The Twister: Caught in the Storm

This documentary captures the raw devastation caused by the disaster-destruction that is heartbreaking for so many people.

What stands out most is the incredible strength of the Joplin community. Despite the overwhelming tragedy, the film highlights the city's strong support system and resilience.

While there are many blurry videos and images, this actually enhances the film's authenticity. Rather than using staged footage, these visuals genuinely reflect the extent of the damage and the chaos that unfolded.

Ultimately, this documentary tells a powerful story of unity in the face of horror.

According to NOAA, Missouri experiences approximately 50 tornadoes annually, while the Tornado Valley region comprising Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and Oklahoma, reports around 300 tornadoes per year. The St. Louis area is particularly prone with 12-15 tornadoes occurring annually. While the peak tornado season spans March to June, tornadoes can strike at any time.

Missouri has witnessed several catastrophic tornadoes in recent years, including the devastating Jefferson City tornado (2019), Carl Junction tornado (2017), Oak Grove tornado (2017) and Perryville tornado (2016). These events resulted in extensive damage, injuries and loss of lives.(Ref: Google)

This documentary provides a gripping account of the devastating effects of Joplin tornado on May 22, 2011, in Joplin, Missouri. It was a devastating EF5 tornado that caused widespread destruction and loss of life. 158 people lost their lives in the tornado, including 7 students and 1 staff member from Joplin High School, over 1,000 people were injured, many critically, caused $2.8 billion in damages, making it one of the costliest single tornadoes in the US, nearly 1/3rd of Joplin was destroyed!!!

The documentary features personal storytelling, stunning footage and interviews with storm chasers and meteorologists. Witness accounts and survivor stories recreate the monster tornadoes in vivid detail. A scary yet good watch!

Your enjoyment of this documentary of the historic tornado in Joplin will largely depend on whether you prefer more personal stories with amateur shaky footage or if you would rather see a glossy production with lots of expert talking heads and raw data. I tend to prefer the former because it takes a massive event and scales it down to the personal level which to me is much more powerful. I can relate much more to individual experiences compared to boring discussions of weather patterns and historic precedent

I'm not sure why they picked these individual stories to tell. Almost all the accounts are from people that were teenagers at the time, but I think it was a good choice. When you are that age big events like this can completely alter your outlook on life and the future. I wasn't equally interested in all the accounts, but it gave the story a decidedly emotional element that would be missing from many documentaries

The footage is chaotic and a lot of it is just cameras pointing at the sky with no particular focus on the tornado, but it highlights the chaotic nature of the event and helps build tension. You won't see a lot of footage of the tornado ripping through houses or CGI reenactments of its path, but it goes along with the personal nature of this story as a lot of the footage was taken by those being interviewed or camera footage from the areas they were at

However, it could have used a little more context information. It really didn't accurately portray the sheer devastation and destruction of the town. Most of the time is spent building up to the tornado and the moments during with very little time spent on the aftermath. There are no maps showing its path or any overhead shots of the whole town with the line cut through it, so it's a little hard to put the whole thing in perspective for someone not familiar with the area

Ultimately, I got unusually emotional watching it which is my sign that it worked. Many documentaries explain everything in a clinical way with lots of facts and talking heads, which can be good, but I tend to prefer these more intimate stories that I can connect to on a personal level.

The community of Joplin is hit by a rare force of nature, a devastating EF-5 tornado, a natural event that has catastrophic consequences.

First off, the negative reviews, are you guys serious? You must have watched something different to me.

161 people dead, this was a horrendous occurrence, but aside from that, how many lives, properties, businesses, structures etc were impacted and ruined by the damage.

It's very raw, very gritty, but very heartfelt and very human, don't expect the glass and nonsense of the recent Twister film, most of the footage is strictly audible only, but would you expect otherwise?

It's not glossy, it takes a bit of time to open up, and for us Brits, it's worth remembering that The US is a bit more religious than us lot over here.

One thing I will never understand though, storm chasing, I just don't get it, don't mess with Mother Nature.

7/10.

This documentary is excellent.

I grew up in Minnesota so am no stranger to tornadoes and the fear you feel when the sirens go off.

161 people died in Joplin and the city was obliterated.

I went into this not knowing what to expect and am so impressed by the first person storytelling - and that is what this is, a diverse group of young people (at the time) describing in detail and with original videos what happened to them.

It's terrifying.

I don't want to say much more as it will spoil it. Needless to say the people we come to know through their stories survived (one extremely luckily), but many others did not.

Joplin and its people are scarred but they persevere.

This documentary is two hours long but it flies by. It is never boring. And the stories are mesmerizing.

Recommended.