As spring approaches, it's time for those of us in the midwest to get ready for storm season - and in recent years, this has meant, for me, another excuse to watch "Twister" - a movie rated that is actually PG-13 for "intense depictions of Very Bad Weather" (and yes, that's really what the box says). It may not teach much about tornado safety, but it sure reminds you why it's a good idea to pay attention when those sirens sound.

Let's be honest, though. "Twister" is not a great movie. It barely qualifies as a "good" one in most categories. But it is a whole lot of fun, and if you ignore the problems with the story and the generally perfunctory acting, there are certainly worse ways to spend a couple hours.

The problem with the story is that, well, there's just too much of it. At it's heart, Twister is a basic "girl meets tornado, girl hates tornado, girl beats tornado" story. The movie opens with a scene showing Jo, our heroine's, as a child, when her father is sucked away and killed during an F5 tornado - the meanest, baddest twisters on the block. As an adult, Jo is now obsessed with finding a way to beat the tornados, by developing a way to give people more lead time to take shelter when a storm is threatening their area. Travelling with her is a motley assortment of fellow storm-chasers, each with his or her own special skill and basic, one-note personality. Also joining her is her husband, Bill, a former storm-chaster known as "The Extreme", from whom she has recently separated. The action takes place over the course of a single day during which there is an outbreak of tornados, and Jo and her team have a chance to test their new tool that they hope will give them the data needed to create a better warning systems. Of course, through the trials they face together, Jo and Bill have the chance to find their way back to each other, and rekindle the love that Jo's obession with twisters had pretty much killed.

Had that been the extent of the story, it would have been just perfect. See, this is an "event" film - it's about the visceral sense of being in the midst of horrendous storm, killer winds bearing down on you, and coming out alive. The characters and plot are just there to give us an excuse to watch the special effects.