Director: Jan De Bont
Starring: Bill Paxton, Helen Hunt and Phillip Seymour Hoffman
‘A Dazzling Disaster Blockbuster’
Tornadoes are terrifying disasters which have often scared me. As far back as I can remember, I have always been frightening of tornadoes that cause painful disaster. Ever since I was a young child, I’ve been scared of watching tornadoes which have consequences proving to be wild. Packed with wind, strong gusts and destructive nature, tornadoes have always left me an emotional state of fear. I’ve never had an opportunity to witness a real-life tornado. Even so, it’s something that I have always for some reason been terrified of. My fear of storms comes from watching movies depicting catastrophes. This lifelong fear of tornadoes that pose danger began when I first watched the famous disaster blockbuster “Twister”.
Few films ever made about a tornado disaster are as beloved as “Twister”. Released during the 1990’s, the film forever changed the world through its depiction of a tornado catastrophe. Packed with stunning special effects, engaging action and strong acting, the movie created a legacy which is lasting. Although “Twister” is a movie that’s undeniably entertaining, it isn’t a flawless film. On a second viewing, my issues with the movie remain the same. Its unevenly paced, and suffers badly from a lack of compelling character development. That being said, it’s still a whole lot better than most disaster movies I have seen. It offers exhilarating entertainment which fans of the disaster genre simply won’t be able to resist.
Set in 1960’s Oklahoma, “Twister” tells a story of storm chasers which collaborate together to stop a tornado disaster. Helen Hunt embodies Jo Harding, a storm chaser that loves her job of investigating tornadoes. Jo is caught in a devastating divorce with her husband Bill (Bill Paxton) that causes remorse. However, Jo’s life forever changes when she becomes trapped in a tornado disaster. As her life spirals out of control, Jo questions if it’s possible to achieve her goal. Facing a dilemma, Jo questions whether its possible to reconcile with her husband following divorces causing trauma.
Director Jan de Bont is a newcomer toward the disaster genre. Before he made “Twister”, Bont had never directed a movie capturing tornado catastrophes before. A commemorated action filmmaker, Bont was well-known for making action blockbusters. With “Twister”, however, he made his first tornado blockbuster. It was the filmmaker’s first attempt to create a blockbuster capturing danger posed by a tornado disaster, but he succeeded. Through breathtaking cinematography, the filmmaker captures a tornado which causes catastrophe. Bont expertly uses handheld cinematography capturing a tornado causing feelings of anxiety. Handheld cameras elevate the scene where storm chasers seek to investigate tornadoes causing catastrophe. Shaky camera is a tricky technique to use in movies. It can often come across as a gimmick. However, it succeeded tremendously. Using breathtaking visuals, Bont creates tornadoes which are terrifying.
Another admirable aspect of “Twister” which contributes to its success is the special effects. For a film made back in the 1990’s, “Twister” has aged incredibly well over time. Bont deftly uses practical effects to construct tornadoes causing catastrophe. Unlike most films which depended on CGI during the era, the film used stunning practical effects to recreate tornado tragedies. For instance, practical effects are a highlight of the tornado storm scene. During this unforgettable scene, Joe and Bill witness a tornado storm sitting in a car with frightening objects flying. One admires practical effects bringing tornadoes to life. Moreover, the musical score is magnificent. Mark Mancina’s musical score gives the movie an intense atmosphere. It captures danger posed by tornado disasters. Through stunning special effects, Bont captures hardships that individuals facing tornadoes go through.
Amidst the thrilling action sequences, it’s a real shame “Twister” finds no time for telling a story which is compelling. One area where the movie falls flat is storytelling. One area where the movie falls flat is the storytelling. Bont paid so much attention to the spectacle of tornadoes he loses sight of telling a compelling story. The film is poorly written, and lacks strong characters viewers root for. For instance, Jo stands out as being a stereotypical female character. We’re barely given any reason to care for Jo beyond the fact that she is determined to stop a tornado. The film spends so much time on spectacle of tornadoes that the story gets lost in a shuffle. To be fair, most disaster movies are driven by their strong spectacle rather than storytelling. That being said, these movies need compelling characters to be entertaining. “Twister” lacks strong storytelling, and in this regard the film falls short of the greatest movies in the genre. Due to its clumsy screenplay, “Twister” is a disaster movie which isn’t guaranteed to blow everyone away.
Thankfully, though, the fantastic performances from the cast keep “Twister” a movie which is endlessly entertaining.
Bill Paxton delivers a brilliant performance as Bill Harding. Paxton achieved appreciation for his roles in classic action movies about aliens. With “Twister”, however, he took on his first disaster role. It isn’t easy to capture persona of a storm chaser seeking to prevent tornado catastrophe, but he succeeded. with riveting expressions, he captures the angst, courage and resentment of a man with love for chasing tornadoes which cause painful repercussions. It’s a strong performance from one of the most underrated movie-stars working today.
Helen Hunt is fantastic as a storm chaser that loves to hunt for tornadoes which are hard to confront. While Paxton gets the showier role, Hunt is equally excellent at playing a woman keeping emotions under control. As Jo, Hunt excels at capturing emotion of a women that loves to discover tornadoes through her body language. Whether she’s waving her hands in excitement at a tornado sighting or giving her divorced husband a cold shoulder, Hunt excels at using body language to create a character that’s engaging. It’s a phenomenal performance from one of the most talented actresses working in the film industry.
Despite its powerful performances, however, “Twister” can’t quite capture dangers posed by tornado disasters. If there’s a shortcoming to the movie, it lacks a compelling ending. The movie ends with a predictable action finale that was typical of movies made during the 1990’s. It’s a formulaic conclusion which fails to bring the movie to satisfying resolutions. Whereas this uplifting ending suited Roland Emmerich’s “Independence Day”, it clashes with this movie. For a movie which begins on such a promising note, it’s a shame that “Twister” doesn’t stick the landing. Disaster movies are always driven by their compelling conclusions. In this regard, “Twister” is a tedious tornado that falls short of expectations.
In the end, “Twister” is a fun but formulaic disaster movie that fails to live up to its promising premise. A dazzling disaster blockbuster, it captures dangers posed by a tornado with consequences that last forever.
Nearly 30 years following the release of an iconic film about meteorologists putting their lives in danger risking their well-being to stop a terrifying tornado disaster, it’s a powerful reminder of a classic piece of entertainment that forever changed the world through its frightening depictions of tornado storms that audiences had never seen before on the big-screen that demonstrated that its possible to tell compelling stories of natural disasters in movies building a long-lasting legacy that for all its flaws fans will forever treasure.
3.5/5 stars
The Film Buff 