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| "Twisters" a sequel of sorts to the 1996 classic "Twister" is set to hit theaters on July 19 |
That's when "Twisters" the long-awaited sequel to the storm chasing classic 1996 movie "Twister" is set to land in movie theaters.
The trailer for "Twisters" dropped during Sunday's Super Bowl, and as of Thursday afternoon had already grabbed about 12 million views. So the interest is certainly there.
The new movie stars Glen Powell whose character describes himself as a 'tornado wrangler' and Daisy Edgar Jones, who plays a scientist.
Weather and storm geeks are giddy about the prospects of this movie, as one might expect.
Reed Timmer, arguably the most prominent storm chaser in the nation - and who bears more than a passing resemblance to Powell - has already given the film two thumbs up.
Timmer, quoted in the Washington Post said:
"It looks like a realistic depiction of up-close tornado chasing and extreme field science. The tornadoes look realist and I love the focus on legendary tornadoes."
That might be a reference to a scene in the movie of twin tornadoes that are reminiscent of what many storm chasers regard as the ultimate storm video: Two intense, side by side tornadoes that struck the area in and around Pilger, Nebraska in 2014.
Judging from the trailer for "Twisters" the movie's depiction of violent tornadoes does seem much more realistic than in the 1996 film, as Timmer says. It appears those involved with "Twisters" have watched many of the zillions of tornado videos on YouTube when creating the film. The trailer is still CGI-ish but not bad.
Sadly, Tom Paxton, who starred in the 1996 Twister has passed away. I'm surprised original "Twister" star Helen Hunt is not in the new movie.
There's one scene in the trailer that I hope I'm just misunderstanding because I'm lacking context. It appears to show people hiding beneath a highway overpass as a large tornado bears down on them.
No, no, no, no and NO!!
Meteorologist Katie Nicolaou, on X, formerly Twitter, said it best: "Yay Twisters! But.... I'd enjoy the trailer a whole lot more if they DIDN'T SEEK SHELTER UNDER AN OVERPASS IN THE FIRST 25 SECONDS 😖😅 #Don'tDoThat"
My reaction that overpass scene is 20 years of public education to not do that is now down the drain.
Another danger pointed out by the Washington Post: Something called chaser convergence. Says WaPo:
"Some on social media wondered if "Twisters" would encourage even more people to flock to the increasingly popular sport of storm chasing, which in recent years has caused chaser traffic jams and contributed to accidents and casualties."
Many of those wannabe chasers have no idea what they're doing, and risk getting too close to a tornado for that dramatic shot.
And what if a couple hundred cars gather on some narrow dirt lane in the Middle Of Nowhere, Oklahoma to watch a strong tornado? Suddenly the tornado shifts course and heads right toward all these people and cars. Will they get out of the way fast enough amid their self-created traffic jam?
I'm also dreading some obnoxiousness from real-life storm chasers. A clip in the movie has a gaggle of storm chasers, with I guess a leader who says "If you feel it....." and the storm geeks all yell CHASE IT!!!!"
Is that going to be every part of a loud YouTube tornado chasing video now?
Sigh.
Oddly, tornadoes are my favorite kind of weather, but I have huge mixed feelings about that preference.
Obviously, I HATE it when lives are lost, and homes and businesses literally fall to pieces under a tornado's onslaught. That happens way too often, of course.
I love how every one of them is different, and how they change shapes, size and colors as they move across the landscape. They're the most fascinating weather phenomenon out there.
We just need to always hope these storms either remain over open country, or appear on the silver screen at a theater near you.
For what it's worth, here's the "Twisters" trailer: Click on this link to view, or if you see the image below, click on that.
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