Whether on your television during the Super Bowl or on the screen at the movie theater, you’ve probably seen the trailer for the upcoming movie Twisters. Starring Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell, and Anthony Ramos, this disaster film looks to be set up for success with its all-star cast. But did you know that the film is actually a sequel to the 1996 movie Twister?
The original Twister came out in 1996 starring Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton and was an instant hit. It became the second-highest-grossing movie of the year, earning $54.7 million at the box office. And it wasn’t just popular in the 90s — there is still a large Twister fanbase out there, which is why a sequel is being made. While Twisters (2024) is a standalone sequel, knowing about the original will make your viewing experience more fun — and you may even pick up on similarities between the two. If you want to watch Twister before Twisters comes out, it is available on HBO’s Max streaming service.
But if you just want a crash course on the 1996 film, look no further — here’s everything you need to know about Twister before watching the sequel.
Twister (1996) Plot
Spoilers ahead
Twister starts with a family in 1969 seeking shelter from an F5 tornado (the strongest level a tornado can reach). The tornado destroys the family’s home and kills the father, leaving a crying wife and daughter Jo (Hunt) in a bunker. 27 years later, we see Jo is now a tornado-obsessed meteorologist who chases storms for a living. Bill (Paxton), a former team member of Jo’s storm chasers and her soon-to-be ex-husband, meets up with Jo and the crew with his fiancé, Melissa, to have Jo finish signing their divorce papers so he and Melissa can get married.
During this meet-up, Jo shows Bill “Dorothy,” a device Bill had helped design that would release sensors into tornados to collect data, hoping to revolutionize tornado research and ultimately create an earlier tornado warning system.
With “Dorothy” up and running and a new storm popping up nearby, Bill gets sucked back into the dangerous world of storm chasing, dragging his poor fiancé along with him. From here the movie follows Jo, Bill, and the rest of the crew chasing after the tornados that are popping up due to the current storm. They hope to use one of their “Dorothy” systems, having 3 backups. There are several close calls where Jo and Bill get far too close to the tornados. There is also a competing storm chaser team who have more funding but “no instinct,” who have developed their own “Dorothy,” adding an additional layer of intensity to the plot.
During a break in the storm, Jo, Bill, and the crew stop at Jo’s aunt Meg’s home for a meal. It is here we see just how much Jo misses Bill and hopes that they get back together. When another tornado pops up, they say goodbye to Meg and go on their way.
After finding themselves way too close to a tornado again, Jo and Bill get into an argument about how Jo is being reckless in her pursuit to avenge her father’s death. In this argument, Bill shares his feelings for Jo — but Melissa hears this confession over one of their forgotten radios and later breaks off the engagement.
The crew decides to get cleaned up at a local motel and start again in the morning. While at the motel and neighboring drive-in movie theater, a tornado runs straight through, nearly killing the entire crew. Once everyone is safe, they get news that the tornado has made its way to Wakita, where Aunt Meg’s home is. The crew rushes over in time to save Meg and her dog before her house collapses in on them. Meg is sent to the hospital but tells Jo she has to continue chasing this storm so that they can use “Dorothy” help create a better alert system.
With their final “Dorothy” left, Jo and Bill chase after the now F5 tornado. They successfully release the sensors into the storm, which instantly begin collecting data. Jo and Bill then try to outrun the storm and seek refuge in a local pump house. When the storm passes, Jo and Bill reunite with the crew and the two share a kiss as everyone else celebrates.
Fun and full of suspense, the original Twister does not disappoint, so get excited for the new one and see Twisters in theaters on July 19.
What's Your Reaction?
