The 90s was the decade where filmmakers embraced the burgeoning new tool of CGI, after films like Jurassic Park and Independence Day showed the scope of what was now possible to get on screen. It seems an everyday thing now, much like a toaster; one can achieve some damn realistic movie magic with software on your phone! It’s common place nowadays to use computer generated imagery, not only for superheroes and space battles, but for actor replacements and melding takes, to background manipulation to flaw removals. Having been a passionate film fanatic for decades now, I retrospectively view the 90s with rose tinted glasses, a period where I had hope for the storytelling possibilities. Something that, in my view, the hyper-focus on effects has eroded in the decades since.

1996’s Twister was an early example of this, though nowhere near as badly as some modern fare. The things filmmakers could put on screen were unlike anything we’d ever seen at that point. Speed DP Jan De Bont, Jurassic Park novelist Michael Crichton and a slew of whose who actors all collaborated to tell the tale of a group of batshit crazy storm chasers in America’s tornado belt.

Bill (the magic Bill Paxton,may he rest in peace) returns to his old life in the tornado belt with divorce papers for his estranged and work obsessed wife, Jo (Helen Hunt.) Wanting to reject their former life as storm chasers, Bill has taken a job in another town, got himself a new love Melissa (Jamie Gertz) and seemingly wants nothing more to do with Jo’s obsessive research to construct a new weather warning system. But when he sees just how far their plans have progressed, in the form of working prototypes, the temptation to see it work becomes too much. Of course, the weather has other ideas and Bill, Jo, Melissa, and their storm chasing team find themselves at the whim of merciless weather fronts and dangerous twisters at every turn. Can they achieve a resolution in their work and their lives before the twisters destroy everything?

This a damn likeable flick. It’s a road movie, a monster movie and a melodrama. It’s not a slam dunk but populated with enough amusing/compelling characters to invest you enough to get to the real draw of the film: the twisters. This was early days in the CGI world, so you get effects that range from pretty damn convincing to pretty cruddy. You get a combination of practical effects and ever-increasing scales of tornados and carnage.

The banter between Paxton and Hunt works well; they play a combative relationship that is choked with subtext and deep affection. The storm chaser team is loaded with a top shelf bunch of actors, including Alan Ruck and the late, great Phillip Seymour Hoffman. Cary Elwes masterfully supplies the douche element as Bill & Jo’s storm chasing rival. There is some effective characterisation throughout, more successful in humour and likability than anything else. What doesn’t work as well is the sense of danger and risk. There are moments, during spectacular sequences, where the dialogue and especially Paxton’s performance descend into cartoonish territory, undermining the mortal danger being depicted. While you successfully care about these people, you never fear for their safety because of this.

Overall, this is a rollercoaster film and a very good one. Its intent is to take you on a thrill ride, and it does so with an enjoyable group of actors that sell that intent well. There are some truly accomplished actors in the mix that elevate the script far beyond its worth. It’s one of those first CGI spectacles that taught us that imagination was the only limitation to what was possible on screen. Not a bad result for a movie about wind!

4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray Edition

Home Video Distributor: Warner Bros.
Available on Blu-ray - July 9, 2024
Screen Formats: 2.39:1
Subtitles: English SDH; French, Spanish
Audio: English: Dolby Atmos; English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1; French: Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0
Discs: 4K Ultra HD; Blu-ray Disc; single-disc set
Region Encoding: 4K region-free

VIDEO

So Twister has never been a particular well-transferred back catalogue flick on home media. A soft and muddied presentation copiously rereleased from a VC-1 encode has been the going product for years. Director Jan De Bont had a hand in this new native 2160p scan and rework of the original camera negatives. He has gone the James Cameron route with this new presentation, which will divide the consumers. This is not to say that its as noticeable as True Lies or Aliens, but it isn’t what was shown in theatres back in ’96. Colour timing is the most noticeable shift, with cooler tones, but allowing the HDR10+ to really shine when they use it. There are a seldom moments of clumsy DNR and black crush, but you need to be looking hard to find them. It still retains a filmic quality for the bulk of the run time. At this resolution, the limitations of the 90s effects are more noticeable but no revisionist effects have been included, so its of the era and crisper than its ever looked. Twister is a solid presentation and leaps and bounds better looking to me than earlier releases.

AUDIO

FLAWLESS. Oh, you want more? This Dolby ATMOS 7.1 remix is what 4K upgrades are all about. The sound design of this film is what mixes like this are made for. The twisters are made to sound monstrous, and this mix accomplishes that in window rattling success. There is perfect balance of surround channels, heavy use of sub and crisp centred dialogue. Environmental elements are off the chart immersive with the top channels receiving a heavy workout. This is reference quality stuff and worth the upgrade alone.

Supplements:

Commentary:

• With Jan de Bont and VFX supervisor Stefen Fangmeier.

Special Features:

Well, we are provided with a 15-minute retrospective interview with Jan De Bont and slew of previously released mini segments from the 2008 release. Welcome additions if a bit limited. I was sent a wonderful steelbook edition, with new artwork that displays nicely. There is also a keepcase/slipcover edition. You get a blu ray of the new scan and a digital copy as well. Not bad.

• The Legacy of Twister: Taken by the Wind (15:44)
• Chasing the Storm: Twister Revisited (29:00)
• HBO First Look: The Making of Twister (14:04)
• Anatomy of a Twister (8:34) - Not mentioned in the 2008 review, but a like-minded DVD-era featurette.
• Van Halen "Humans Being" Music Video (3:37)

	Movie
	Video
	Audio
	Extras
Composite Blu-ray Grade

MPAA Rating: PG-13.
Runtime: 113 mins
Director: Jan Du Bont
Writer: Michael Crichton; Anne-Marie Martin
Cast: Helen Hunt; Bill Paxton; Jami Gertz
Genre: Thriller
Tagline: Don't breathe. Don't Look Back.
Memorable Movie Quote: "I gotta go Julia, we got cows."
Theatrical Distributor: Warner Bros.
Official Site:
Release Date: May 10, 1996
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: July 9, 2024.
Synopsis: Two storm chasers on the brink of divorce must work together to create an advanced weather alert system by putting themselves in the cross-hairs of extremely violent tornadoes.