The Movie Guru: ‘Twisters’ and ‘Young Woman and the Sea’ both deeply satisfying for genre fans
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Twisters (in theaters)
Don’t focus on whether “Twisters” is a sequel or a remake. The important thing is if you liked the original, you’ll like this one.
The new movie manages to beautifully capture the vibe of the original without copying anything but the basic concept. There’s still plenty of dramatic, dangerous moments, a nice sprinkling of movie science, and appealing enough characters to keep the quieter moments interesting. There’s also more of a focus on the impact of twisters, a nice bit of modernization. Add in the incredible chemistry between Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones, and it all adds up to an excellent night at the movies.
Clever viewers will feel the trauma coming in the movie’s opening scenes, but the majority of the movie follows Kate Carter (Edgar-Jones) years after the twister-related trauma. When an old friend asks her to come back into the storm-chasing game, she has to face both her past and some of the biggest tornadoes Oklahoma has ever seen. Can she figure out a way to help everyone caught in the twisters’ path?
Edgar-Jones is good as the traumatized scientist, spunky beneath the extremely understandable PTSD. Powell continues to be the most charismatic man in Hollywood at this point, taking what could have been a deeply-cliched character and making him extremely likable. They’re a delight together onscreen, charming enough in parts to make the movie seem like an unusually restrained romantic comedy. Anthony Ramos has a smaller role, but he brings some real depth.
If only all sequel/remakes were this satisfying.
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Grade: Three and a half stars
Young Woman and the Sea (Disney+)
If you’re one of those people who find sports underdog stories deeply satisfying, then you definitely want to check out “Young Woman and the Sea.”
Based on the true story of a young woman determined to overcome all odds and achieve a successful swimming career all the way back in 1926, “Young Woman and the Sea” is a straightforward, satisfying look at what it takes to achieve your dreams. Anchored by an excellent performance from Daisy Ridley, the movie is just as rousing in its own way as classics such as “Rudy” and “Hoosiers.” Though the emotional beats are all familiar ones, they deliver all the rousing spirit you could want.
Daisy Ridley plays Trudy Ederle, a young working-class girl growing up in Manhattan who dreamed of becoming a professional swimmer. Unfortunately, no one took female swimmers seriously at the time, and the struggle for sponsorships and legitimacy is nearly impossible. Rather than give up, however, she decided to go to France and train to be the first female swimmer ever to cross the English Channel.
The structure of the movie is old-school, evoking the era of movies like “The Rookie,” “Miracle,” and “Remember the Titans.” That makes it incredibly family-friendly, and though that also means there are no surprises genre fans won’t miss them in the slightest. Ridley does fantastic work as Ederle, so determined to swim that it’s easy to buy into her dream. We might not understand how big a deal it is to swim the English Channel, but Ridley makes us feel how big a deal it will be to Ederle. After that, how can we help but cheer her on?
Grade: Three stars
Jenniffer Wardell is an award-winning movie critic and member of the Denver Film Critics Society. Find her on Twitter at @wardellwriter or drop her a line at themovieguruslc@gmail.com.
