Twister

I remember going to the Empress Theater in my hometown and that is when I first saw the movie poster for “Twister”. Once I saw the words “From the creators of ‘Jurassic Park’ and the director of ‘Speed’”, I was sold. My first experience seeing the film was very enjoyable and today, I still like the movie a lot. Talented people brought this film to life and your first viewing is enjoyable. “Speed” is a movie you want to watch over & over and the same can be said for “Twister” I guess. It is a special effects movie but also uses some good story motifs. Other dislike the script but I have fun watching the film despite that.

The opening scene is useful in establishing the portrayal of tornados in this film. I kind of like how Jo has her dog Toby, which feels reminiscent of Dorothy and Toto. The film does a pretty good job of establishing the eccentric storm chasers. The exposition of the device “Dorothy” is also well written in that it simplifies things. The fact that the stormchasers used the name "Dorothy" shows where their heart is, unlike Jonas and his crew. The character of Melissa is able to represent us the audience so the characters have someone to explain everything to. It is apparent off the bat that Jo still has feelings for Bill because of her ring and the fact that she missed signing a page in the divorce agreement. I don't think that was an accident and she also stalls in signing it. I enjoy very much the race motif of the movie in that our heroes have to beat Jonas in measuring a tornado. It makes Jo and her team underdogs. In the scene where Bill challenges Jonas, the film gives us something to get excited about. The film has two conflicts: "Man vs. Nature" and "Man vs. Man". The scene with Bill outside the cafe as his instincts kick in is great from a directorial, acting and music standpoint. We feel anxiety and also intrigue. The green sky also adds to these feelings. The “Storm Chasers Melody” sequence adds to the ragtag persona of the group and it is great fun. Speaking of music, I don't think enough credit has been given to Dusty's "playlist" thoughout the show. It really exudes how down-to-earth and genuine the team is. I love how Dusty, once he finds out that Melissa is okay, congratulates her on missing Jo’s truck. One of the best scenes in the film is at Aunt Meg’s. Preceding it is a hilarious moment where the storm chasers demand to visit her house for “sustenance”. Philip Seymour Hoffman’s delivery of the line “Food!” is so memorable, so much so that it comes to my mind when I'm trying to convince my companions to eat. It is hard to watch the dinner scene without getting hungry. The food is well designed to look appetizing and the acting is a large help. It is the kind of meals I am used to growing up. Following that scene is the moment when our heroes almost crash into Jonas’ team of storm chasers. They come out of the field and surprise each other. It is a good use of editing and cinematography for comedic effect. There is great screenwriting leading up to that moment: “a brick wall, a bearded lady”. Preacher’s reaction to the near collision is so funny. The climax has some good moments also such as the debris of combines that fall on the road leading up to Bill and Jo driving through the house. There is a nice mixture of practical & digital effects in those two moments and the editing helps. I love how Bill and Jo try to help Jonas when they realize he has a chance to intercept the F5. It shows where their priorities are after the destruction of Wakita. I also love the gag when Bill and Jo run into the farm only to find sharp farm equipment and Jo says: “Who are these people?” The husband and wife screenwriters on this film did pretty good. Michael Crichton has a good way of making science entertaining. The story is not perfect though. It is quite episodic and I feel that creates a few problems for subsequent viewings of this particular film. An episodic structure works sometimes like in the case of “Pinocchio” but in the case of “Twister”, it makes the film not as enjoyable as your first viewing. There is a little lack of unity between the various sequences of the film that you begin to notice your second time. The love triangle in “Twister” did not feel too real either by the way, even though there was chemestry between Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton.

There are many good people behind this film such as the cast and characters. This is my second film I saw of Bill Paxton's after “Apollo 13”. He is believable as he senses the weather and the behavior of the tornados. He did a good job in the whole movie as did Helen Hunt. I knew who she was before “Twister” but this is the first film that formally introduced me to her. This was also the first time I saw future Oscar-winner Philip Seymour Hoffman. The best character in the movie by far is Dusty and he is so different from Hoffman’s persona that he developed with later films like “Patch Adams”, “Mission: Impossible III”, “Doubt” and of course “Capote”. I didn’t even know he was Dusty until 2011 when I bought the Blu-ray and I feel ashamed about that. I always thought that “Patch Adams” was my first Hoffman film. After finding out that he was my favorite character in “Twister”, he becomes even more impressive of an actor to me. Watching this film is bittersweet because both Paxton and Hoffman died quite young. Other great actors include Cary Elwes and Alan Ruck. The ensemble cast of the storm chasers works very well. Director Jan de Bont gave the film the level of intensity that it needed. However, it is sad how demanding he was on the film and the conflicts that ensued. De Bont loves helicopter shots and “Twister” is the greatest proof of that. We have the impressive helicopter shot that introduces Bill & Melissa as well as many other impressive, sweeping shots. As a former action cinematographer, his camera work is wonderful. Special effects do tend to limit the use of camera and in the case of “Speed”, the lack of CGI gave De Bont the ability to show off a lot. It is great however that De Bont could still dazzle us with a camera in a special effects film like “Twister. The placement of cameras while the vehicles are on the road is cool. I love the final shot of the film. I don’t know how they created that damage path in the field leading up to the farm. It must have been digitally created. The script also had troubles because Joss Whedon and Jeff Nathanson had to do re-writes. In the case of Nathanson, he was doing his work on set. Editor Michael Kahn by this point in his career was a two-time Oscar winner with a third Academy Award still to come. His work, as pointed out, did its job. Mark Mancina musical score was perfect in creating the tone of each scene. Van Halen’s contribution was important to the depiction of the storm chasers as mentioned. Because of “Independence Day”, “Twister” was outgunned in winning the Visual Effects Oscar but I think it should have won for Best Sound Mixing. Even though more than 10 years have passed since its release, I watch “Twister” and I am blown away by the sound (no pun intended). Thanks to the aforementioned names and thanks to great producers like Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy and Gerald R. Molen, this film takes you for a ride.

In the year that the film was released, a drive-in theater was destroyed by a tornado in Niagara Falls, Ontario in similar fashion as the drive-in scene in the film. Setting that story aside, “Twister” has some talented people behind it and it shows. The story is fine and the special effects are wonderful. The cast, the cinematography and the sound work are worth mentioning. I have been hearing sequel rumors and should they come true, we are either in for a huge ride or a disappointing let down.

4 stars