Twister

Solid follow up film for former cinematographer (it shows) Jan DeBont who's previous film 'Speed' redefined the action genre and added, well, speed, to the mix. He has a talent for making films that are extremely kinetic and seem to actually MOVE and Twister is no different.

The story is simple, we follow a group of storm chasers around tornado alley for 48hrs during the most active otbreak of tornao activity on record (not unlike what actually occured this past month in Oklahoma) all the while watching an estranged couple played by Hunt and Paxton fall in love again amongst the windswept action.

The tornados are awe inspiring works of digital wonder created by ILM and really come across as powerful. They're not so much portrayed as ordinary storms, but rather angry demons from above who wreak havoc on the landscape, they even roar like lions at times! Great film. And to those that think this film doesn't translate well to the home, you obviously don't have a Home Theater set up with Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1! The film RIVALS what I got at the theater in my home!

Hey people come on! Give TWISTER another chance! Films, even action films, don't HAVE to have "an inventive plot" or "decent performances" or "a script that wasn't written by a machine" to be "good." All I need is light, noise, and lotsa 'splosions! Take those elements and paste over a thin layer of worn-out story borrowed from 10 or twelve other movies and you got a winner, thank you! Throw in some great acting-Bill Paxton's "staring at the dirt" moment alone FLOORS me. And ever notice how Helen Hunt is constantly bustling about with her head down whenever she's not scrunching her face into her patented "I'm sad and cute" look (Hello Oscar!)-that's ACTING! And Jamie Gertz! Welcome back to the cinema! I haven't seen you since LISTEN TO ME! And don't even get me started on the lovable ragamuffins known as the "storm chasers"! The way they're thrown at us like we'll immediately love them! The way you're not sure how many of them there are! (And the fat red-hared "dude"! That's what they mean by COOL! I mean COOL-AGE!) And Cary Elwes! What a great villian! He's in it for the money!(Hsss!) At first I wasn't sure what accent he was doing, since it changed every scene, but then I realized he was doing all of them! And the F/X! WOWWW!!! This movie follows the rule "We got a computer, who needs a script?". I love how the characters "find" the big tornado in the end-on a perfectly sunny day, no less-and drive right up to it with no damage done! I can't wait to try that myself! (I just hope I have lots of cans of delicious refreshing Pepsi-Cola(TM)!!!)

To sum up, this is a rollercoaster wrapped inside a thrillride of a movie and I implore you to give a second chance! Please don't get hung up on this notion that a big budget action film could actually be daring and original and even a little smart. All we need are CGIs and THX sound and films made by the marketing department of the studios to keep us happy! Give me more! I'm waiting!

This film is not high cinematic art. It was intended to be a summer blockbuster "put your brain on hold" action film when it was released in 1996, and that is what it was and still is. Its competition at the time was "Independence Day", which is an unwatchable hokey movie, and this movie is better than that film in that it is a watchable hokey movie. Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton play recently divorced storm chasers Jo and Bill Harding whose relationship was pulled apart by Jo's obsession with chasing tornadoes to the exclusion of wanting any kind of "normal family life" by Bill's definition. Bill has moved on and found a more conventional girl that he plans to marry (Jami Gertz). However, before he can move on, Bill needs Jo to sign some papers. He meets her "in the field" as she and her team from the university plan a day of chasing tornadoes through Oklahoma. Before they can conclude their business a storm calls the team to the chase, and Bill is drawn into the chase by necessity but kept there by his latent passion - for storm-chasing and maybe even for the marriage he left behind. The film features some great special effects, fast-paced action, and cringingly obvious dialog with the subtlety of a sledgehammer. However if you're just in the mood for an action-packed film with a feel-good after effect, this movie fits the bill.

The current rating of 6/10 is probably correct if you are comparing Twister with Casablanca. If you judge it as an action film against other action films, I'd say it's probably more of a 7 out of 10.

I like disaster movies when they are done right, and while Twister is no masterpiece it is a sort of guilty pleasure for me. I agree the script has its weak spots, the pace is rather pedestrian and the plot on the clichéd and unrealistic side of things. But Twister is nostalgic fun, with some decent direction and acting, complete with some pretty incredible special effects. The cinematography and scenery are also pretty good, and the score is effective.

Overall, Twister is no masterpiece in any shape or form, but to me it was fun and a guilty pleasure in some ways. While it could have been better it could have been much worse as well. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Twister has groundbreaking special effects, some of which still hold up, great sound design and is packed with visceral thrills.