Get me back down to the ground because the new “Twisters” trailer swept me up in its glory and blew me away. What started as a relaxing evening turned into a small freak-out moment when Universal Pictures decided to release a proper full-length trailer for the upcoming summer movie “Twisters”.
If you couldn’t tell already, I’m a huge fan of the original movie that came out in 1996, so hearing that the world was expanding with a modern sequel instantly earned my approval and excitement. This summer is already packed with some highly anticipated movies like “A Quiet Place: Day One” and “Alien: Romulus”, but there’s just something about a disaster flick that is so thrilling.
Upon seeing the trailer, I noticed that the movie looks nothing like the original. Sure it has a similar feel with allusions hidden in the shots, but honestly, I’m so happy that it takes a different path. There have been many letdowns when it comes to movies reviving a franchise (take “Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City” and 2017’s “The Mummy” for example), but “Twisters” seems to honor the original movie while bringing something new to the table.
I can safely say that “Twisters” is one of my most anticipated summer blockbusters of 2024. That’s not due to the vast improvements in digital effects, but because it tells another story. Not to mention some of the tornadoes are actually real.
A refreshing new twist
Universal Pictures blessed us with a 3-minute trailer of “Twisters” and I couldn’t be happier. The upcoming movie focuses on Kate Cooper (Daisy Edgar-Jones), a former storm chaser who has trauma from a devastating tornado encounter when she was in college. Now she studies natural disasters on computers in New York. However, her friend Javi (Anthony Ramos) encourages her to return to the open plains to test a new tracking system. It’s then she meets Tyler Owens (Glen Powell), a social media superstar who is determined to achieve the most thrilling but dangerous experience ever.
Of course, being so close to tornadoes has its risks and immeasurable dangers. The trailer features incredible tornadoes sucking up everything in their path, along with water tanks destroying towns and even fiery twisters causing absolute destruction in an explosive power plant.
What truly stuck out in the trailer is its uniqueness compared to the original. That’s not to say it’s not similar, as seen by the speeding red truck carrying Dorothy, a barrel containing hundreds of sensors. But it’s important to note that “Twisters” is a sequel, meaning it will contain references to the original movie. However, it’s more focused on the characters and their trauma and reasoning for chasing tornadoes. Kate avoids this natural disaster completely due to her tragic encounter, so it will be interesting to watch how she approaches tornadoes again.
Also, director Lee Isaac Chung said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly: “Twisters really feels like a new chapter in a really brilliant way. There's new technology, there's new ways to understand these crazy weather systems and tornadoes — so we're bringing it up to date with what the state of the world is now."
We got cows!
Even though I’m pleased that “Twisters” is going to tell its own story, it would still be fun to see some nods to the original movie, and if that includes cows flying around, so be it. The old disaster flick created some of the most memorable moments in movie history, and honoring those moments gives us fans the perfect amount of nostalgia.
Many have been theorizing that Kate Cooper is actually the daughter of Jo (Helen Hunt) and Bill (Bill Paxton) since she’s seen with Dorothy in the trailer. However, considering “Twisters” is a standalone sequel, it wouldn’t make sense to link it back to the original movie. Plus, it’s already been confirmed by Chung that this upcoming movie won’t include any of the original cast.
“Twisters” offers the perfect blend of originality and nostalgia, with the trailer showing that perfectly. It gives us everything we need in a disaster movie, including visually appealing tornadoes and determined characters who put their lives on the line to keep the twisters from taking more innocent people. When “Twisters” releases in movie theaters on July 19, you best bet I’ll be in the front seat.
If you’re eager to watch something similar while you wait, check out our guide on the best disaster movies on Netflix. Be sure to check out this disaster drama before it leaves the streaming platform too.
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