Twister
4/4
Starring: Bill Paxton, Helen Hunt, Jami Gertz, Cary Elwes, Lois Smith
Rated PG-13 for Intense Depiction of Very Bad Weather
"Twister" is big time fun. It's about as close to a perfect summer action movie as one can get. It's got lots of action, plenty of special effects, moments that make you go "ooh" and "aah," and a few big laughs. "Speed" director Jan de Bont has struck again.
On this summer day, the weather is going haywire. Storms are sprouting over the Midwest and there could be a whole mess of tornadoes that occur relatively close to each other. That's good news for Dr. Jo Harding (Hunt) and her ragtag group of tornado chasers. But on this fateful day, her ex-husband and ex-partner, Bill (Paxton) is coming for their divorce papers so he can marry his fiancee, Melissa (Gertz). But Jo has a surprise for him: their passion project, a machine named Dorothy (ha ha) that they're going to use to help predict tornadoes, is ready to be tested. Now, Bill and Jo (with a panicking Melissa tagging along) are racing against their rival, "corporate kiss butt" Jonas Miller (Elwes) who also has a Dorothy-like machine, to get the data first.
Although it's pretty dated, "Twister" is worth spending time watching over and over again because the characters are so much fun to be around. They're like a big group of friends that have been doing this for a long time, and that kind of chemistry is hard to nail down. Somehow, de Bont does it, and he makes it a pleasure to spend an hour and forty minutes with these people. This aspect of the film works so well that my favorite scene does not feature a tornado. It's actually when the whole group is sitting around the table at Jo's aunt Meg's (Smith) table eating and laughing (it makes the movie pass Gene Siskel's test with flying colors).
The acting is top notch. Bill Paxton is a great character actor, capable of handling both comedy and drama (two genres that "Twister" dabbles in). Helen Hunt, known at the time for her TV show "Mad About You," is also a great comedienne, and is a capable dramatic actress (she won an Oscar for her next film, "As Good as it Gets"). The two have great comic and dramatic chemistry. Cary Elwes turns up the slime factor as the egotistic yet dim-witted rival, and Jami Gertz is hilarious as Bill's increasingly terrified fiancee. The best performance comes from respected character actress Lois Smith, who plays Meg. She is a mother hen to the whole group, but particularly to Jo. Smith is only in two scenes but she makes a permanent mark on the film.
Jan de Bont has a knack for summer action movie atmosphere. He gives his films a sense of fun that it missing from many action movies. They're exciting and intense without ever becoming too grim. It was true of "Speed," and it's especially true here. While "Speed" is the better film, "Twister" is more fun. de Bont is once again pairing with composer Mark Mancina whose score not only helps establish the tone, but is one of the best motion picture scores I've ever heard.
If there's a nitpick, it's that there are some inconsistencies in the cinematography. There are times when it's a little obvious that the clips were filmed at different times. Not that you'll care.
Starring: Bill Paxton, Helen Hunt, Jami Gertz, Cary Elwes, Lois Smith
Rated PG-13 for Intense Depiction of Very Bad Weather
"Twister" is big time fun. It's about as close to a perfect summer action movie as one can get. It's got lots of action, plenty of special effects, moments that make you go "ooh" and "aah," and a few big laughs. "Speed" director Jan de Bont has struck again.
On this summer day, the weather is going haywire. Storms are sprouting over the Midwest and there could be a whole mess of tornadoes that occur relatively close to each other. That's good news for Dr. Jo Harding (Hunt) and her ragtag group of tornado chasers. But on this fateful day, her ex-husband and ex-partner, Bill (Paxton) is coming for their divorce papers so he can marry his fiancee, Melissa (Gertz). But Jo has a surprise for him: their passion project, a machine named Dorothy (ha ha) that they're going to use to help predict tornadoes, is ready to be tested. Now, Bill and Jo (with a panicking Melissa tagging along) are racing against their rival, "corporate kiss butt" Jonas Miller (Elwes) who also has a Dorothy-like machine, to get the data first.
Although it's pretty dated, "Twister" is worth spending time watching over and over again because the characters are so much fun to be around. They're like a big group of friends that have been doing this for a long time, and that kind of chemistry is hard to nail down. Somehow, de Bont does it, and he makes it a pleasure to spend an hour and forty minutes with these people. This aspect of the film works so well that my favorite scene does not feature a tornado. It's actually when the whole group is sitting around the table at Jo's aunt Meg's (Smith) table eating and laughing (it makes the movie pass Gene Siskel's test with flying colors).
The acting is top notch. Bill Paxton is a great character actor, capable of handling both comedy and drama (two genres that "Twister" dabbles in). Helen Hunt, known at the time for her TV show "Mad About You," is also a great comedienne, and is a capable dramatic actress (she won an Oscar for her next film, "As Good as it Gets"). The two have great comic and dramatic chemistry. Cary Elwes turns up the slime factor as the egotistic yet dim-witted rival, and Jami Gertz is hilarious as Bill's increasingly terrified fiancee. The best performance comes from respected character actress Lois Smith, who plays Meg. She is a mother hen to the whole group, but particularly to Jo. Smith is only in two scenes but she makes a permanent mark on the film.
Jan de Bont has a knack for summer action movie atmosphere. He gives his films a sense of fun that it missing from many action movies. They're exciting and intense without ever becoming too grim. It was true of "Speed," and it's especially true here. While "Speed" is the better film, "Twister" is more fun. de Bont is once again pairing with composer Mark Mancina whose score not only helps establish the tone, but is one of the best motion picture scores I've ever heard.
If there's a nitpick, it's that there are some inconsistencies in the cinematography. There are times when it's a little obvious that the clips were filmed at different times. Not that you'll care.
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