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DVD Review

Twister is a THX certified DVD and nowhere does this show itself more than in this soundtrack.  Currently this movie has my record for the heaviest and most effective surround channel use -- and the low frequencies are pretty kicking too!  The opening scene (as well as most storm scenes) use the rear channels to their utmost, and if it were not for the fact that the voices seem to be a bit underpowered most of the time, this would have earned a 5 mark in the Audio area.  The video transfer is very clean and good overall, but not incredibly sharp.  I do like the fact that both wide screen and full screen versions are included -- though the full screen version looks softer to me.

Extras are lacking on this disc and hurt the rating overall.  A theatrical trailer is included, but menus are very basic and the visual scene access is divided into uneven increments up to six chapters wide, making scene selection a bit tedious.  The cast listing is also very basic with a one-page summary of the cast member's career and a one-page highlight of their films.  The case lists Production Notes as an extra, but I was unable to find any on the disc. 

This film is notable mostly for the audio track and the film itself, as a DVD it is barely average, but give it a go on your Dolby Digital 5.1 system -- it's worth it!

Movie Review

Twister is a disaster film.  There are no two ways about it, it's a disaster film.  A lot of people seem to love disaster films, but I'm not one of them.  For a disaster film, Twister is pretty good.  Good effects and fair writing help this movie to excel above many other natural disaster films.  Helen Hunt's performance is also pretty good and some of the supporting characters are quite personable.

The film starts as Bill (Bill Paxton) and his fiancé travel to find Bill's wife in order to get the final divorce papers signed.  Jo, played by Helen Hunt, seems a bit reluctant to sign the final documents, but never has a chance due to an incredibly active Tornado season.  Jo, her group, and formerly Bill, are storm chasers, people who follow sever storms to study them in the hopes of providing earlier warning systems. 

Both Bill and Jo seem to have a magnetic gift when it comes to attracting severe tornadoes, and we are treated to several stunning storms, which look and sound very realistic due to some first-class special effects (though the flying cows are a bit much).

Surprisingly exciting for a disaster flick, Twister is quite engaging and worth a look.  Falling a bit short on reality in some scenes, Twister makes up for this shortfall with exciting action scenes and plausible-sounding explanations and dialogue.