This disaster movie is my most anticipated summer blockbuster of 2024 — here’s why

Disaster movies have always been a fun genre to experience, no matter whether you’re watching the impending doom on a big screen or seeing how global catastrophes unfold from the comfort of your couch. The constant action and thrill will keep you on the edge of your seat until the movie is over.

If you’re like me and have a special passion for disaster movies, then you should start getting excited for summer 2024. This season has some other promising movie releases like “Deadpool & Wolverine”, “Borderlands”, and “Alien: Romulus”, but there’s only one movie that won’t leave my thoughts, and that’s “Twisters”.

Don’t make the mistake I did when I first saw the movie trailer at the Super Bowl 2024. “Twisters” is neither a remake nor a reboot of the original movie, but a completely new chapter in the universe. It focuses on Kate Cooper (Daisy Edgar-Jones) who gets convinced by her friend Javi (Anthony Ramos) to return to her tornado-hunting life to test a new tracking system. Upon meeting the charming Tyler (Glen Powell) and chasing this natural disaster together, they discover that the storm is worse than they anticipated.

Now to me, that synopsis alone gets me super hyped. As a child, I wanted to become a tornado chaser, and it was a genuine passion until I grew up and realized it was probably not a good idea. This is why “Twister” became one of my favorite movies of all time, so there’s a good chance “Twisters” will beat that.

New footage from ‘Twisters’ received positive reactions 

CinemaCon 2024 brought together movie theater owners from around the world. This annual gathering gives these owners a chance to witness the most exciting movie developments. Of course, we don’t get to see this footage of several upcoming movies just yet (as sad as that is), but we can still know about everything that happened at the event.

One development includes an extended trailer from “Twisters” that has more tornadoes and stunning visuals made for a new generation. There are hints of a “new danger” that wasn’t included in the original “Twister.” Daisy Edgar-Jones’ character also has a little more screen time in the trailer when she feels reluctant to join a storm-chasing influencer who believes he has a device that can stop a tornado.

You can check out the released trailer above that doesn’t include the extended footage. It gives you a pretty good idea of what to expect, along with the main cast who will be starring in the movie.

It could top the original 1996 film  

((Image credit: Warner Bros. Pictures))

Now this is a big statement to make, but I believe that “Twisters” could top the original movie released back in 1996. Yes, there is a big chunk of time between the two, and “Twister” is absolutely fantastic for its time, but the newer version has plenty more potential that could leave you shocked in the movie theater.

From the get-go, we know that the main protagonist Kate Cooper has some past trauma with tornadoes. This is much like Jo Harding (Helen Hunt) in the original movie when she watched the natural disaster take her father. However, Kate avoids the phenomenon completely rather than face it head-on. Her character makes for an interesting narrative, along with the more visually appealing tornadoes and cheesy dramatic shots (which I’m a huge fan of, won’t lie) that make these vertical air funnels terrifying.

Not only that, but director Lee Isaac Chung wanted this movie to be hopeful. What that means is up for interpretation, whether it’s the characters acting more determined or the tornadoes not being so ‘villainous’ throughout the movie. Regardless, “Twisters” is going to be a fresh take.

Some tornadoes in the movie are real … seriously 

((Image credit: Universal Pictures))

Want to know a fun fact that might shock you? Some of the tornadoes in “Twisters” are actually real since they used raw footage captured by storm chasers. These practical effects will most likely be combined with some digital editing to make them stand out on the screen, which is just absolutely mental.

When I discovered this detail while scrolling online, I audibly gasped out loud. The inner child in me who wanted to chase tornadoes became very happy at that moment. It will be intriguing to see how “Twisters” will incorporate that footage and make the natural disaster look even more realistic on the big screen.

The movie has piqued my interest further just by releasing this interesting fact, and now I’m even more hyped to watch it in the summer. Expect to see this highly anticipated movie in theaters on July 19.

More from Tom’s Guide