Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Twisters!
Summary
I enjoyedTwistersa lot, and one of my favorite aspects of the film is that it didn’t use the Helen Hunt twist that I expected.Twistersis a legacy sequel to 1996’sTwister, and based on other legacy sequels likeStar Wars: The Force Awakens,Ghostbusters: Afterlife, andTop Gun: Maverick, I thought that I knew what was coming. I expectedTwistersto be full of sentimental homages to the original film, forced-in callbacks, and character cameos, but to my surprise,Twistersmanaged to subvert what I expectedthem to do withHelen Hunt’s originalTwistercharacter.
Helen Hunt was one of the stars ofTwister, with her starring as Jo Harding alongside Bill Paxton’s Bill Harding. Bill Paxton unfortunately passed away in 2017, so I obviously knew that he couldn’t return. However, I fully expected Helen Hunt to play a role inTwistersdue to her starring role in the original film. The advertising campaign had marketedTwistersas having an entirely new cast, and while I was excited to see newcomers to the franchise like Glen Powell and Daisy-Edgar Jones, I didn’t think thatTwistershad the restraint to not include Hunt in this way.
Twisters Soundtrack Guide: Every Song & When They Play
The Twisters soundtrack contains country songs by Luke Combs, Chris Stapleton, Miranda Lambert, and more. Here’s when each song plays in the movie.
Twisters Confirms That Jo Is Not Kate’s Mom After All
To the surprise of me and many others,Twistersactually doesn’t reveal that Helen Hunt’s Jo is the motherof Daisy Edgar-Jones' Kate. Centering a legacy sequel around the child of the original movie’s main character is a trope that has been seen in all kinds of franchise continuations, and sinceTwisterswas secretive about Kate’s history, this seemed like an obvious twist. Many fans of the original film, myself included, theorized that this link between Jo and Kate would be revealed, which is why I was shocked when it was deconfirmed.
While Helen Hunt doesn’t make an appearance inTwisters, Bill Paxton’s son, James, makes a cameo appearance as a complaining motel guest.
Surprisingly, we actually meet Kate’s mom inTwisters, and it isn’t Jo. Instead,Kate’s mom is named Cathy and is played by Maura Tierney, an actress who seemingly has no connection to theTwisterfranchise. Upon revealing Cathy,Twisterseven has her walk out of the shadows, almost as if it were acknowledging and subverting the possibility of Hunt’s character being Jo’s mom. Helen Hunt’s Jo doesn’t appear inTwistersat all, with the film being entirely self-contained with the exception of a few subtle Easter eggs.
Twisters Ending Explained: Do Kate & Tyler Tame The Tornadoes?
Twisters' ending sees a new future for Kate, Tyler, and Javi. We break down the film’s biggest takeaways, what’s next for Kate and Tyler, and more.
Helen Hunt Returning As Kate’s Mom Would’ve Been Disappointing
It Isn’t A Big Enough Role
Although it would have been nice to seethe return of Helen Hunt’s character inTwisters, having her only play Kate’s mom would have been disappointing. InTwister, Jo Harding is a scientist and a storm chaser, with her always wanting to get in on the action whenever the titular weather event rears its head.Having Jo be Kate’s mom inTwistersmeans that Helen Hunt’s character would have mostly stayed out of the action, which would be a waste of her character due to how exciting she is in the original film.
On top of that, Kate’s mom is barely inTwisters, with her having a minimal impact on the film’s story. So, putting Helen Hunt in this role would not only have sidelined her, but also forced her character to be in a minor, unexciting storyline. If Helen Hunt were to have returned forTwisters, her character would have been deserving of a much more exciting role, and being Kate’s mom would not have properly honored her impact on the franchise.
Twisters' Budget & Box Office Explained: How Much It Needs To Make
Twisters carries a sizable budget, raising expectations for its box office and what it needs to turn a profit. Here’s where Twisters' success stands.
Twisters Leaves Room For Helen Hunt’s Jo To Have A Bigger Role
She Could Return In A Twisters Sequel
Not having Jo appear inTwistersat all may be the best thing for the character, as it leaves room for Helen Hunt to have a much bigger role in the franchise.Twistersnever explains what happened to Jo Harding after the events of the first film,meaning that ifTwisters 2chooses to bring the character back, they can do essentially anything they want with Helen Hunt’s character.
After Jo’s successes in the firstTwister, it would make sense for her character to be the head of a weather research company, or for her to be a recognized expert on tornadoes. SinceTwistersfeatures characters who are working their way up the storm-chasing industry, it would make sense for them to interact with a legend like Jo inTwisters 2. After all, the film even features the next incarnation of Jo’s Dorothy experiment, meaning that her impact onTwisterscan still be felt, a storyline that I would love to see fleshed out more.
Twisters
Cast
A follow-up to the 1996 original film Twister, Twisters is a sequel set years after the original, said to be fast-tracked by Steven Spielberg and Mark L. Smith, with Frank Marshal as producer. Little details exist about the film, but Helen Hunt is expected to reprise her role as Jo, with the film likely to pay homage to the late Bill Paxton.
