans to marry Melissa soon. Eventually, Bill realizes he still loves Jo, Melissa sees that, so she leaves Bill amicably.

It didn’t seem realistic for a 90s movie and it certainly doesn’t seem realistic today. In Twisters, Kate’s boyfriend, Jeb, dies in that aforementioned opening thus leaving room for Javi to swoop in. Instead, Kate goes for the newbie, Taylor, and Javi once again is in the friend zone. It’s not a direct 1:1 to the original film but it can’t be a coincidence in Twisters.

3 A Paxton Among Us

A Tribute To A Legend

Kate and Tyler in a drained pool in Twisters

Bill Paxton was a cinema legend starring in other hits besides Twisterlike Titanic andAliens. Sadly, he passed away in 2017 but not without bearing a son who also became an actor. James Paxton is a character actor who has appeared most notably in Agents of SHIELD as the younger version of John Garret, Bill Paxton’s character.

While Bill does not appear in Twisters, James does. He plays the rude motel guest named Cody who eventually gets swept away along with his girlfriend. It’s a lesson in karma. Don’t be rude to the service industry or else a tornado may seek revenge.

2 The Money Grubbers Vs The Helpful

There Is Always A Lesson To Be Had

In Twister, there was a “bad” set of tornado chasers that copied the Dorothy idea and wanted to make a profit from it. That was not Bill and Jo’s plan as they simply wanted Dorothy for research opportunities only. Toward the end of Twister, these villains are taken out mostly off-screen even though they weren’t typical movie villains.

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There are two main teams in Twisters. There is the more analytical team led by Kate and Javi and then there is Tyler and his YouTube crew. It seems like a setup close to the original except it is switched. Kate doesn’t know she is on the money-grubbing side and she finds out Tyler is donating a lot of money to disaster relief funds. It was a fun way to play with expectations while paying homage to the original’s plot.

1 Oklahoma

Look Out For Tornado Alley

The biggest nod to the original is setting Twisters in Oklahoma. It is a state part of the infamous Tornado Valley which has shifted over the years. Weather patterns are scary, especially during these global warming events.

Twisters doesn’t mention global warming in a big sense but it didn’t need to. A more rambunctious sequel may have tried to set it in New York City, which it could have since Kate lived there. Instead, it smartly went back to the homeland and showcased a different set of society not often placed on film. That’s what made Twister a classic too.