Twister (2016)

If Twister was made 20 years later

Directed By: Brad Peyton

Produced By: Joss Whedon, Kathleen Kennedy, Ian Bryce

Executive Producers: Steven Spielberg, Toby Emmerich

Plot
In June 1969 Oklahoma, young Jo Thornton and her family are awoken by an approaching F5 tornado. The family seeks refuge in their storm cellar, but the tornado rips the cellar door off, sucking Jo's father to his death while her mother holds Jo back. The next morning, they find their farmhouse was completely destroyed.

In the present day, the National Severe Storms Laboratory is predicting a record outbreak of tornadoes in Oklahoma over a 24 hour period. An adult Jo, now a meteorologist, is reunited with her estranged husband, Bill Harding, a former weather researcher and storm chaser, who has since become a popular television weather reporter. He has a brand new Dodge Ram pickup truck and is planning to marry reproductive therapist Melissa Reeves, but cannot do so until Jo fully signs her long overdue divorce papers. Jo has built four identical tornado research devices called DOROTHY that was designed by Bill, which contain hundreds of sensors that, if picked up by a tornado, will create revolutionary breakthroughs in meteorology research. Before Jo can finish the paperwork, her team rushes to intercept a nearby forming F1 tornado, forcing Bill and Melissa to chase after her. However, Bill encounters Dr. Jonas Miller, a corporate-funded meteorologist and long-time rival storm chaser. When Bill learns that Jonas has created a device called DOT-3, a blatant copy of DOROTHY, he vows to help Jo deploy DOROTHY before Jonas can deploy DOT-3 and claim credit for the idea.

In an attempt to deploy DOROTHY and get back to his regular life as soon as possible, Bill maneuvers Jo's Jeep Gladiator off-road into a muddy ditch towards the rapidly growing tornado. The tornado quickly approaches and they are unable to drive out of the ditch. They collide with a small wooden bridge and are directly in front of the incoming tornado. As they take cover under the bridge, Jo's truck and DOROTHY I are both picked up and destroyed by the tornado.

Soon after, a second tornado is spotted in another part of Oklahoma, and they continue on in Bill's Dodge with Melissa, who is forced to tag along in the backseat. However, Jonas and his team are also intercepting the storm cell, which has grown into an F2 tornado. Bill guesses that the tornado will shift towards another direction and chances going in what seems to be the wrong way, but his guess is correct, which enrages Jonas. The team is lead off-road, eventually hanging back as the storm cell worsens, and Bill, Jo, and Melissa have a dangerous encounter with two waterspouts that leaves Melissa traumatized. The rest of the team, however, is ecstatic about the encounter and convince Jo to let them go visit Jo's Aunt Meg in the nearby town of Wakita for food and rest.

The team arrives in Wakita, where Aunt Meg has prepared a big meal for the storm chasers. While there, the team discusses Bill’s past as an alcoholic and they also inform Melissa about Jo's backstory, explaining that Jo has since become obsessed with ensuring nobody else suffers the same fate. Jo, realizing she is falling in love with Bill again, isolates herself from the rest of the group and is later confronted by Aunt Meg, who tells her that no matter what happens, they will always end up together. They learn an F3 tornado is quickly forming in a neighboring county, forcing them to end dinner prematurely and hit the road once again.

As the team attempt to intercept the F3, the tornado is invisible to them as they begin to drive blindly through thick hail. They go up a hill, dubbed "Twister Hill”, and try to deploy DOROTHY II, but the tornado suddenly forms on top of them and damages their truck, destroying DOROTHY II in the process. Jo has an emotional breakdown over the situation, admitting she feels guilt for her father's death. While trying to motivate her, Bill accidentally tells her that he's still in love with her, not realizing that Melissa has been listening to their entire conversation over their CB radio.

That night, the team stays in a hotel next to a drive-in cinema. Jo decides to finally fill out the remaining divorce papers but is soon interrupted when an F4 tornado forms, forcing everybody present to take shelter. The theater, a repair shop, and much of the team’s equipment is destroyed. Traumatized by the near-death experiences and recognizing the re-blossoming love between Bill and Jo, Melissa quietly ends her relationship with Bill and makes her own way home. The tornado continues on to Wakita, devastating the town and injuring Aunt Meg while flattening her house. Aunt Meg's injuries are not serious, but she is taken to the hospital and inspires Jo to never give up. The team then hears that an F5 is forming close by. Inspecting Aunt Meg's windchimes, Jo suddenly has an idea of how to successfully deploy DOROTHY. The next morning, the team sets out to intercept the F5 tornado, which has grown to be over a mile wide. Bill and Jo lay the newly-altered DOROTHY III directly in the F5's path, but it is destroyed by an uprooted tree, which also briefly traps them in the tornado's path. Meanwhile, Jonas attempts to deploy DOT-3 in a similar fashion, ignoring Bill's repeated warnings that his team is too close and that the tornado is shifting directly towards them. A metal tower suddenly impales Jonas' driver, Eddie, and their vehicle is swept into the tornado and thrown to the ground, killing both men and destroying DOT-3 in the resulting explosion. Bill and Jo press on, realizing that the only way to successfully deploy DOROTHY IV is by driving directly into the tornado and jumping out before Bill's truck is swept away. The plan works and the rest of the team is jubilant over the successful deployment of DOROTHY IV. However, Bill and Jo's celebration is short-lived when the F5 suddenly shifts direction towards them, forcing them to flee into the nearby cornfields. They find shelter in a water pump facility, fasten themselves to deeply rooted pipes, and are able to see the interior of the tornado as it passes over them. After the F5 dissipates, the team celebrates their achievement while Jo and Bill decide to run their own lab and rekindle their marriage.

Cast

 * Michael Shannon as Bill "The Extreme" Harding
 * Anna Hathaway as Dr. Jo Harding
 * Ashley Tisdale as Dr. Melissa Reeves
 * Dan Stevens as Dr. Jonas Miller
 * Jesse Plemons as "Dusty" Davis
 * Bill Hader as Robert "Rabbit" Nurick

Rating
PG-13