Tornadobilly Elegy

The new disaster film Twisters has been described as a “stand-alone sequel” by its producers. Meaning, I guess, that it is not a sequel to 1996’s cult classic Twister in the sense that its events do not continue from those in the previous film, nor is it a “reboot” that rehashes the same events. Rather, it exists in the same universe, one in which tornadoes strike the American Great Plains, somewhat without explanation, and a group of plucky heroes has to survive and sort of fight the tornadoes. Conceptually, it doesn’t make a lot of sense, except in a world in which Hollywood tends to put money behind only those projects that are connected to some existing “intellectual property,” the better to feel confident that there will be some audience with a reason to go see whatever the studio is spending millions on CGI to make. Perhaps it’s best not to think about it too hard, which is also the best way to approach this extremely fun movie — the sexiest tornado-science-slash-survivors-guilt-action-dramedy probably ever — and its nonsensical, delightful plot.