1 of 5 | Glenn Powell holds onto Sasha Lane in “Twisters.” Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures & Amblin Entertainment

LOS ANGELES, July 16 (UPI) — 1996’s Twister was a groundbreaking visual effects spectacle but not beloved for its plot or characters. Twisters, in theaters Friday, now follows 28 years of similar effects and has not improved its storytelling.

Kate (Daisy Edgar-Jones) introduces her joyful storm chasing friends as they attempt to launch barrels of sodium polyacrylate into a tornado in an attempt to dissipate the storm. Don’t get too attached to them because only Kate and Javi (Anthony Ramos) survive.

Five years later, Kate is working for the National Weather Service when Javi returns with a new project. His current team wants to place military-grade tracking equipment in the paths of Oklahoma tornados to create 3D models of the storms.

The actors in Twister movies bear the responsibility of shouting lines like “Go, go, go!” and saying just enough science to justify the catastrophic scenes. The backstories of Kate and Javi are so formulaic they make the divorce papers subplot of Twister look like Chinatown.

Kate has lost her edge since she feels guilty for putting her friends in harm’s way years ago. Twisters gives her a redemption arc so perfunctory it’s hard to feel inspired.

Javi has a mysterious corporate sponsor with whom he has several secret meetings. By the time the sponsor’s true intentions are discovered, they are absurdly villainous. Yet it takes a minor screaming a mustache-twirling villain speech suddenly at the end to drive it home.

As Kate regains her storm-chasing fortitude with Javi’s team, they compete against Tyler Owens (Glen Powell) and his team of “tornado wranglers.” The wranglers pull stunts like launching fireworks into tornados and film it for YouTube, so the film can also incorporate webcam footage of Tyler speaking to the camera.

Tyler is a charismatic rival, if not outright villain, and the only character with personality beyond their plot function. The film becomes a battle of science vs. reckless sport rather than science vs. nature, yet the film is not interested in exploring either dynamic in depth.

Kate continues Helen Hunt’s character’s motivation to use science to create warning systems for advancing tornadoes, taking it a bit further to possible prevention. That was a thin way to adapt nature into a three act structure in 1996 and Twisters‘ screenwriters felt little compunction to update it.

Unfortunately, the storms in Twisters have less personality than the landmark sequences in the original. Now it’s just people running from wind, occasionally large objects drop near them and some get sucked away to their off-screen deaths.

There are no flying cows to distinguish the storms in Twisters.

Occasionally, the characters pause their efforts and stop to help victims of tornado disasters. It feels a little disingenuous when the film is disaster porn but purports to sincerely care for victims of catastrophe.

So Twisters is a faithful sequel in that it prioritizes spectacle over character and story just like its predecessor. Only now the spectacle isn’t what it used to be and the opportunity to improve was forsaken.

Fred Topel, who attended film school at Ithaca College, is a UPI entertainment writer based in Los Angeles. He has been a professional film critic since 1999, a Rotten Tomatoes critic since 2001, and a member of the Television Critics Association since 2012 and the Critics Choice Association since 2023. Read more of his work in Entertainment.

Given the ambition he showed with his Mad Max-meets-Dawn of the Dead B-grade genre piece Wyrmwood (and its respective sequel), it makes sense that Australian director Kiah Roache-Turner would continue his genre mash-ups for his follow-up.  What proves surprising, however, is that for Sting, an ode to the creature feature (and, fittingly, Australia’s fear of the venomous arthropods), he’s blended such a mentality with a family drama, resulting in an occasionally unbalanced, but no less enjoyably camp horror effort that backs its gross effects with some emotional heft.

At the centre of the eventual lunacy is Charlotte (Alyla Browne, recently seen in George Miller’s Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga as the younger iteration of the titular character) – and yes, that name is suitably on the nose given the actions that take place – an artist-in-waiting who’s taken a particular shine to her stepfather, Ethan (Ryan Corr).  Just why their relationship is as important as it is is one of Roache-Turner’s emotional pivots throughout the brisk 91 minutes, but more pressing is her unorthodox “adoption” of a rogue spider she comes across one night as she sneaks through the vents of the New York-set apartment complex overseen by her wicked great-aunt, Gunter (Robyn Nevin, clearly enjoying herself as the archetypal human villain of the piece).

The opening credits clue us in that this spider is alien in nature, which explains why in a matter of hours it increases in size, and how it’s able to vocally mimic particular sounds it hears; Charlotte is all too excited to showcase Sting’s “feeding call” to inquisitive downstairs neighbour Erik (a wonderfully deadpan Danny Kim), who, in return, is rightfully concerned about just what type of species she has willingly let into her house.

As much as Erik warns Ethan and Heather (Penelope Mitchell), Charlotte’s mother, about this 8-legged-monster-in-waiting, we all know it will ultimately be for nought as we eagerly await the moment it outgrows its containment and proceeds to feed on whoever (or whatever) enters its path; note, for those that don’t respond well to the idea of animals hurting other animals, Sting doesn’t play well with others.

The final act of the film is suitably exciting and squirm-inducing as Sting terrorises Charlotte and her family, but Roache-Turner wisely peppers enough gory set-pieces throughout so that we aren’t simply waiting for the horrific conclusion.  Some of the family drama works in between (the dementia setting in for Charlotte’s grandmother, played by a delightful Noni Hazlehurst, is sweet), but there are a few too many moments that stall momentum, which could potentially see audiences check out.  This is a knowingly mindless horror feature and Charlotte’s fatherly woes won’t necessarily hold interest to those who want to see a giant spider crawl into a downstairs neighbour’s mouth and then bust out of their stomach; there’s a reason such an example is specific.

Ultimately the good outweighs the bad when it comes to Sting‘s temperament as a film, mainly due to how much fun it’s having, how heavy its winks are at the audience, and that Jermaine Fowler (who was most likely still hanging around our fair country following Ricky Stanicky‘s Melbourne wrap) adds suitable humour as a put-upon exterminator.  A little Evil Dead, a little Arachnophobia, and a lot of gooey, practical effects, Sting is Roache-Turner’s most accomplished film thus far.  And if this leap in quality between the zombies of Wyrmwood and the bite of this is indicative of his directorial trajectory, his turn as a genre mainstay is only increasingly going to prove more exciting with every shed of blood he gloriously unleashes on screen.

THREE STARS (OUT OF FIVE)

Sting is screening in Australian theatres from July 18th, 2024.

Sting was originally reviewed as part of last year’s Gold Coast Film Festival coverage.

A FAMILY AFFAIR is romantic comedy on Netflix. It stars Zac Efron, Nicole Kidman and Joey King. King plays Zara, an assistant to uber-famous action star Chris Cole. Chris meets Zara’s mother, Brooke, and they start seeing each other. This upsets Zara, who knows about Chris’ playboy past. After a fight with Zara, Chris and Brooke secretly see each other. Zara is furious when she finds out and eventually calls out Chris for his playboy ways. However, once Zara discovers Chris has been in love with her mom all along, she devises a plan to patch things up.

A FAMILY AFFAIR is a bit predictable and promotes the idea that personal happiness is all that matters. However, quality acting and a positive message about the importance of family deliver a fun viewing experience for romcom fans. The movie also rebukes self-centeredness and features a redemptive solution to the differences between Zara and her mother. Efron, Kidman and King deliver appealing performances. However, A FAMILY AFFAIR is marred by too much foul language and a casual attitude about premarital sex. MOVIEGUIDE® advises extreme caution.

(RoRo, B, C, Ho, LLL, S, N, AA, M):

Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements:

Strong Romantic worldview where characters justify their actions because they make them happy and are advised to do what makes them happy, mitigated by some moral, redemptive content including a mother reconciling with her daughter, a positive view of marriage, a positive reference to Heaven, references to love, and, although the daughter is selfish throughout the whole movie, she’s eventually chastised for her self-centeredness by her best friend, which causes her to repent and apologize, plus there’s a positive reference to LGBT relationships;

Foul Language:

28 obscenities (including three “f” words, and many “b” words), 11 instances of profanities using the word God, 3 light profanities, and some obscene jesters of the main character flipping people off;

Violence:

Multiple instances of verbal arguments, but no physical orb actual violence;

Sex:

Two implied fornication scenes (one with upper male nudity and a bare female back) plus one positive reference to LGBT relationships.;

Nudity:

Four instances of upper male nudity, one scene of a woman’s bare back, and a brief shot of a woman in underwear and a bra;

Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse:

Some social drinking and two instances of drunkenness leading to sex;

Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse:

No smoking or drug use; and,

Miscellaneous Immorality:

Self-centered and conceited characters rarely consider how their actions impact others, but eventually rebuked, and characters sometimes wonder if they can say something because of the political correctness and cancel culture around them.

The romantic comedy A FAMILY AFFAIR is among Netflix’s biggest summer movies. It stars Zac Efron, Nicole Kidman and rising star Joey King. King plays Zara, an assistant to uber-famous action star Chris Cole. Chris has taken Zara for granted, however. As he does everyone else in his life. Zara took the job as a stepping stone in Hollywood but has realized Chris has no intention of advancing her career.

After a heated fight with Chris over the stupidity of an upcoming role, Zara resigns to continue pursuing her dream of becoming a big-name producer. Zara initially hides this life change from her mother, Brooke, with whom she lives. She eventually confides in her mother that she quit because the assistant position felt like a dead-end job.

The next day, Chris realizes his mistake. He visits Zara’s house to apologize for his oversight and offer her advancement toward production roles. However, when he shows up at Zara’s house, she’s out running errands. Instead, he’s greeted by Brooke, who invites him to wait inside.

After a couple drinks and some light banter, they start making out and eventually bring things to the bedroom, where Zara finds them only minutes later. Appalled by what she sees, and aware of Chris’s playboy reputation, Zara forbids them from seeing each other again. That night, she sleeps over at a friend’s house.

A few days later, Chris contacts Brooke, asking her to dinner to discuss what happened. Brooke eventually accepts the invitation. The dinner begins with talk of staying “just friends,” but they decide to pursue romance instead, turning the dinner into a date. They visit Chris’s favorite places, before getting drunk and sleeping together for a second time.

Chris and Brooke keep their relationship a secret from Zara. However, Zara’s suspicions that they’re still seeing each other are confirmed when she catches them at a charity event together. Zara blows up again about the relationship, especially the fact her mother kept it a secret from her. Chris has had dozens of women before her mother. So, Zara begs her mother to stop seeing Chris, who she believes is just using her mother.

Zara spends multiple nights at a friend’s house before traveling to her grandmother’s home for Christmas. There, she sees her mother for the first time since their last fight. Before Zara arrives, however, her grandmother asks Brooke to invite Chris to Christmas to meet him and get a sense of his character.

The holiday progresses smoothly, and Zara starts to support the relationship. However, she discovers diamond earrings in Chris’s bag while they pack to leave. These earrings are a parting gift Chris has given to all his previous girlfriends. Seeing through his façade, Zara realizes Chris is treating Brooke just like he treated the other women before her. Furious, Zara exposes Chris in front of her mother, who promptly asks him to leave.

After a lonely New Year’s Eve spent by all the characters, Chris meets with Zara and confesses to using Brooke like his past girlfriends. He admits he considered dumping her mother. However, he assures Zara he really loves Brooke. He insists the earrings were intended to be a Christmas gift, not a precursor to dumping her. Convinced of his sincerity, Zara devises a plan to reunite the couple.

A FAMILY AFFAIR is a clichéd romantic comedy that doesn’t innovate within the genre often promotes a Romantic worldview that prioritizes personal happiness above everything else. Despite its predictable plot, the movie imparts lessons on self-centeredness and features a redemptive storyline centered on the relationship between a mother and daughter, adding moral depth to the viewing experience.

Efron, Kidman, and King all deliver quality acting performances. Though the plot is unrealistic and predictable, A FAMILY AFFAIR offers an enjoyable viewing experience for fans of lighthearted romance comedy.

Excessive foul language and two implied fornication scenes are the largest drawback in A FAMILY AFFAIR. The foul language includes three “f” words and some strong profanities. So, MOVIEGUIDE® advises extreme caution.