‘Twisters’ Director Explains Why He’s Not Pushing Climate Change Propaganda Or ‘Preaching A Message’

The director of the new “Twisters” movie explained why he chose not to make the film a statement on climate change.

The summer blockbuster, a sequel to the 1996 hit action film “Twister,” features a group of storm chasers coming in close contact with deadly tornadoes in central Oklahoma. Director Lee Isaac Chung told CNN that the film isn’t meant to preach.

“I just wanted to make sure that with the movie, we don’t ever feel like (it) is putting forward any message,” he told the outlet. “I just don’t feel like films are meant to be message-oriented.”

“I think what we are doing is showing the reality of what’s happening on the ground … we don’t shy away from saying that things are changing,” Chung added. “I wanted to make sure that we are never creating a feeling that we’re preaching a message, because that’s certainly not what I think cinema should be about. I think it should be a reflection of the world.”

So far, “Twisters” has received mostly positive critical reviews ahead of its July 19 release. It currently has a 77% score on Rotten Tomatoes, with one reviewer calling it an “entertaining, thrilling blockbuster.”

“With its peppy cast, streamlined story and about a bazillion pixels’ worth of VFX cyclones to sweep you back in your seat, it’s a fun and refreshingly old-school night at the pictures,” the Time Out reviewer wrote. 

Film star Glen Powell discussed his connection to the prequel starring Helen Hunt and the late Bill Pullman, calling it “a movie that obviously we all care about.”

“I think that’s made this thing even more meaningful,” the 35-year-old actor said, per Yahoo Entertainment. “[Twister] is a movie that really meant a lot to me as a kid, you know, growing up in Texas, it’s a movie that felt very … just very much a story of kind of the community I grew up around and the people I grew up around.”

He added, “It’s really the wish fulfillment of this business when you can make entertainment emotionally meaningful to yourself and to everyone. It’s a beautiful thing when it happens.”