Twisters | 2024 | PG-13 | – 1.6.4

Why is “Twisters” rated PG-13? The MPAA rating has been assigned for “intense action and peril, some language and injury images.” The Kids-In-Mind.com evaluation includes a kiss and a couple of hugs, many scenes of tornadoes causing extensive property damage, a few scenes of people being swept away by tornadoes, several scenes of vehicles being swept away by tornadoes, a chicken coup being thrown through the air, several discussions of giving up on a dream, discussions of helping people and making a difference as well as making money from tragedy, and some strong language. Read our parents’ guide below for details on sexual content, violence & strong language.

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A young woman (Daisy Edgar-Jones) determined to break the cycle of destruction caused by massive tornadoes, stops chasing them after suffering a personal tragedy. However, years later she is convinced to join a new team of storm chasers using revolutionary technology to predict the strikes. Also with Glen Powell, Anthony Ramos, Brandon Perea, Maura Tierney, Harry Hadden-Paton, Sasha Lane, Daryl McCormack, Kiernan Shipka, Nik Dodani, David Corenswet, Tunde Adebimpe and Katy O’Brian. Directed by Lee Isaac Chung. [Running Time: 1:57]

Twisters SEX/NUDITY 1

 – A young man and a young woman kiss. A man and a woman hug. A woman wakes with a start after imagining that a man is in bed with her and embraces her. A man and a woman hug.
► A man tells a woman that there was a time when he would have done anything for her. A man and a woman flirt in a few scenes.
► A woman describes her daughter jumping out of a bathtub as a child and running naked into a field to watch a storm cloud approach. A woman jokes with a man about being lucky if they could get him to wear pants. A woman wears a low-cut tank top that reveals cleavage, bare shoulders and back.

Twisters VIOLENCE/GORE 6

 – Sirens blare and people are ordered to evacuate an outdoor rodeo as we see giant storm clouds swirling overhead; people run for shelter, a person is trampled by a horse (we do not see injuries), and others crash their vehicles in the parking lot; we see the bleachers pulled into the air along with light polls as they spark and pop and a truck tries to drive away but it is first tipped on its side and then sucked into the cloud and out of sight as other people seek refuge in an empty swimming pool (we hear loud rumbling and throbbing sounds as the storm moves past). Many people are evacuated from a baseball field and a street market when a tornado moves toward the area; people run and scream and we hear that the shelters are full so some people take shelter in a movie theater that has no basement; a man is pinned under debris from a trolley that tips over and another man and a woman help him out just as a water tower collapses and fills the street with water, washing the three people away; the roof of the movie theater begins breaking and one wall is pulled off followed by a few people being pulled into the funnel cloud.
► A truck towing a trailer containing barrels filled with chemicals swerves on a road during a storm and the trailer tips over; a young man and a young woman exit the vehicle and tip the trailer upright amid heavy winds and rain (the truck’s windshield is cracked from flying debris), and chemicals in the barrels are drawn up into the spinning tornado as the people in the truck wait for something to happen; the truck speeds away and off the road but it stops and the occupants get out to hide under an overpass, but one young man is drawn into the spinning tornado and off-screen, a young woman tries to hold onto another person in the underpass but is struck by something and taken away into the tornado, a young woman climbing up the incline of the overpass is struck by a piece of metal that cuts her leg (we see the bloody cut), and a young man holds onto a young woman but is eventually pulled away by the tornado leaving her alone (we see her limping through the rubble later with blood streaming down her leg). A woman speeds in a truck to intercept a tornado, she deploys chemicals into the swirling funnel cloud, the truck is tipped over and then on its roof and we later see the woman crawl out of the wreckage with blood on her head.
► Several trucks chase a funnel cloud and each plants data recording equipment in the ground; one piece of equipment is lifted into the cloud and the truck that carried it speeds away as the tornado barrels down on it; the driver speeds in reverse, a chicken coup crashes into the vehicle, and when the driver turns the truck around it gets stuck in a ditch and the tornado moves over it causing intense noise and a lot of debris as the two people inside brace themselves; after the storm passes, we see the passengers unharmed and a rooster lands on the hood, also unharmed. While chasing a storm, a truck speeds on the side of the road, then onto the road cutting off another vehicle and they swerve to avoid hitting them (there are no injuries); giant wind turbines break apart (bursts of flames and smoke are seen) during a tornado and the blades crash to the ground (one very near a truck). A truck chasing a tornado drives into the funnel cloud and shoots fireworks up into it (we see them ignite in colors). A tornado sprouts two funnel clouds; many trucks chase the clouds and pass each other on a road as debris is thrown at them and dust fills the air, one truck plants augers in the ground to hold it in place as the tornado approaches and the storm evaporates. A truck drives into a storm and chemicals are deployed from barrels on a trailer; a woman in the truck protests driving into the storm (the driver and the passenger are unharmed). Several trucks chase a storm and swerve to get in front of each other; a drone is struck by lightning inside the storm cloud and we see a flash, the windshields of vehicles are covered with debris and heavy rain limiting visibility; one truck is tipped over by the winds and a nearby refinery explodes and bursts into flames, the truck is righted and it speeds away and the storm changes direction.
► Many scenes show storms forming and heavy winds blowing debris through the air; several scenes include hail and a few include vehicles being blown off the road and on their sides and roofs causing some minor injuries with a little blood shown. Lightning flashes in the sky and thunder rumbles in numerous scenes. Several scenes show the aftermath of giant tornadoes and people sifting through rubble. We hear numerous news reports about record numbers of tornadoes. Thunder rumbles and lightning flashes in the sky at an airport as we hear an announcement of delays.
► Two men argue as to whether to go to a town to help them when a tornado is approaching; one man says, “I don’t care about the people.” A man and a woman argue about their motivations in a few scenes. A woman says that she is studying cloud microphysics. A young woman honks a car horn to wake up a team of storm chasers sleeping on the ground and in a truck; one young man complains about not getting enough sleep and later says that he needs to “yak” (we do not see this). A young man complains about being abandoned by a man to go chase a storm with someone else. A young woman tells a young man that he hasn’t been any fun “since you got hit by lightning.” A man says, “You can’t trust a thing she says,” because a woman is from a big city.
► A man panics and yells in the back seat of a truck when his harness will not function as a tornado approaches; after the storm passes, the man runs into a field and vomits (we see some goo from a distance). A woman steps into a street in front of a taxi that honks at her. A woman wakes with a start after imagining that a man is in bed with her and embraces her. A woman punches buttons and flips switches in a truck not knowing what they do, and one of them launches a rocket into the air. A young woman punches a car door and cries in frustration. A man stands behind a truck and is splashed with mud when the driver speeds away. A rodeo shows a calf being chased and roped by two men on horses, and later a clown takes cover behind a barrel as a large bull stands nearby.

Twisters LANGUAGE 4

 – 8 scatological terms, 3 anatomical terms, 11 mild obscenities, name-calling (hillbillies, boring, dumb [anatomical term deleted], insane, cowboy scientist, honeybuns, wrangler, idiot, childish dream), exclamations (screwed the pooch, I screwed up, ‘atta boy, what’s wrong with you), 11 religious exclamations (e.g. Holy [scatological term deleted], oh my God, for God’s sake, thank God, oh Lord, oh God, Holy cow, a man describes the study of tornadoes as part science and part religion). | profanity glossary |

Twisters SUBSTANCE USE

 – People drink cans of beer after chasing a tornado.

Twisters DISCUSSION TOPICS

 – Guilt, fear, taking advantage of tragic events to make a profit, super storms, making a difference, going home, running away, self-aggrandizement.

Twisters MESSAGE

 – Science is fun. Storms are terrifying and studying how to tame them can be valuable. It’s wise to respect Mother Nature.