Movie Reviews

Twisters Movie Reviews: Strong First Reactions Get Shared Online

Published

2 years ago

July 8, 2024

Twisters Movie Reviews: Strong First Reactions Get Shared Online

The upcoming 2024 blockbuster movie Twisters is earning fantastic early reviews, which are coming from meteorologists watching for more than just entertainment.

Led by Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones, Twisters takes inspiration from the epic adventure seen in 1996’s Twister, although it is not seen as a sequel or a reboot.

This film sees a new team of storm-chasers and weather experts joining forces to investigate massive tornadoes in the farmland, risking their lives in the name of science.

Universal Pictures

On June 20, Universal invited real-world meteorologists to a special early screening of Twisters at AMC Northpark 15 in Dallas, Texas.

Star Daisy Edgar-Jones also attended the screening as a special guest, after which the guests shared their reactions on Facebook.

It is important to note that these meteorologists’ public reviews of the movie are more likely to be positive rather than negative or mixed ones due to Universal’s special invite.

WFAA meteorologist Kyle Roberts described the movie as “very entertaining,” making it clear that it used a Hollywood-influenced view of storm chasing.

He praised the special effects and its entertainment value regardless of its accuracy:

“Very entertaining!… It is Hollywood’s portrayal of storm chasing, so don’t go into it expecting anything more than that. It’s not a documentary. While there are callbacks to the original, it is not a remake or a sequel. The special effects are fantastic and it is an entertaining watch.”

He admitted it was “less realistic than the first one” in terms of storm-chasing and safety, although it did not take away from his enjoyment:

“In response to someone asking ‘how was it?’ very entertaining! Not really realistic but it’s a movie and a fun watch! And then in response to someone asking ‘Is it less realistic than the first one???’ HAHA well…from a storm-chasing and safety standpoint? Absolutely.”

WFAA meteorologist Mariel Ruiz reflected on how the original Twister “solidified [her] love for meteorology,” feeling that Twisters will do that on a greater level for new viewers.

She also praised Daisy Edgar-Jones’ performance, saying she did “an incredible job taking on the role of Kate” and calling the film “a must-see” outing:

“The original ‘Twister’ solidified my love for meteorology. I think ‘Twisters’ will inspire the next generation of meteorologists/scientists/so much more. A must-see this summer! It was a pleasure getting to chat with and introduce moviegoers to Daisy Edgar-Jones before the screening. She did an incredible job taking on the role of Kate, a meteorologist changing the name of the game 10/10.”

Freelance meteorologist Lauren Bostwick told fans they will “LOVE the new Twisters movie” if they liked the original, emphatically saying she would watch the new one multiple times:

“If you liked the original you’ll LOVE the new ‘Twisters’ movie that’s coming out July 19!!! I am so thrilled that Universal Pictures invited us to the screening…definitely will be watching again…and again!”

Freelance meteorologist Jeanette Gallardo called Twisters “pretty great,” sharing a similar plan to watch it “over and over in theaters:”

“Had the cool opportunity to attend a screening of ‘Twisters’… and I gotta say… it was pretty great. I will definitely be watching this one over and over in theaters”

Additionally, independent reviewer Lynne Loves Movies shared her reaction to the film after a separate screening, calling it “a blast” and recommending it to fans.

After doubting it could top the original, she praised the 2024 movie for putting people like her “in there far more” than its predecessor:

“‘Twisters’ is a blast!!! In theaters July 19th. I recommend it. I was at a Sneak screening. Didn’t know so many folks from Chicago were involved. I thought to myself: No way they can top the original ‘Twister,’ but they really did by focusing on the actual power of the storms themselves. They really put us in there far more than the original and it’s the power and destruction of the tornado that is the villain. The sound is awesome. I bet they’ll get recognition for sound editing.

Her only major complaint was “the romance they hint at between Kate (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and Tyler (Glen Powell),” but she praised Powell’s portrayal “as the cowboy Storm Wrangler:”

“I’m not too crazy about the romance they hint at between Kate (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and Tyler (Glen Powell) and thankfully they don’t focus on that because the chemistry between the two leads seemed lackluster but since they were mostly about storm chasing it didn’t distract from my absolute enjoyment of the movie. I thought Glen Powell did a great job as the cowboy Storm Wrangler. He has the same motley crew of storm chasing characters vs the corporate crews that exist in “Twisters,” but they don’t build on that too much – thank goodness. Its about those monstrous tornadoes. It’s a thrilling ride for sure. Spielberg exec produces.”

How Will Fans React to 2024 Twisters Movie?

Outside of some minor confusion about Twisters being a sequel or reboot, these early reviews should do plenty to get the general public, especially coming from those who know what the characters are supposed to be doing.

On top of the star power from Glen Powell (Top Gun: Maverick) and co-stars like Anthony Ramos (Ironheart) and David Corenswet (Superman), the film appears to have no shortage of epic action. Just like its predecessor, it’s the kind of movie tailor-made to succeed as a summer blockbuster.

The 2024 movie also has the advantage of bringing much more believable special effects than 1996’s original outing, which seemed to be a big part of why the meteorologists enjoyed it so much.

Now, the big question is if fans will be open to something new from this legacy franchise, particularly in a year with only a few big winners in theaters.

It also has the challenge of coming out amongst heavy competition, with Despicable Me 4 releasing on July 3 and Deadpool and Wolverine debuting on July 26.

Should these reviews be a sign of things to come, however, moviegoers will hopefully respond to that positivity and put forth a good showing.

Twisters spins into theaters on Friday, July 19.

Read more about other Universal projects below:

Will Oppenheimer 2 Ever Release? Universal Boss Gives Perfect Response

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 Movie: Release Date, Cast and Everything We Know

New Despicable Me 4 LEGO Set Includes ‘Mega’ Spoiler from Movie

Related Topics:action First Reactions Thriller universal

Click to comment

Movie Reviews

Jeremy Schuetze’s ‘ANACORETA’ (2022) – Movie Review – PopHorror

Published

7 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Jeremy Schuetze’s ‘ANACORETA’ (2022) – Movie Review – PopHorror

PopHorror had the chance to check out Anacoreta (2022) ahead of its streaming release! Does this meta-horror flick provide interesting story telling or is it a confusing mess.

Let’s have a look…

Synopsis

A group of friends heads to a secluded woodland cabin for a weekend getaway, planning to film an experimental horror movie. As the shoot progresses, the project begins to fall apart—until a real and terrifying presence emerges from the darkness.

Anacoreta is directed by Jeremy Schuetze. It was written by Jeremy Schuetze and Matt Visser. The film stars Antonia Thomas (Bagman 2024), Jesse Stanley (Raf 2019), Jeremy Schuetze (Jennifer’s Body 2009), and Matt Visser (A Lot Like Christmas 2021)

My Thoughts

Antonia Thomas delivered an outstanding performance as the female lead in Anacoreta. It was remarkable to watch her convey such a wide range of emotions with authenticity and depth. I was continually impressed by her ability to switch seamlessly between different dialects. I absolutely loved her delivery of the dialogue of telling The Scorpion and the Frog fable.

Anacoreta employs a distinctive, meta-horror style of storytelling. The narrative follows a group of friends creating a “scripted reality” horror film, and as the plot unfolds, the boundary between their staged production and their actual lives becomes increasingly blurred. This was interesting, but at the same time frustrating as a viewer.

Check out Anacoreta on Prime Video and let us know your thoughts!

Movie Reviews

‘Hoppers’ review: Pixar’s best original movie in years

Published

19 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

‘Hoppers’ review: Pixar’s best original movie in years

“So it’s like Avatar?” one character quips in Disney and Pixar’s “Hoppers,” bluntly translating the film’s high-concept premise for the sugar-fueled kids in the audience. And yes, the comparison is apt. The story follows a nature-obsessed teenage girl who manages to quite literally “hop” her consciousness into the body of a robotic beaver in order to spark an animal rebellion against a greedy mayor determined to bulldoze their forest for a freeway.

It’s a clever hook. The kind of big, elastic idea Pixar used to make look effortless. “Hoppers” does not reach the rarified air of “Up,” “Wall-E,” or “Inside Out,” but after a stretch of uneven originals like “Turning Red” and “Luca,” and outright misfires such as “Elemental” and “Elio,” this feels like a genuine course correction. The environmental messaging is clear without being preachy, the animals are irresistibly anthropomorphized, and the studio’s once-signature emotional sincerity is back in sturdy form.

Pixar can afford to gamble on originals when it has a guaranteed cash cow like this summer’s “Toy Story 5” waiting in the wings, but “Hoppers” earns its place in the catalogue. Director Daniel Chong crafts a warm, heartfelt film that occasionally strains under the weight of its own ambition, yet remains grounded by character and theme. Its meditation on conservation and animal displacement feels timely in a way that never tips into after-school-special territory.

We meet Mabel, voiced with bright conviction by Piper Curda, as a child liberating her classroom pets and returning them to the wild. Her moral compass is shaped by her grandmother, voiced by Karen Huie, who imparts wisdom about nature’s sanctity. True to both Pixar tradition and the broader Disney playbook, this beacon of guidance does not survive past the opening act. Loss, after all, is Pixar’s favorite inciting incident.

Years later, Mabel is still fighting the good fight, squaring off against the smarmy Mayor Jerry, voiced with slick menace by Jon Hamm. He plans to flatten the glade where Mabel and her grandmother once found solace. Mabel’s resistance feels noble but futile. The animals have already mysteriously vanished, the machinery is coming, and her last-ditch plan involves luring a beaver back to the abandoned forest in hopes of jumpstarting the ecosystem.

That’s when the film gleefully pivots into mad-scientist territory. At Beaverton University, Mabel discovers her professor, voiced by Kathy Najimy, has developed a device that can project human consciousness into synthetic animals. The process, dubbed “hopping,” allows Mabel to inhabit a robotic beaver and infiltrate the forest from within. It’s an inspired escalation that keeps the film buoyant even when the plotting grows predictable.

Her new posse includes King George, a lovably beaver voiced by Bobby Moynihan with distinct Bing Bong energy; a sharp-tongued bear voiced by Melissa Villaseñor; a regal bird king voiced by the late Isiah Whitlock Jr.; and a fish queen voiced by Ego Nwodim. As is often the case with Pixar, even in its lesser efforts, the world-building is meticulous. The animal hierarchy, complete with titles like “paw of the king,” is layered with jokes that play for kids while slyly winking at adults.

The plot ultimately follows a familiar template. Scrappy underdog rallies community. Corporate villain twirls metaphorical mustache. Emotional third-act sacrifice looms. At times, you can feel the machinery working a little too cleanly. Pixar, and Disney at large, has grown increasingly reliant on sequels and established IP, and “Hoppers” does not radically reinvent the wheel. In an animated landscape where films like “K-Pop: Demon Hunters,” “Across the Spider-Verse,” and “Goat” are pushing stylistic and narrative boundaries, being safe and sturdy may not always be enough.

And yet, there is something refreshing about a Pixar original that remembers how to tug at the heart without squeezing it dry. “Hoppers” is playful, peppered with cheeky needle drops, and builds to a sweet emotional catharsis that may or may not have left this critic a little misty-eyed. It feels earnest and engaged.

“Hoppers” may not be top-tier Pixar. But it is a welcome return to form, a reminder that the studio still knows how to marry big ideas with a bigger heart.

HOPPERS opens in theaters Friday, March 6th.

Movie Reviews

‘Hoppers’ review: Who can argue with hilarious talking animals?

Published

1 day ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

‘Hoppers’ review: Who can argue with hilarious talking animals?

Just when you think Pixar’s petting-zoo cute new movie “Hoppers” is flagrantly ripping off James Cameron, the characters come clean.

movie review

HOPPERS

Running time: 105 minutes. Rated PG (action/peril, some scary images and mild language). In theaters March 6.

“You guys, this is like ‘Avatar’!,” squeals 19-year-old Mabel (Piper Curda), the studio’s rare college-age heroine.

Shoots back her nutty professor, Dr. Fairfax (Kathy Kajimy): “This is nothing like ‘Avatar!’”

Sorry, Doc, it definitely is. And that’s fine. Placing the smart sci-fi story atop an animated family film feels right for Pixar, which has long fused the technological, the fantastical and the natural into a warm signature blend. Also, come on, “Avatar” is “Dances With Wolves” via “E.T.”

What separates “Hoppers” from the pack of recent Pix flix, which have been wholesome as a church bake sale, is its comic irreverence.

Director Daniel Chong’s original movie is terribly funny, and often in an unfamiliar, warped way for the cerebral and mushy studio. For example, I’ve never witnessed so many speaking characters be killed off in a Pixar movie — and laughed heartily at their offings to boot.

What’s the parallel to Pandora? Mabel, a budding environmental activist, has stumbled on a secret laboratory where her kooky teachers can beam their minds into realistic robot animals in order to study them. They call the devices “hoppers.”

Bold and fiery Mabel — PETA, but palatable — sees an opportunity.

The mayor of Beaverton, Jerry (Jon Hamm), plans to destroy her beloved local pond that’s teeming with wildlife to build an expressway. And the only thing stopping the egomaniacal pol — a more upbeat version of President Business from “The Lego Movie” — is the water’s critters, who have all mysteriously disappeared.

So, Mabel avatars into beaver-bot, and sets off in search of the lost creatures to discover why they’ve left.

From there, the movie written by Jesse Andrews (“Luca”) toys with “Toy Story.” Here’s what mischief fuzzy mammals, birds, reptiles and insects get up to when humans aren’t snooping around. Dance aerobics, it turns out.

Per the usual, “Hoppers” goes deep inside their intricate society. The beasts have a formal political system of antagonistic “Game of Thrones”-like royal houses. The most menacing are the Insect Queen (Meryl Streep — I’d call her a chameleon, but she’s playing a bug), a staunch monarch butterfly and her conniving caterpillar kid (Dave Franco). They’re scheming for power.

Perfectly content with his station is Mabel’s new best furry friend King George (Bobby Moynihan), a gullible beaver who ascended to the throne unexpectedly. He happily enforces “pond rules,” such as, “When you gotta eat, eat.”

That means predators have free rein to nosh on prey, and everybody’s cool with it. Because of bone-dry deliveries, like exhausted office drones, the four-legged cast members are hilarious as they go about their Animal Planet activities.

No surprise — talking lizards, sharks, bears, geese and frogs are the real stars here. They far outshine Mabel, even when she dons beaver attire. Much like a 19-year-old in a job interview, she doesn’t leave much of an impression.

Yes, the teen has a heartfelt motivation: The embattled pond was her late grandma’s favorite place. Mabel promised her that she’d protect it.

But in personality she doesn’t rank as one of Pixar’s most engaging leads, perhaps because she’s past voting age. Mabel is nestled in a nebulous phase between teenage rebellion and adulthood that’s pretty blasé, even if a touch of tension comes from her hiding her Homo sapien identity from her new diminutive pals. When animated, kids make better adventurers, plain and simple.

“Hoppers” continues Pixar’s run of humble, charming originals (“Luca,” “Elio”) in between billion-dollar-grossing, idea-starved sequels (“Inside Out 2,” probably “Toy Story 5”). The Disney-owned studio’s days of irrepressible innovation and unmatched imagination are well behind it. No one’s awed by anything anymore. “Coco,” almost 10 years ago, was their last new property to wow on the scale of peak Pixar.

Look, the new movie is likable and has a brain, heart and ample laughs. That’s more than I can say for most family fare. “A Minecraft Movie” made me wanna hop right out of the theater.