On May 22, 2011, a mile-wide EF5 tornado pretty much destroyed the town of Joplin, Missouri, killing 158, injuring over 1,100, and doing nearly $4 billlion in inflation-adjusted damage. The Netflix documentary The Twister: Caught in the Storm, uses interviews with several people who survived the tornado's 200+ mph winds, reinforced with various phone and security camera footage capturing the fury of the storm and the Apocalyptic aftermath as they attempted to find their homes and families.
Director Alexandra Lacey's selection of subjects seems to lean heavily on playing up the podunk town rural hick aspect - when the one woman with a pierced eyebrow filmed sitting in the back of a pickup truck reveals what her college degree is in, it was a surprise - and the obligatory gay guy who was stuck in this backwards homophobic Bible-thumper town. Another subject, who was sucked out of a vehicle when it was sent flying by the tornado then contracted a flesh-eating disease from dirt in the air and that damage rivals the destruction for ick factor.
With Twisters (7/10) currently on Netflix, The Twister: Caught in the Storm makes for a real-world counterpoint to the VFX-heavy adventure spin on tornadoes. It's decent, but not indispensable.
Score: 6/10. Catch it on Netflix.
3/21 11:45p
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