'Twisters' director swaps arthouse for '90s blockbuster reboot

"Twisters," Hollywood's latest attempt to reboot nostalgic blockbusters for modern audiences, might seem an unlikely next career step for director Lee Isaac Chung.

His previous film, "Minari," was a sweet, quiet, semi-autobiographical tale of Korean immigrants struggling to adapt to life in rural 1980s Arkansas.

It earned the US director arthouse acclaim, and two Oscar nominations.

But even if it drew on nostalgia for the Deep South, it was a long way from "Twister" -- the big, brash 1996 blockbuster that terrified audiences with devastating Oklahoma tornadoes, brought to life with nascent computer-generated effects.

Even so, giant Hollywood studio Universal tapped Chung for "Twisters," out in US theaters on Friday -- and he jumped at the opportunity.

"I was really wanting to make a movie like this for quite a long time," he told AFP at the film's Los Angeles premiere last week.

"In my mind, it was never a stretch."

Part of that appeal was the chance to play with the latest computer-generated visual effects, known in the industry as VFX.

The film employed the talents of George Lucas's Industrial Light and Magic, to generate "really epic" effects, said Chung.

"In terms of VFX, there's just so much more that can be done to the environment around a tornado," he said.

"In that first film, you just see the tornado itself. But really what makes a tornado powerful is the effect that it has on nature and the surroundings."

"Twisters" has not escaped controversy.

The LA premiere was interrupted by animal rights activists, protesting the film's use of live animals for a rodeo scene.

But so far, the gamble looks to be paying off.

The film, made for around $200 million and distributed overseas by fellow Hollywood titan Warner Bros, is reportedly on track to make around $50 million on its first weekend in North American theaters alone.

It stars Daisy Edgar-Jones ("Normal People") as a meteorologist forced to team up with a daredevil storm chaser, played by Glen Powell ("Top Gun: Maverick").

"I think that the first movie was a spectacle. It was beautiful and big," said their co-star Paul Scheer.

"This movie has got heart, humor, comedy. It actually takes the blueprint and plusses it up."