As a child of the Midwest, I have always held a deep-rooted fear of tornadoes, a fear that was only intensified by the 1996 blockbuster “Twister.” For those of us who grew up far from the seas, this film served as our own personal Jaws, a monster movie where nature’s terrifying power seemed to take on a malevolent consciousness.
For children from the American Midwest, the 1996 disaster film “Twister” may be their most distressing movie experience. It’s the “Jaws” for kids who never lived near the ocean – a terrifying monster movie that makes one of nature’s genuine dangers seem like an unavoidable, malevolent force. The story begins on Jo Harding’s Oklahoma farm, where she lives with her parents and their dog, Toby. It’s morning, but the sky is dark and ominous. Then comes a list of every childhood fear: Jo’s parents become panicked when they learn a tornado is coming, they dash to a storm shelter that’s quite a distance from their home, almost leave their pet behind, and tragically, Jo’s father gets sucked up by the twister. This terrifying event fuels Jo’s determination to pursue tornado research as an adult – she wants answers about why her dad was taken up into the sky like a piece of spaghetti. However, I’d like to offer a different perspective: Jo’s father wasn’t innocent in this tragedy. The tornado was not to blame.
Let me clarify one point: The chances of you being pulled up by a tornado are incredibly slim. People who perish in tornadoes do so when structures or vehicles collide with them, or when tornadoes transform seemingly harmless debris into projectiles. However, the tornadoes portrayed in “Twister” function more dramatically for movies. They lift people off the ground unless they’re gripping pipes. Debris is present, but conveniently so. Nevertheless, even if I acknowledge that the tornadoes in this film are not based on actual weather conditions but rather on the thought experiment “what if Godzilla were a large vacuum cleaner?” Jo’s father’s attempts to refute accusations of negligence remain futile. They’re hiding in an underground storm shelter. While they wait for the tornado to pass overhead, Jo’s father decides to keep the already-latched door shut to prevent the tornado from entering. The issues here are twofold: First, Jo’s father couldn’t possibly hold that door shut against an F5 tornado. He may have strong biceps and a solid core from a lifetime of farming, but they would not be enough to counteract the power of a tornado. Second, he is now much closer to the tornado and attached to a large piece of metal and wood, making him act as a sail and propelling him up into the sky like a rocket of childhood trauma.
Although it’s debatable that the most disappointing moment in the twister occurred when Jo’s father was clinging to the door and his strength kept their family from being blown away, it’s puzzling why everyone else in the shelter remained safe if the tornado had overpowered the door. After all, a whole shelf of preserves didn’t get swept up, and not even the Yorkshire terrier budged. It seems clear that Jo’s father was sucked out due to his efforts to hold onto the door that was being taken away by the tornado, rather than because the tornado had entered the shelter with the intention of removing everyone inside.
Jo’s father ignores the reality of his powerlessness and engages in a losing battle, which aligns with the film’s exploration of the terror of acknowledging that we have limited control over our lives. In “Twister,” even with our advanced knowledge and resources, we are still at the mercy of nature’s forces. Despite all our efforts to resist, we can be swept away by natural disasters like a grain of sand in the wind. Both Jo and her father struggle with accepting this truth, leading them to pursue futile battles against the elements. However, as depicted in the movie, trying to control what is beyond our reach only causes more harm. Instead, embracing the uncertainty and surrendering to the natural world’s whims might be the wiser choice.
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2024-07-22 18:50