Twister

By: Jack Hunt 1.25.2009

The Movie Itself:
Nature and man come together in almost biblical proportions, as ‘Twister’ blasts onto Blu-ray with a whirlwind of excitement. Director Jan de Bont brings to life a unique story about the sometimes love and the sometimes hate, but more often twisted relationship shared between storms and their chasers.

Dr. Jo Harding (Hunt) is content battling the demons of her past by studying tornadoes and pining for her, soon to be, ex husband’s love. William Harding (Paxton) has moved on and wants Jo to finalize their divorce, so he can continue his life with a fiancée and new found passion of being a boring weather forecaster. When Will tracks down Jo, he once again realizes that his true passion is chasing tornadoes. That was his dream, before Jo came along with all her baggage, right? A lesson is there somewhere folks, pay attention. Will and Jo, both share the desire to develop an early warning system for tornadoes, aptly named Dorothy, that maps the funnel by spreading hundreds of sensors throughout it.

The problem for Jo is that she can’t let go of a traumatic experience she suffered as a child, when her father was sucked into one of the biggest funnel storms ever known to hit Wakita County, the “F-5” tornado. The ‘F’ stands for force and the ‘5’ is the category for which the storm is put into, depending on its strength and size. Put them both together and you got one hell of a tornado, sure to suck up and properly relocate any hero dad. So what else is Jo supposed to do, after witnessing such a vivid experience? She becomes a Doctor O' Storms off course, and storm chases until that same outfit she wears the entire movie falls off and she lands, soaked in dirt, into the arms of her man. Oh, the drama.

The problem for Will is that he has some formidable competition for his beloved Dorothy. It turns out that Dr. Jonas Miller (Elwes) came up with a similar idea for mapping storms as Will and the gang. Wonder how that happened, probably some crooked planning by Jonas’s evil corporate sponsorship no doubt. Will has one thing though that Jonas doesn’t, “It’s guts and sometimes having guts is all you need.” He also has the common sense not to drive in the path of a raging tornado. The lesson there is, that it’s always the guy who’s out for glory who gets the big hurt, not the guy whose out for the cause. Be the guy with the cause ok, be like Will!

Helen Hunt delivers a believable performance as a storm chaser, but her role as a heterosexual woman left much to be desired. (joking Helen, I love you, see my Cast Away review, please somebody look at it.) Bill Paxton brings the same quality performance one might remember from his astronaut days in ‘Apollo 13’, but he should be given more credit in this role, for having to play Hunt’s love interest. Fellow astronaut Tom Hanks got an Oscar nod for his attempt at Helen’s affection in ‘Cast Away’, typically there is no appreciation from the Academy for the underdog Paxton. An interesting supporting cast assembly was brought in to play the parts of members of Will and Jo’s storm chasing team. The team is rounded out by quick witted Dustin Davis (Hoffman), who seemingly always has something funny to say. “It’s the suck zone,” Davis whispers to Will’s new love interest, Dr. Melissa Reeves (Gertz), as he coyly describes the interior workings of a tornado.

The opening action scene is more of a quest for dominance in Will and Jo’s relationship, than it is a canvas for the special effects (Amborn) and cinematography (Green) genius that is evident throughout the entire flick. This movie is truly a ground breaking achievement for effects and raises the bar of quality, for future projects of the same nature. “Have you lost your nerve,” Jo challenges Will, as he replies in a macho voice, “Tighten your seatbelt.” The tango of words between Jo and Will is almost as captivating as the dance of death occurring right outside their pickup trucks window, but not really. What this movie needs is more action, ironically since the entire film is basically action, and less talking period.

“Jo it’s got to stop,” begs Jo’s aunt Meg (Smith). “I didn’t have any warning.” After a near fatal encounter from yet another intense storm, Aunt Meg foreshadows things to come. The truth of the matter is, having an early warning system for natural disasters is an important subject and it could help save countless lives.
Rating: 5/10

The Presentation:
‘Twister’ twists its way on to Blu-ray on a 1080p~VC-1 transfer. Yes, I said twists. In short the transfer is about as good as the movie. Actually, it’s much better. Warner shouldn’t catch any real flack for this release though; over-all the transfer is on par and offers some delightful scenes in the action heavy flick. Did I love it? No. Inconsistency plagued this release. It really could have been much stronger than it was. With so many classic sequences, I thought I was in for a real treat. Sadly, my expectations were met short.

Clarity is solid throughout, with strong detail for the most part. Light grain is noticeable, but it’s not a big problem as the film retains a sharp feel. Colors are vivid enough, but with messy skin tones. Some scenes look really great, while others lack. With ‘Twister’ featuring some captivating array of original action sequences and stunning display of effects, including flying cows and 18-wheelers, it’s sure to surprise most Blu-ray fans with the vivid scenes. Also some creditable original music is on the docket, as the soundtrack is performed by people more famous, and talented for that matter, than the actors themselves. Stevie Nicks, Fleetwood Mac, performs a song entitled “Twisted” and Van Halan, chips in with several inspiring tracks.

The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround sounds quite good. No real complaints, scenes shake and the music bumps. It represents the action quite nicely and is sure to satisfy die-hard Paxton fans. My opening statements steer towards the negative, but this is actually a solid release. Although not a perfect transfer; it looks pretty good, if not great. If you’re a fan, this is an easy buy and a nice upgrade over anything on DVD. Sit back and enjoy the movie in its purist form.
Rating: 7/10

Truck

The Extras:
Nothing too special here, basically a condensed version of the latest DVD release. With all features appearing in 'SD' and being pretty repetitive, the Special Features remain below average. Give them a watch to get some inside information on scenes with commentary and some decent, yet boring featurette’s.

Commentary: With; Director Jan de Bont and visual effects, by Stefen Fangmeier. A careful study that examines the film, with every detail being thoroughly explored.

Nature Tech - Tornadoes: A nice piece by the History Channel featuring, a background study on tornadoes and some historical catastrophes. I’m not positive, but I’m pretty sure I’ve seen it before. Check it out. (44 mins)

Chasing the Storm- Twister Revisited: This explores the, before their time, special effects of the film, with interviews with the Director and actors. (29 mins)

The Making of Twister: An HBO featurette that once again examines the film with clips. (14 mins)

Anatomy of a Twister: A collection of scenes comprised to give off the essence of the film. Yawn, excuse me. (9 mins) wish it was 0 mins.

Also included: Van Halen’s video for the song ‘Human Being’ and Theatrical Trailers (4 mins)
Rating: 4/10

Bill Paxton

Overall:
The fact is, tornadoes can be very dangerous. One must remember that Paxton and Hunt are trained professionals and no one should try what they do at home. The bottom line is; ‘Twister’ doesn’t really suck or blow, it just keeps turning out the dollars. And this Blu-ray should prove to be no exception. Having seen the film in the Theater, from what I can remember, it really does look very good. Honestly I enjoyed it then, but it doesn’t quite offer me the same film going experience now. But casual and first time viewers are sure to enjoy the experience, as will die-hard fans.
Rating: 6/10