Spoiler Alert: Spoilers follow for TwistersTwo years ago, if you’d told us that a sequel to 1996’s Twister would be one of the best summer tentpoles of the 2020s, we’d have laughed in your face. Yet Twisters proved one of the most pleasant surprises in recent memory, improving on its predecessor in almost every way while effortlessly combining thrilling action set pieces with a top-notch cast. It felt like an old-school blockbuster in the best way — refusing to let the special effects overshadow the characters but still thrilling when push came to shove.
In fact, the cast was maybe the film’s greatest asset. Daisy Edgar-Jones (of Normal People fame) proved a hugely likable lead, showcasing her character’s intelligence and no-nonsense attitude while giving an emotional core to the story. And Glen Powell, continuing his run as one of our most exciting breakout stars, was a charisma magnet and almost impossible not to be charmed by. Individually, Edgar-Jones and Powell were excellent, but together, their chemistry proved more electric than a lightning storm, which made it all the more disappointing how their budding romance wrapped up in the final scene.
Why Did ‘Twisters’ Cut Its Kiss?
Twisters carefully developed the relationship between storm chaser Tyler Owens (Powell) and meteorologist Kate Carter (Edgar-Jones). While first dismissing him as an attention seeker, she quickly realizes that he’s more socially conscious and empathetic than she thought. In turn, Tyler helps Kate deal with the guilt she faces over the death of her friends in a tornado, convincing her to return to her scientific research.
In the final scenes, Tyler finally talks Kate out of returning to New York City, convincing her at the airport to continue storm chasing with him. Yet considering how deliberately their relationship evolved, it’s shocking that Tyler and Kate don’t kiss in this climactic moment, especially since it was revealed shortly after Twisters’ release that a kiss was filmed and cut at the last minute.
According to director Lee Isaac Chung, the decision came after a test screening of the film with the kiss intact received mixed reactions. He explained to Vulture, “The advice I was given that really swayed me was our editor, Terry, telling me, ‘It’s better to leave an audience wanting than to leave them overfilled. I think that’s what we’re doing with the kiss. If people actually saw it in the film, they might come away feeling like they didn’t really need it.'”
Additionally, Edgar-Jones and Powell later confirmed that Steven Spielberg, the movie’s executive producer, advised them to cut the kiss in one of his notes. Edgar-Jones claimed, “I think it stops the film feeling too clichéd, actually. I think there’s something really wonderful about it feeling like there’s a continuation. This isn’t the end of their story. They’re united by their shared passion for something.” Powell agreed: “I also think that this movie is not about them finding love. It’s returning Kate to the thing that she loves, which is storm chasing.”
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‘Twisters’ Was Wrong to Cut the Kiss, But It Reflects a Bigger Discussion
While we see where Chung, Edgar-Jones, and Powell are coming from on some level, we can’t ultimately disagree more with them (even if Glen Powell is still tired of the outcry). It’s almost impossible to ignore the sizzling chemistry Edgar-Jones and Powell had on-screen, or how the script seemed to be naturally building to a romantic relationship between them, even if the focus was ultimately on Kate rediscovering her passions. And when a movie includes a scene with Glen Powell walking through the rain in a soaking white T-shirt, it’s absurd to deny that viewers are expecting some kind of payoff.
That being said, the discourse over the Twisters kiss does reflect an interesting broader discussion in film culture, specifically over how modern films are much less likely to include scenes of intimacy or sexuality. In 2023, a UCLA study showed how almost half of Gen-Z youths surveyed wanted fewer sex scenes in film and TV, instead favoring platonic relationships. The survey showed that 47.5% of those asked claimed that sex isn’t needed in most content, while 44% felt that mature content in film and TV is “overused.”
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When you think about it, it makes perfect sense.
Oscar contenders in recent years have ignited further debate with their frank portrayals of sexuality. Poor Things attracted controversy for its graphic sex scenes, while this year’s Best Picture winner, Anora, made headlines when star Mikey Madison revealed that she’d decided to forgo an intimacy coordinator on set (never mind the fact that she was given full agency in the matter). In contrast, Barbie received widespread praise for telling a female-driven story that didn’t centralize sexuality or romantic relationships in its story.
So, on one hand, the Twisters creative team’s decision makes a little more sense, in that they wanted to keep the story focused on Kate’s emotional journey without feeling like she had to be defined by the man in her life. Nonetheless, we believe the film left room for Kate to explore both love and a renewal of her personal passions. In a film where the actors’ chemistry somehow proved a bigger attraction than CGI tornados, denying audiences a proper payoff was a disappointing misstep for any otherwise hugely enjoyable blockbuster rom-com. Twisters is streaming on Prime Video.
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