Twisters
When the original Twister came out in 1996, it (forgive the pun) blew audiences away with absolutely phenomenal special effects for the time.

Barns were raised, tractors and livestock sucked into the air like playset toys – Twister was an easy ride for Speed director Jan de Bont, who was only too willing to deliver heart-pounding action with a side-salad plot that was as simple as it gets.

Now nearly thirty years later, the simple premise and gloriously OTT delivery that made Twister such a hit with audiences returns to the big screen once again to deliver the same kind of ride, but with 2024 graphics and more modern sensibilities.

The action this time around follows budding students Kate and Javi who have devised a revolutionary material that has the power to reverse a tornado's power and stop the storm from getting out of control.

While testing their methods in the field, nature naturally doesn't play ball, and the couple learn the hard way that messing with tornados can be fatal.

Years pass by and both Kate and Javi are living with the consequences of their deadly experience, but have not given up hope that their theory, if cracked, may save lives.
Meeting up with vlogger and extreme storm chaser Tyler, an all-country man who wears a Stetson and calls himself the Tornado Wrangler, both Kate and Javi embrace the renegade's spirit and take on the twisters for the good of humanity.

Director Lee Isaac Chung picks up the manual from the original movie and, amazingly, delivers just the right amount of hell-raising action, spliced with a simple plot. However, it works because Chung takes the time to flesh out this neat bunch of characters and convince us their fanciful studies and morbid fascination with these deadly storms is legit.

Once we've invested in the characters, then the ferocity of the twisters feels even more threatening. No-one is safe and these storms have absolutely no mercy.

The cast are all on great form, with Hamilton's Anthony Ramos and Daisy Edgar-Jones making for a noble couple you can't help but admire, while Glen Powell plays the ballsy storm hunter Tyler to perfection.

Strap yourself in and prepare for a wild ride. Twisters is a popcorn-friendly triumph that requires the biggest screen with the loudest sound for maximum enjoyment. Do not miss it!
 
Thelma
AN action movie with an 93-year-old grandmother hero may sound a bit ludicrous, but do not for one second let any ageist preconceptions put you off this one.

Funny, endearing and packed with the kind of explosive action that will no doubt make Sylvester Stallone green with envy, Thelma is a buddy-road-trip-flick that ticks all the boxes if you're looking for pitch-perfect comedy and thrilling action in equal abundance.

The excellent June Squibb plays nice-as-pie grandmother Thelma Post who dotes on her underachieving but loveable grandson Danny.

One day, Thelma receives a phone call from her grandson explaining that he needs to be bailed out of jail after an accident, and he wants her to pay ten grand to release him. Complying with Danny's request, it's not long before Thelma realises she has been scammed and the loveable old lady immediately sees red – and vows revenge.

Setting out on a mission to retrieve her money from the scammers, Thelma joins forces with her deceased husband's best friend, heavily armed and riding a mobility scooter from hell.

An unconventional action flick, but with plenty of heart, soul and fiery explosions, Thelma is well worth a whirl this weekend.