July 30, 2024
Screenshot/YouTube/Universal Pictures
David Corenswet plays Scott, a scientist tracking tornado data, in the summer blockbuster 'Twisters.'
In "Twisters," one of the latest summer blockbusters, there's room for everyone in the fight against natural disaster. The movie assembles a motley crew of government scientists and YouTube-famous tornado "wranglers" in its audacious quest to "kill" a tornado — or at least slow it down before it destroys another Midwestern town. But there's one guy who's not invited to the twister party, and he (or rather the actor playing him) happens to hail from Philadelphia.
Spoilers for "Twisters" below!
While some have argued that climate change is the unspoken villain of "Twisters," the most clear-cut baddie on-screen is Scott, a data expert played by Philly native David Corenswet. Scott appears innocuous enough when he first enters the picture. Dressed in a white polo, baseball cap and neckband headphones, he seems capable, if a little humorless. But as the true aims of Storm Par — the company employing Scott, NOAA scientist Kate (Daisy Edgar Jones) and her old storm-chasing pal Javi (Anthony Ramos) — become clear, that neckband starts to look a little sinister.
As Javi explains in his pitch to Kate, Storm Par is collecting cutting-edge 3D scans of tornados, the kind of data that could improve meteorology and potentially save lives. But the company's backer is a land vulture seeking to trap families who lost everything to storms into predatory deals for quick cash. When Kate learns the truth, she bails on Storm Par and teams up with a less-polished crew of storm chasers led by online celebrity Tyler Owens (Glen Powell). Javi eventually hits his limit, too, but Scott has no such moral qualms. Even as a storm fueled by a power plant — there's climate change again — barrels toward a town, he browbeats Javi to set up the scanners and stop worrying about all those people. Javi earns his redemption by stealing their car, literally leaving Scott in the dust. Dirt and mud splatter over his face as his former partner drives away.
Corenswet hasn't said much about Scott, other than acknowledging that the character takes himself "quite seriously." But with his supporting role, he's embodying a classic action movie types: the smug, scholarly villain up against the folksy all-American heroes. Ignore the fact that both Kate and Tyler are trained meteorologists; they're both wearing dusty blue jeans by the movie's end.
These tropes still work, if the "Twisters" box office is any indication. The movie has kicked up nearly $155 million domestically since its July 19 release, and $221 million worldwide. It is the ninth-highest grossing film of 2024, sitting just below "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes."
Corenswet may be remembered as a data jerk this summer, but that image will blow over next year when the actor takes on an iconic superhero role. He'll star in "Superman," the next DC Studios spin on the classic character, next July. Filming is underway in Cleveland, and according to "Twisters" director Lee Isaac Chung, the crew already got a preview of Corenswet's caped crusader.
"When we filmed the moment where Tony (Anthony Ramos) drives the truck away from him and splashes him with mud, David, in one of the takes, turned to the camera really angry and he ripped his shirt off," Chung told the Hollywood Reporter. "So it was kind of a meta moment for me when I saw that behind the monitor. I was seeing him doing what he’ll probably be doing in ('Superman'), but for us, it was obviously much more angry. He was (the character of) Scott, but I love that his mind might’ve been a little bit Superman there."
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