Twister

Rating:
Summary: A Big Bag Of Wind
Review: Twister is the kind of movie that personifies the Summer Blockbuster season. Loud, lots of distruction and plenty of special effects substitute for plot and character. While I like these kinds of movies as much as the next guy... In order for the audience to care about what's going on, even a little, there has to be a reason for you to stick around. Twister fails on that level and by the end you're saying so what.

The largest storm to hit Oklahoma in more than half a century is brewing, and it promises to drop multiple twisters into Tornado Alley. It's the storm that two rival groups of scientists--Jo Harding (Helen Hunt) and her band of brash university students, and corporate-sponsored Dr. Jonas Miller (Carey Elwes) and his sleek, crack staff, with their state-of-the-art research vans--have been waiting for to earn their place in meteorological history. Each team wants to be the first to launch their own equipment pack inside a twister to transmit valuable scientific data about tornado behavior. But to do so, they must put themselves directly in the path of the marauding monster--and stay always just ahead of the swirling twister, anticipating its every move. Adding to the already volitile situation is Jo's soon-to-be-ex-husband, meteorologist Bill Harding (Bill Paxton) and his girlfriend Melissa (Jami Gertz) tagging along in order to get Jo's signature on the divorce papers.

Coming off the mega-hit Speed, director Jan de Bont, was probably feeling confident that this would be another winner. The problem is the film's awesome effects are really all you get. I maintain that even for the most effects ladden film to work, there has to be worthwhile characters to invest in. The irony is that De Bont already knew this, having worked on actioners like Die Hard and Speed. In both of those films you really were rooting for the heroes to win and cared what happened. The characters in Twister are hollow. I didn't care at all what happened to anyone. The scipt from screenwriters Michael Crichton (Jurassic Park) and Anne-Marie Martin is very predictable in the way it tells what little story there is. As I say the effects are all the film really has going for it. Flying cows, massive destruction, and thunderous sound does not a good film make.

The DVD's audio commentary by de Bont and Visual Effects Supervisor Stefan Fangmeier is ok, considering how I feel about the film. Since the film is technically well done, those interested in such details will enjoy it more than the average listener. The documentary, The Making of Twister and the featurette Anatomy of the Twister don't really cover anything not already covered in the commentary, and the partipation of the cast is limited to stating the painfully obvious or contrite. Van Halen's music video for the song Humans Being, from the soundtrack, and two theatrical trailers top off the disc's extras.

Twister is basically special effects and a great sound mix in search of a movie...Watch once and forget about it. Better yet rent or buy Speed instead.

Rating:
Summary: Dont watch it
Review: Dont even watch Twister. Its kind of cool the first time you watch it but then it gets really boring. Its just about tornados.

Rating:
Summary: A Gale-Force Film
Review: In this movie, Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton play scientists pursuing the most destructive weatherfront to sweep through mid-America's tornado alley in 50 years.

Helen Hunt stars as Jo Harding, a weather scientist who, as a young girl saw her father sucked up inside a tornado. It is Jo's dream to develop electronic storm sensors which can be launched inside the tornado to provide data to create an improved weather warning system. Bll Paxton stars as Bill Harding, Jo's estranged husband. He's brought divorce papers for Jo to sign. However, there still seems to be a spark between the two. Both serverd as storm chasers together. Bill has brought his uptight and jealous fiance Melissa, played wonderfully by Jami Gertz. Melissa doesn't fit in very well with the storm chasers. Bill is now a weatherman, having given up the stormchasing business.

Jo shows Bill "Dorothy", her storm sensor system which launches sensors inside a tornado. Bill is the one who designed Dorothy originally. The sensors bring back data such as windspeed and velocity. The early warning system could give people as much as 15 minutes to reach safety, Jo theorizes.

Soon, the group is off chasing a storm, and Bill, realizing that he forgot his signed divorce papers, is tagging along. The group soon encounters Jonas Miller, played by Cary Elwes, a fellow stormchaser from the same lab who received help from corporate sponsors. Bill believes that Jonas is only in the business for the money and he refers to him as a "nightcrawler with no instincts". Jonas and his group are chasing the same storm as Jo's group. Jonas has developed his own storm system sensor called the Dot 3. It is almost an exact copy of Dorothy. The race is on to see who's system will work first.

A tornado is spotted, and Bill and Jo race to place Dorothy in its path, at the same time being pursued by Jonas. Despite their arguing, Bill and Jo seem to be rekindling their romance, while Bill and Melissa are drifting further apart. The storm flings Jo's truck into the middle of the road, destroying Dorothy, but there are still three Dorothys left. Jonas shows up too late. Soon, Dorothy 2 is loaded in Bill's truck, and the chase is on again.

Another tornado is spotted, but this one is much larger than the first. Dorothy 2 is positioned, but unfortunately a telephone pole falls on it and destroys it. Only two Dorothys are left.

Another tornado appears practically on top of the group, who have parked near a drive-in movie. The tornados are increasing in strength, and it launches its wrath on the drive-in. Soon, cars and other debris is hurtling through the air. The storm passes, but the drive-in is completely destroyed. Jo realizes that the tornado has shifted and is headed directly for her aunt's house. Melissa, realizing that she can't compete with Jo and her crew, informs Bill that she's leaving him. Jo and Bill reach Jo's aunt and rescue her from her destroyed house.

Another stronger tornado is forming and is said to be the strongest ever in the area. Jo and Bill are off in pursuit. What the group encounters is a massive funnel with a base one mile wide. Dorothy 3 is placed in the middle of the highway, but a large tree knocks Dorothy over. Now there's only one Dorothy left.

Meanwhile, Jonas and his group have shown up again. They are placing their own Dot 3 machine. Jo and Bill try to warn Jonas that the tornado may shift, but unfortunately for Jonas' group, they ignore the warning.

Bill leaves Dorothy 4 in the back of his truck, Bill and Jo jump out, and the tornado picks up the truck with Dorothy in it. Much to their joy, Dorothy works just as she was designed to, but the danger isn't over yet. Bill and Jo find themselves facing the wrath of the tornado on foot. Facing gale-force winds and flying farm buildings, Bill and Jo finally take cover in a shed, tied to pipes that reach far down into the ground. The storm passes and Bill and Jo begin planning their future research as a couple again.

This is an excellent movie. Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt do wonderful jobs, and Jami Gertz is teriffic as Melissa. The high point of the movie is the top-notch special effects. They are some of the best I've ever seen. The tornado scenes are extremely realistic. My favorite scenes were when the semi truck loaded with diesel fuel came hurtling out of the tornado and exploded on the road, and the scene where Bill drove the pickup through the house. I highly recommend this thrilling and action-packed movie. The special effects will keep you on edge, and you may even learn something about tornadoes along the way.

Rating:
Summary: Ah, Twister....
Review: LOL, this movie is on now, and the older I get, the cornier the movie gets. This movie is way Hollywood and it makes me laugh The effects are cheesy and the story is predictable. I didn't know a tornado provided the perfect backdrop for renewing an old flame </sarcasm>

all in all, this movie is lame, but it helps pass the time.

Rating:
Summary: Tornado loses again
Review: I love this movie. Yup, it's lame and you find yourself wishing the tornado would win. It is just plain silly - supposed to take place in Oklahoma but you would find such great cornfields in Iowa maybe instead. The cow is just plain fun and we find ourselves looking forward to "Cow." The lines are weak and the characters pretty dorky but all in all, the movie, while it has absolutely no redeeming value, is fun to watch for its silliness. No person can run through a cornfield such as our heroes do and not get sliced to pieces by the sharp edges of the corn leaves. Every farm kid knows that. And the final scene in the barn with all those sharp edges hanging from the rafters... sigh. I can't imagine any farmer taking the time to hang stuff when there are all those blank walls... However, enough said, pop some corn and start the movie, suspend your disbelief and just enjoy the fun. Twenty years from now, "Twister" will be camp.

Rating:
Summary: Three and 1/2 stars...
Review: Are you looking for original plotlines? Don't bother.
Are you looking for oscar winning dialogue? Forget it.
Are you looking for compelling characters and interactions between them? Not here.

Are you looking for a screen presence bigger then Arnold Schwarzenegger in Conan or The Terminator? Well may I introduce The Twister as it works it's way up the category ladder to a 'Finger of God' barn trashing, combine throwing, house thrashing level five. I like almost all the actors in this movie, with Jamie Gertz being the only exception. They try very hard to pull something out of this movie, especially Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton, but nothing can over shadow the brutality of the movies main celebrity, the tornadoes. Of which the effects are incredible.

In true Hollywood popcorn movie fashion we are treated to a by the numbers, good storm chasers vs. bad storm chasers, 'I don't do this anymore because I'm a weatherman', female lead still in love with the male lead and he's still in love with her but denys it...oh heck with it, it's a fun movie to watch so just shut your brain down, break out the extra butter, artery clogging Reddenbachers and have a blast.

Rating:
Summary: 3 Stars for Effects - Too much Hollywood Cliche overall
Review: I was interested to read another viewers comments about Helen Hunts character in this movie, being interested in Tornadoes, because she witnessed her father being sucked away by one as a child. This is the biggest flaw in this otherwise fairly good escapist flick. I wonder why the Hollywood moguls think we have to have these back stories and then a dreary romance effort, in the midst of carnage, much like the more recent Day After Tomorrow. Was every weatherman inspired by a lightning bolt that killed his dog? Are Lumberjacks so inspired because a tree fell on their brother? the list of possibilities is endless. This could have, and SHOULD have been a great movie. The script and story in general aren't bad, and the special effects are of course impressive. This is a movie remember, so those who want to be disparaging about the lack of similarities to "real" storm chasers should wake up. I for one don't want to see a movie about someone sitting in a field all day waiting for weather. That said, the movies penchant for trying to walk a middle line here (not quite disaster movie, not quite love drama) leaves BOTH areas unfulfilled. Will Helen Hunt get back with Bill Paxton? will his new fiance run away? Will they beat the much better equipped and funded competition to the punch? Will they find a "Finger 5" tornado? - Frankly I stopped caring. I wanted to see a movie about a Twister, and although I was expecting something predictable, this was just too much, and that's a real shame. Getting a DVD makeover means of course clearer picture and sound, and those with a 5:1 system at home will doubtless get a lot from the reproduction here. trouble is however, it won't matter how you watch it, it's still a let down - I wanted to give more but 3 Stars is a stretch, and that's mainly for the CGI.