In a world of gloominess, Twister stands out as a sympathetic ode to the people who love and respect the science of weather. Never too frivolously joyful to take the spotlight off the reason why these scientists chase storms, Twister balances fun and fear to create the perfect summer movie.

Many meteorologists attribute their interest in the field to the 1996 film Twister. This doesn’t apply to me for a few reasons. First, I hadn’t seen the film until this year, despite being a huge fan of disaster movies. Second, my inspiration for perhaps being a meteorologist one day came from watching Jim Cantore on the Weather Channel while hunkering down for weekly snowstorms. Third, I took one meteorology class in college and quickly realized that my interest was best kept on the movies. 

But after rewatching Twister, it’s not hard to see why this film made meteorology so popular. From the moment you meet the crew of storm chasers, you’re hit with the passion they have for their field of study. You want nothing less than to spend more time with them, to be invited into their motorcade, and director Jan de Bont obliges. The film is basically a ride along with people experiencing one of the most dangerous days of their life — and absolutely loving it. 

Twister’s story is nothing new — a divorced (or, in this case, soon-to-be-divorced) couple in a disaster movie find their way back to one another while their world crumbles around them, AKA an ordinary day according to Roland Emmerich. What makes the film so compelling, despite its notoriously chaotic production, is the believability of these characters and their infectious enthusiasm. Jo Harding (Helen Hunt) rides that fine line between passionate and obsessed, her interest in tornadoes and warning systems stemming from the F-5 that killed her dad. Bill Harding (the late Bill Paxton, who had the best “concerned” face out there) has tried to move on from his storm-chasing past, but his preternatural knowledge of tornado behavior won’t let him. Their shared love for science and thrill-seeking instantly conveys that they’re two sides of the same coin, and as Jo shows Bill the fully realized “Dorothy” machines that will help people understand tornadoes, Bill’s glee is palpable.

Paxton and Hunt’s chemistry makes it believable that they’ve spent long hours in the lab or in the field together, constantly arguing from a point of passion that only the other could match. Jami Gertz is largely relegated to the audience surrogate position as Bill’s new fiancé Melissa, but it is nice having someone who reacts normally to the events as a contrast to the tornado crew (and who isn’t demonized for her understandable fear at experiencing multiple tornadoes in one day). 

Then, there’s the tornado team. The key to this crew is the depth of acting talent, a team full of “that guy” with distinct features and duties (Philip Seymour Hoffman! Todd Field! Alan Ruck! Wendle Josepher, whose hat and glasses will stay in my mind until the end of time!) These are the (affectionately described) “weirdos” whose lives revolve around data and fieldwork, and I want to hang out with them. Cary Elwes rounds out the cast as the too-slick rival corporate scientist who is vaguely “in it for the money,” expertly exchanging his charm for sliminess. I do not want to hang out with him, and that’s a credit to his performance.

Because there is a rival storm-chasing team, we get one of the best plot devices of the film: the car chase. Rather than driving away from the action, these characters are racing towards it — not only trying to get to the twisters before they fizzle out but trying to beat the other team of storm chasers. Everyone has their own job on the road, communicating over radios as they navigate the quickest routes and blast music to set the mood. The soaring bird’s eye shots of the convoy making its way across the fields and dirt roads are exhilarating. Something’s always moving in Twister, and the car rides and conversations are just as chaotic and thrilling as the tornadoes themselves.

Twister never fails to remind us of the destruction and devastation that tornadoes cause, with the film’s first and final scenes making their propensity and power real. Aunt Meg’s (Lois Smith) home being destroyed is a sobering moment that reminds the crew exactly why they’re trying to do what they are doing. But when I see this movie, all I can think about is how much I’d want to be one of the people on the tornado-chasing crew. To love something so much, to be with people who love it the same amount you do — can you blame Bill for coming back?

It’s not surprising that Twister was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Sound, though I’d argue the music contributes just as much to the film’s tone. As the opening titles appear in a cloudy sky with a rush of wind, the low strings grumble with the hint of tornados yet to come. The tornadoes literally growl and are scary even when not visible on the screen, but the choir adds a touch of beauty to the terror. When Jo and Bill get to see the middle of a tornado firsthand, the music is triumphant, not fearful. We get the sheer joy and levity through the diegetic rock songs the team plays as they rush into “battle,” and the film’s jaunty score over shots of the ramshackle convoy drive home the expedition these characters are embarking on. Eddie and Alex Van Halen’s ethereal end credits song “Respect the Wind” blends in some more melancholy with siren-esque guitars, leaving audiences with a reverence for the destructive power of nature.

Twister is not a perfect film by any means. The ending is abrupt, and while I think the special effects mostly still hold up, a third-act vehicle explosion is particularly fake-looking. But in a world where natural disasters are becoming increasingly common, it’s nice to see a film in which nature is both feared and revered, where the heroes are people trying to improve tornado warning systems rather than just being civilians caught unaware. Also, they drive through a house, and that’s awesome.

Before the team leave Aunt Meg’s house to chase the next twister, Jo apologizes for leaving so quickly. Aunt Meg tells her, “It’s what you live for.” Clearly, this film made a lot of people find out that storm-chasing and researching safety procedures is what they live for, too. In a world of gloominess, Twister stands out as a sympathetic ode to the people who love and respect the science of weather. Never too frivolously joyful to take the spotlight off the reason why these scientists chase storms, Twister balances fun and fear to create the perfect summer movie.