No Spoilers: Travis And Stacia Talk Reality Of 'Twisters'

The movie “Twisters” is thrilling audiences and bringing in millions. It was shot in Oklahoma and topped the box office this weekend with more than $80 million in ticket sales.

While it's fun to grab the popcorn and catch a movie, it's important to separate fact from fiction because weather in Oklahoma can mean life or death.

Chief Meteorologist Travis Meyer and Meteorologist Stacia Knight explain where Hollywood got it right and where filmmakers may have included some meteorological myths.

Travis said the first thing the movie did right was film it in Oklahoma. The setting isn't the only thing familiar to Oklahomans; the plot involves meteorologists and storm trackers researching dangerous weather.

News On 6 storm trackers joined Travis and Stacia to see the movie.

It's the biggest movie to hit theaters this summer, but "Twisters" has more than hype to live up to. The 1996 original inspired a generation of meteorologists.

“It kind of intensified my fear of storms for a little bit, but it's still a great movie, so this time I'm expecting it to be kind of 'level up' with more up-to-date technology,” Knight said.

But can this standalone sequel spin up the same excitement?

The film follows a new group of storm trackers hoping to use scientific research to reduce the intensity of tornadoes. Along the way, they meet a rowdy group of chasers led by a man known as the "Tornado Wrangler."

Meyer doesn’t want to spoil the plot but said viewers can expect quite a bit of sound scientific background in the movie. Producers consulted with the National Weather Service in Norman and the National Severe Storms Laboratory. Some folks from the crew even stopped by the News On 6 studios to talk with meteorologists during production. All of that informed filmmakers to create realistic storm tracking scenes.

“With tracking, you have a lot that you already know, but then at the end of the day, sometimes with tornadoes, you're not 100 percent sure they're going to track in the same direction because they can turn in any direction,” Knight said.

“There are so many good storm trackers out there but there's several that just have that instinct and that second nature of just knowing where to be at the right time because you really can't forecast that. So I would say that part of the movie has a little bit of a reality kick to it,” Meyer said.

As for what the movie got wrong, there are some details that stand out to meteorologists.

“‘Doppler radar indicates we won't have any severe weather until this evening.' Well, Doppler radar is what's happening now. Not what's happening in the future,” Meyer said.

“I think they meant model data,” Knight said.

Oklahomans might find some moments unrealistic, like when characters desperately look for shelter during a severe storm.

“When you live in Oklahoma, you pretty much already know where shelters are,” Meyer said. “Almost everybody we know has a predetermined location to go for tornadoes. Some parts of the movie, I felt, were kind of trying to make it a little bit more scary than the reality because reality of it is, we live with it in Oklahoma, so we know where to go.”

Overall, Hollywood's version of Oklahoma is entertaining and at least somewhat familiar.

“Some of that stuff looked pretty real,” Meyer said.

“Made it look beautiful too,” Knight said.

“I'd go back and see Twisters 3,” Meyer said.

If viewers look closely, they might just spot News On 6 storm tracker Sequoyah Quinton in the movie. He is an extra in one of the scenes.