Twister [1996]

Ahhh, the nineties. Although I say the same thing about the eighties, there’s something about these blockbusters from the nineties. They are so robust and sturdy, surviving wave after wave of technological advancements. And that innocence of being caught up in the moment, thinking that this is the pinnacle of human development. The famous flying cow is something that has not been seen before (or after) this flick. Twister is essentially a love story in the middle of the hunt for a tornado. It’s also the first big movie exploring these types of weather events. Just a couple of years later, all of those tv shows about tornadoes started popping up.

The special effects stood the test of time and still look freaking awesome. This isn’t surprising as the famous ILM crew is behind them. It’s sad that there are just a few movies about tornadoes. And that this is probably the best one out there. Just don’t start talking about those cheap-ass Mega Tornado movies and we’ll be fine. I guess that 2014’s Into the Storm wasn’t that bad. So, if you’re looking for movies like Twister do check it out.

Directed by famous cinematographer Jan de Bont (Speed) and written by Michael Crichton (Jurassic Park, Sphere, The 13th Warrior), Twister was a huge project, meaning that everything was done by the book. This also means that it’s very easy to watch especially because of its phenomenal pacing that keeps the viewer glued to the screen. You can see where that hundred mill went. Now, the story is a bit melodramatic but this is a disaster movie, what did you expect?

Bill Harding is a former hurricane hunter, looking to settle down with his new girlfriend/soon to be wife. But when he hunts down his current wife to sign the divorce papers he will be sucked in the twister of emotions and real twisters.

Pretty good cast with some really talented actors in an earlier phase of their career (Philip Seymour Hoffman), combined with effects and pretty predictable script produced a great movie for a Sunday afternoon, as well as any disaster movie. Bill Paxton, whom I will always remember as Private Hudson from Aliens (game over man, game over!) was great and Helen Hunt gave the movie that official and sciency vibe.

Twister is pretty realistic, as far as twisters go, up to the certain point of course. I mean, you watch some of these scenes and think there’s no way they’re going to survive that. And yet in the back of your head you are certain they are. At least they’re not driving a car through the lava stream like they did in Dante’s Peak.

The bigger problem is the sappy love story in the background, but what you gonna do, you can’t have everything. However, this not a story about some reckless people just trying to get likes or something. They’re on a quest to map this twister and using a revolutionary technology. And I know how naive this sounds but at least the narrative is there. This is a guilty pleasure, especially for us that were a part of the nineties hype, so just relax and get ready to have some fun.

Director: Jan de Bont

Writers: Michael Crichton, Anne-Marie Martin

Cast: Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton, Cary Elwes, Jami Gertz, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Lois Smith

Fun Stuff: The producers ultimately gave up on the “It sucks” tagline. They felt it would be too easy to make fun of the movie by using it. Of course, there’s a third meaning of this tagline but I think they were fully aware of it.

Rating:

IMDb Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117998/