Twisters Won't Have A Flying Cow (For A Good Reason)

Early reviews for "Twisters" are rolling in, and from the sound of them, the tornado-filled sequel to a 1996 favorite could be the stuff summer blockbusters are made of. /Film's Jeremy Mathai praised the film's "larger-than-life thrills" in his positive review of the movie, calling it a "heartfelt Spielbergian sequel" that's "eager to roll up its sleeves, fly into the heart of the storm, and show the competition how it's done." Plenty of other critics agree, but audiences expecting more of exactly what they loved from the original film should reportedly brace themselves for a change in the winds: the sequel isn't "Twister," as evidenced by the distinct lack of flying cow.

If it's been a while since you caught up on Jan de Bont's hit romantic disaster flick "Twister," let me be the first to remind you: the movie is set in tornado-filled Oklahoma, and during a particularly tense drive through the eye of the storm, its team of tornado chasers witnesses a mooing bovine flying through the air –- twice. In a new interview with CNN, though, "Twisters" director Lee Isaac Chung admitted that he chose not to include another cow in the new movie, lest it be pigeonholed as a flying cow film.

"Everybody wants the cow," Chung told the outlet, before correcting himself: "They think they want the cow. But I promise you, you would be disappointed if there was a cow." The director explained: "Any time I talk to anyone about that original 'Twisters' they would say, 'Oh yeah, the big flying cow movie.' I felt like I would hate to make a movie, update it, and just hear, 'Oh yes, you made the new flying cow movie.'" Ironically, by opting out of making "the new flying cow movie," Chung may have made what those same people will now call "the movie without the flying cow." Still, he has a point: the tornado-stricken cow became a focal point of conversations around the original film, even appearing front and center on a Blu-ray edition of the film. "We got cows," the cover's only pull quote says, quoting Jami Gertz's character from the movie.

While Chung's ambivalence towards the "Twister" cow only serves to make me love it more, it's true that the flying animal embodies the deeply '90s aesthetic of the original, which was corny even upon release. In 2024, IP sequels tend to lean more self-serious, and even though some early reviews indicate that "Twisters" walks the fun-silly line set out by its predecessor surprisingly well, a repeat of the movie's most recognizable gag may have been a bridge too far. Based on the new film's delightful marketing campaign, which has so far been filled with storm-ravaged posters, suck tubes, and a technically-unrelated-but-still-cute red carpet puppy, "Twisters" still has a sense of humor about it to match the original. Indeed, without giving too much away, we have it on good authority that another farm animal gets caught up in the film's tornado action at some point.

"Twisters" spins its way into theaters this Friday, July 19, 2024.