The blinding star power of Glen Powell fuels the resuscitation of another decades old film in “Twisters”. As you recall, he helped bring “Top Gun” back to life in 2022. And word is out that he’s already signed up to star in remakes of “Backdraft” and “The Running Man”. But before he digs into those future projects there’s “Twisters”, a standalone sequel to the 1996 disaster movie hit “Twister”.

While Powell’s sudden spike in wattage is getting most of the attention, the film’s lead is Daisy Edgar-Jones, an exciting young actress who first grabbed my attention with 2022’s “Fresh”. “Twisters” doesn’t give her anything that meaty (bad pun intended), but she’s a great fit for her character – expressive and authentic. When together with Powell’s natural charisma and million-dollar smile, the two make an appealing pair. Maybe not Hunt-Paxton level of appealing but that may be unfair, especially considering what the sequel is going for.

“Twisters” is directed by Lee Isaac Chung (“Minari”) who works from a script by Mark L. Smith. While their movie doesn’t feature any of the characters from its predecessor, it uses many of the same narrative building blocks as the 1996 original. At the same time it has plenty of its own flavor to make this more than some pointless rehash. And with its hefty budget of nearly $200 million, Chung and his creative wizards put together several thrilling, big screen worthy set pieces perfect for the summer blockbuster season.

Edgar-Jones plays Kate Cooper, a tornado specialist working at the National Weather Service’s regional office in New York City. Originally a storm chaser from Oklahoma, Kate left that life behind five years ago after a miscalculation cost the lives of three close friends and fellow chasers. So she moved to the city and disconnected from her family and friends back home. But the pain of that fateful choice still haunts her.

One day Kate is paid a surprise visit by a former member of her science team, Javi (Anthony Ramos). He and his organization Storm Par have devised a plan using military prototypes that can create three dimensional scans of tornadoes. They can then use the information to better predict their paths. Javi needs Kate’s help in tracking the tornadoes and getting get close enough to set up his sensors. It takes some convincing but Kate eventually agrees.

So Kate joins up with Javi and his team in Oklahoma where a “once in a generation” tornado outbreak has been tearing through the state. Enter Glen Powell as Tyler Owens, a cocky storm chaser and self-proclaimed “Tornado Wrangler” from Arkansas. He and his crew chase tornadoes, not for any noble cause such as science, but for his YouTube channel and its one million subscribers. To no surprise, the two outfits find themselves competing to see who can get to the storms first.

From the first moment he arrives on screen, Powell is a charismatic force of nature. He gives a pitch-perfect performance that highlights the qualities that has made him such a hot Hollywood commodity. He has a cowboy swagger yet is effortlessly charming. But perhaps his best quality is his ability to laugh at himself. “Twisters” gives us some funny scenes at his character’s expense and Powell has a blast with them. He’s an absolute scene-stealer and you believe in him whether his character is ratcheted up or dialed down.

“Twisters” is sprinkled with several entertaining side characters who shine despite being underutilized by the script. Tyler’s high-energy bohemian team is a lot of fun and features noteworthy performances from Brandon Perea, Sasha Lane, Tunde Adebimpe, Harry Hadden-Paton, and Katy O’Brian. Maura Tierney gets some good scenes as Kate’s mom. And even the future Superman himself, David Corenswet has his moments as Javi’s business partner. None of them are given time for any meaningful growth, but the cast does a good job bringing them to life.

Chung has made a film that is more of a spiritual successor than a direct sequel and that turns out to be a good thing. Rather than concocting some closely linked follow-up nearly 30 years later, “Twisters” embraces the spirit of the original film while still doing its own thing. It’s hardly a grand reimagining, but there are some clear differences in focus that set it apart. It’s undeniably silly in spots, some characters vanish, and it could have done without the on-the-nose needle drops. But the tornado effects and scenes of destruction are spectacular. Best of all, Powell and Edgar-Jones light up the screen in their own distinct ways. Together they’re a big reason why “Twisters” is one of the few must-see blockbusters of the summer.

VERDICT – 4 STARS