'Twisters' sequel receives higher Rotten Tomatoes score than original

“Twisters,” the sequel to the 1996 thriller “Twister,” is set to debut in theaters on July 19 — and it looks to be better than the original if Rotten Tomatoes rankings are to be trusted.

Starring Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones and Anthony Ramos, the sequel scored a 79% on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer, which is significantly higher than the original movie’s score of 63%.

The new movie was directed by Lee Isaac Chung, the Oscar-nominated filmmaker behind “Minari.” It features a romance narrative woven into the storm-chasing plot, Rotten Tomatoes said.

Critics expressed mixed thoughts about how “Twisters” compares to the original.

“Whether or not it lives up to it might depend on your personal connection to — and nostalgia for — the original movie,” said Ian Sandwell of Digital Spy. “But ‘Twisters’ still delivers where it counts with thrilling huge-scale set pieces which are very wet and very windy.”

However, according to Owen Gleiberman of Variety, the sequel is “not nearly as good.”

The action and special effects will not disappoint, some critics said.

“Anyone coming to ‘Twisters’ primarily for the tornado action will likely enjoy the ride,” said David Rooney of the Hollywood Reporter.”

And David Ehrlich of IndieWire said he believes “Twisters” is an example of a big summer movie that just “works.”

“It’s rare to see a summer blockbuster where the special effects are so inextricable from the emotion, but it stands to reason that everything in this one should be swirled together like that,” he said.