Twister still ranks high as far as summer movies go. This one drew huge crowds and the money this one raked in is disgusting, much like Jan De Bonts other actionfest, Speed. Did it deserve it? Probably. This is a great popcorn action flick and an outstanding disc to boot.
Bill Paxton stars as a storm chaser along with his extranged wife played by Helen Hunt. Their goal is to get a look inside a tornado with the newly developed machine called "Dorothy." It sends up hundereds of tiny little receptors that capture all the data about the twister and send it back to their computers. Of course, there is a rival group with better equipment out to do the same thing. It's an intense ride that has them not only battling the elements, but trying to save thier jobs as well.
This is not a movie you should expect to go into expecting a deep plot. The romantic storyline is really unnecessary and only serves to give a little bit of backstory to the characters, setting it up for the disaster to come. This one is all about insane action and spectacular effects that still hold up. Some of the sequences are just ridiculous, but as far as braindead action movies go, this is a classic. (**** out of *****)
Twister is presented as it should be, 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. This is a print clear of any scratches and only minor grain. The explosions feature brilliant hues of orange and red, crystal clear like no other disc has ever matched. The CG effects are a bit more obvious thanks to the clarity, but that's certainly not a flaw of the picture. (****)
Any great action movie needs a great soundtrack and Twister delivers...incredibly. You'll have the option of Dolby 5.1 or a much more powerful DTS track. The bass provided is insane and with all the debris flying around, rest assured you can track it all with your ears. Just wait until you reach the infamous cow segment for the perfect example of why this is a perfect demo disc for a home theater. (*****)
Article comments
1 - RJ Elliott
Good review. Twister got a lot of bad press for being nothing more than a computer-generated special-effects flick, but so what? The public votes with its pocketbook, and Twister made gobs of money. It's fun to watch, and that's all that a movie of this genre should aim for.
2 - Chris Kent
I have been a big fan of Twister for a long time. Many of my friends, with excellent taste mind you, have asked me repeatedly - "Why Chris Why!!!!!" I tell them simply, "It's a damn good film."
What I like about this film, and what went unnoticed by many critics (though one important critic accurately called this one of the 10 best films of the year), was the human drama was as important, if not moreso, than the tornado chasing itself. This is a very, very well-acted film, and the talented Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton give excellent performances. They are not your normal bullshit, wise-cracking, smug stars in this type of fare. Even Phillip Semour Hoffman, early in his career, does a fine turn as the eccentric slacker stormchaser ("Move on!! Loser!!!).....
The scene where they go to the Aunt's house and eat fried eggs, mashed potatoes and steak is hilarious. The dialogue is above average, the musical score excellent, and the editing crisp.
My only complaint about this film, which I have seen 10-15 times, is that it makes tornado chasing fun. Tornadoes are horrible and dangerous, as I learned first-hand when I followed an F5 down the highway in 1997 that eventually killed 28 souls (mostly children) in Jarrell, Texas.
While one has about as good of a chance of seeing a tornado as getting struck by lightning, please understand tornadoes are not like they are portrayed in Twister. Tornadoes skin cows alive, rip people to pieces and suck houses to unknown places leaving nothing but a bare foundations and mud where surburban cement roads used to be. Bodies are rarely discovered. If you get the rare unlucky chance to see a tornado, get the fuck away as fast as you can. Unless, of course, one has a fantasy of being ripped to pieces and buried in a trash bag.
That being said, I still love this film, and think it to be one of the most underrated summer blockbusters of all time........nice work!