Twister might not be feature an award-winning screenplay but it is a fun summer popcorn fest that even nearly 30 years later still holds up in both entertainment but also visual effects and a great cast.
Twister
(1996)
Genre(s): Action, Suspense/Thriller
Warner Bros. | PG13 – 113 min. – $33.99 | July 9, 2024
Date Published: 07/08/2024 | Author: The Movieman
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Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post.
The opinions I share are my own.
THE MOVIE — 3¾/5 |
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Plot Synopsis: During the approach of the most powerful storm in decades, university professor Dr. Jo Harding (HELEN HUNT) and an underfunded team of students prepare the prototype for Dorothy, a ground-breaking tornado data-gathering device conceived by her estranged husband, Bill (BILL PAXTON). When Harding tells Bill that Dorothy is ready for testing — and that their privately funded rival Dr. Jonas Miller (CARY ELWES) has stolen the idea and built his own — Bill rejoins the team for one last mission. Quick Hit Review: Twister is one of the best and ultimate summer popcorn action-thrillers. No, the script isn’t exactly top-notch and some of the performances not the greatest, but it is a whole lot of fun. I did think Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt worked well together though never quite fully bought them as a couple, while the supporting cast does feature one Philip Seymour Hoffman before he became a serious actor along with character actor Alan Ruck (re-uniting with director Jan de Bont following Speed) whom I will always associate with Cameron Fry. But like Transformers in the 2010s, the focal point is with the visual effects. While there are a couple spotty scenes for sure, for the most part the VFX does hold up relatively nicely, and it does utilize many scenes taking place in darkness or near darkness anyway. At its core, Twister is a movie that balances the fun and drama of a classic disaster flick and going on nearly 30 years later, I still found it to be hella entertaining. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 3¾/5 |
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This release comes with a semi-glossy slip cover and inside is a redemption code for the Digital HD copy. Audio Commentary by by Director Jan de Bont and Visual Effects Supervisor Stefan Fangmeier Featurettes:
Last up is the Music Video (3:37) for “Humans Being” by Van Halen. |
VIDEO – 4¾/5 |
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Warner Bros. releases Twister onto 4K Ultra HD where it’s presented with a 2.39 widescreen aspect ratio and a remarkable 2160p high-definition transfer. Detail on this, be it daylight or nighttime scenes, is sharp and well defined and colors appear to be well balanced. The natural grain is still there giving it a bit of texture. |
AUDIO – 5/5 |
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The disc includes an upgraded Dolby Atmos track (the previous Blu-ray was Dolby TrueHD 5.1) and this made for an incredible experience. The numerous tornado sequences made great use of every channel to amazing effect while dialogue levels come across the center channel with good clarity. |
OVERALL — 4¼/5 |
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Twister might not be feature an award-winning screenplay but it is a fun summer popcorn fest that even nearly 30 years later still holds up in both entertainment but also visual effects and a great cast. |