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.

Meteorologists Share Strong Reactions to 2024’s Twisters

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

Netflix has had immense success adapting books into television series, turning the streamer into a global driving force for boosting book sales and changing how we read fiction.

One of its biggest recent successes has been the “Bridgerton” series — the first three seasons rank among its top 10 most popular TV series, according to Netflix’s viewing metrics, and Season 3 is No. 1 in the global top 10 since Part 1 was released in May. And those views have translated into major book sales. According to Nielsen’s BookScan, for example, the weekly U.S. sales of HarperCollins’ “Bridgerton” book series, written by Julia Quinn, increased by a whopping 552% between the week before the Season 3 TV trailer was released and the week after the season premiered on Netflix.

Similarly, after the premiere of “Fool Me Once,” an adaptation of Harlan Coben’s mystery thriller, the book soared onto the Amazon U.K. bestsellers of 2024 list and the New York Times bestsellers list, and the tie-in cover sold 20,000 physical copies post-release in the U.S.

Michelle Weiner, co-head of the books department at Creative Artists Agency, works closely with Netflix on numerous book to TV series deals, including “Night Agent,” “XO, Kitty,” “Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story” and “All the Light We Cannot See.”

“Some of Netflix’s most successful series have been based on book adaptations we thoughtfully built together,” Weiner said. “They share our goals and authors’ goals in taking award-winning cinematic stories and partnering them with thoughtfully matched writers, directors, producers, and talent.”

Audiobooks have also seen the effect of Netflix’s fandom, especially on Spotify. Since popular titles were added to Spotify’s Audiobooks in Premium, existing subscribers can listen to 15 hours of audiobooks per month as part of their Spotify Premium subscription.

“On Spotify, audiobook versions of these novels connect fans to the onscreen characters in a deeper way, and the correlating soundtracks and playlists also see a spike,” said David Kaefer, Spotify’s head of music and audiobooks businesses.

He pointed to “Bridgerton” as one example, saying they’ve seen a 1,700% increase in searches of the show, a 150% increase in listens to Quinn audiobooks and a boost in listens to Vitamin String Quartet, whose pop music covers are featured in the series. Similarly, Kaefer said Spotify has seen spikes for Cixin Liu’s “The Three-Body Problem” — the Chinese sci-fi novel was the basis of the series that premiered in March — and for Patricia Highsmith’s “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” which was the basis for Steven Zaillan’s adaptation, “Ripley,” that starred Andrew Scott.

And Highsmith’s novel, published nearly 70 years ago, is just one example of a book returning to bestseller lists years or even decades after the original release.

Following the premiere of the romantic drama “One Day” in February, David Nicholls’ 2009 novel returned to No. 1 on the Sunday Times bestsellers list and was on the Amazon U.K. Best Sellers of 2024 list, 15 years after the book debuted.

Netflix Vice President Jinny Howe, who oversees drama series, says books and television series have storytelling parallels.

“Who doesn’t love to disappear and escape into their favorite book? The character journeys in a TV series format also allow you to really live with this character, evolve with and follow them on these emotional, dramatic arcs that are really satisfying in similar ways,” she said.

The process for finding books they can adapt into a series is ongoing.

“We’re always reading across a variety of genres and authors, and have a great in-house team who helps us track upcoming properties,” Howe said. “We’re not just looking at the genre, but also for fresh voices and perspectives, and bold and original narratives.”

Many of Netflix’s adaptations are based on bestselling novels with a built-in fandom that’s invested in characters and their stories.

“I think what we always try to be really careful about and to do really thoughtfully is, how do you take the spirit of that from the books? Because you are trying to appeal to that existing fandom, but also as a series, as a film, expand upon it.”

However, it’s not always about looking at the “hot book” of the moment, Howe said.

“We have also seen adaptations of novels that are lesser known have just as much success on Netflix, like with ‘The Queen’s Gambit,’ which is one of our most popular series,” she said. “When you look at the success of ‘Ripley,’ and also there just being [intellectual property] of different forms and different times, [it] has been exciting to see as well … there are such great stories that also feel ripe for interpretation and they’re not necessarily coming directly from the London Book Fair this year.”

While romance series like “Bridgerton” and “One Day” have performed well, thrillers and mysteries are also popular on the platform, Howe said. “Fool Me Once” was one of Netflix’s most popular series earlier this year, and the streamer plans to release another thriller on Aug. 1, “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder.”

It’s based on Holly Jackson’s bestselling book series of the same name, and the British author is an executive producer on the murder-romance TV series. She took a hands-on approach for the adaptation.

“I assisted with selecting the writers for the room and have given extensive notes on all iterations of the scripts for every episode,” Jackson said.

She quipped: “They couldn’t get rid of me, even if they wanted to.”

Whether book authors are involved in the production of a series is a case by case basis.

Emma Myers will star as Pip Fitz-Amobi and Zain Iqbal as Ravi Singh in Netflix’s adaptation of “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder.”

(Netflix)

“Some authors prefer to be more hands off to provide the series team more creative flexibility to explore beyond the perimeters of their original work, while others like to be more directly involved in the adaptation process to shepherd how their vision is brought to screen,” Howe said. “Ultimately, our goal is to honor the book while presenting the best version of the story, which is a very nuanced process.”

In addition to helping select writers for the TV series, Jackson was also involved in post-production, including the edit, giving notes on rough cuts of the episodes.

“My ambition has always been that I wanted to make a show that elevated — or dare I say — even improved upon parts of the book,” she said. “When I had those ideas, I made sure I didn’t shut up about them until they made it into the show.”

The author said she’s happy to have her project at Netflix because of its “accessibility and the fact it will now reach so many more people,” especially viewers who haven’t heard of her books.

“I’m so excited to hook them in too and take them on this new journey,” Jackson said.

Though she is an author and loves to read and get lost in a book, Jackson said she watches “significantly more” TV than she reads books, which she finds can be more helpful in training her to be a better writer.

Emma Myers, who had a breakout role as Enid Sinclair in “Wednesday,” will star as 17-year-old Pip Fitz-Amobi in “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder.” Jackson said casting an American actor for the lead role was a way to give “U.S. readers some sense of ownership over the show too.”

Readers have already shown support for the series.

“They have been desperate for any clue or crumb about the show we’ve made, and even seeing them freak out about the smallest details — like one of Pip’s costumes — is heartening to see,” Jackson said.

Bella Kish, a 21-year-old fan of the books, said she was elated when she learned there would be a TV adaptation.

“I posted a TikTok video about the announcement that got a lot of attention,” Kish said. “It was great to see what a huge fan base Holly’s books have gained and how excited everyone is for the upcoming episodes.”

Kish said seeing one of her favorite books onscreen will be special.

“While there is some risk when making TV series out of books, I really hope that they stay true to the original characters and don’t change the story too much,” she said.

It is hard to know what is the future of Studio Ghibli as co-founder Hayao Miyazaki might have made his final masterpiece last year with The Boy and the Heron. In the meantime, animators who had formerly worked for Ghibli had formed Studio Ponoc. Starting with 2017’s Mary and the Witch’s Flower. While being more enjoyable and magical than most western children’s movies, it does seem like the staff of Ponoc are doing Ghibli karaoke. We had to wait seven years for another feature and can they escape the shadow of their renowned predecessor? 

Based on the 2014 British children’s novel of the same name by A. F. Harrold, The Imaginary is about a small girl, Amanda (Rio Suzuki), and her imaginary friend, Rudger (Kokoro Terada), as their shared existence is confined to the attic of Amanda’s residence, where they delve into her vibrant imagination. However, upon being confronted by the Imaginary-hunting Mr. Bunting (Issey Ogata), which leads to a tragic accident, Amanda and Rudger are suddenly separated, leaving the latter to find himself in a sanctuary for forgotten Imaginaries.

Considering it was originally released in Japan last December, The Imaginary now being released internationally via Netflix could not have been at a better time as 2024 is already the year of the imaginary friend movie IF and Imaginary, both of which were not well-received. Directed by Yoshiyuki Momose, who worked as an animator on Ghibli classics like Spirited Away and Whisper of the Heart, his latest feature embraces the flights of fancy that don’t hold back on how wild a child’s imagination, as seen in Amanda and Rudger’s initial adventure. 

As we delve more into “the town of Imaginaries”, don’t bother trying to make sense of the world-building, which does allow the animators from Ponoc to present imaginative worlds through stunning hand-drawn animation. The town itself is the standout set-piece as not only do you have the varying designs of the Imaginaries themselves – showing that they didn’t all originate from a child’s mind – but also this world changes every day ranging from European cityscapes to Japan’s Edo period. 

For as much beauty that The Imaginary can throw, there is an element of darkness lurking in the corner, best personified by the creepy adult Mr. Bunting who will surely give kids nightmares, as well as his own imaginary, which could rival the ghostly girls that you often see in J-horror. Contrasting the imaginative worlds with the realistic-drawn English background, you also have the story of a girl and her widowed mother who are grieving over the passing of Amanda’s father, and out of that grief came the creation of Rudger. Although there is a priority of being a thrilling fantasy adventure over a story that challenges with profound themes, there is enough of an emotional core that pays off in the climatic minutes.

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