Twister: Why the 1996 disaster movie still rules after all these years
This weekend is a blast from the past thanks to Twisters, a disaster thriller by director Lee Isaac Chung. Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell, and Anthony Ramos play storm chasers who fight for their lives after multiple tornadoes converge in Oklahoma. Twisters is a standalone sequel to 1996’s Twister, a film many still hold dear to their hearts.
Directed by Jan de Bont, Twister stars Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton as two storm chasers who set out to deploy a data-gathering device that could change the way scientists study tornadoes. The blockbuster is a spectacle of epic proportions that still holds up even in 2024. Here’s why Twister still rules.
Twister has an outstanding cast
Hunt and Paxton play the two leads, Jo and Bill Harding, an estranged couple on the brink of divorce. While Helen is still risking her life chasing storms, Bill leaves the field for the safer confines of a TV weather studio. At times, the two characters can’t stand each other. However, there’s too much history between them to stay apart. They’re drawn to each other like magnets. As soon as Jo and Bill go on that first chase together, it is a wrap for Bill’s fiancee (Jami Gertz).
Who else is in Twister? At this point, the better question is who isn’t in the Twister cast. Some of the cast would go on to win Oscars, while others would step behind the camera to direct. One cast member even tried to (fictionally) run for the president of the United States. The names that jump out are Cary Elwes, who plays the pompous rival to Bill and Jo; Philip Seymour Hoffman, the wacky member of Jo’s team; Todd Field, the man who will go on to direct Tár; and Alan Ruck, who will one day become the ambassador to Slovenia on Succession.
Jan de Bont’s expert direction
Twister (1996) | 4K Ultra HD Official Trailer | Warner Bros. Entertainment
Take a moment to appreciate de Bont’s run from 1988 to 1996. In 1988, de Bont was the cinematographer on Die Hard, a movie that changed the course of action movies forever. He also shot The Hunt for Red October, Lethal Weapon 3, and Basic Instinct. In 1994, de Bont directed his first feature film, Speed, which is essentially “Die Hard on a bus.” The terrific action thriller ushered in a new era of summer blockbusters, a formula still followed in Hollywood today.
Two years later, de Bont helmed Twister, which launched him into a new stratosphere. De Bont focused on practical effects, giving Twister a sense of authenticity. Hunt and Paxton almost lost their vision while filming, and they eventually needed hepatitis shots after shooting in a ditch. De Bont understood the antagonist in Twister was Mother Nature and had to make the storms as frightening as possible. Tornadoes are the villains in this action movie, not the bad guys with guns. It’s an impressive feat that audiences responded to by propelling Twister to the second-highest-grossing film of 1996.
The special effects still look great
It shouldn’t be surprising to learn that a movie that simulates multiple tornadoes must rely on special effects. With that being said, Twister came out 28 years ago, and it still looks better than 80% of the blockbusters today. The practical effects used in the storm-chasing scenes paid huge dividends. If Hunt and Paxton look like they’re fighting for their lives while driving through a hailstorm, that’s because it really happened.
De Bont had two gigantic trucks shooting ice cubes at the actors. There’s no way to fake those fearful expressions while acting on a green screen. When the film used CGI, it relied on Industrial Light & Magic, the groundbreaking visual effects company founded by George Lucas. Twister also had Steven Spielberg in its pocket as an executive producer, a man who knows a thing or two about effective CGI having just made the groundbreaking sci-fi movie Jurassic Park three years prior to Twister.
Twister has hilarious comedic moments
At its core, Twister is a thrill-seeking adventure movie with impressive visuals and heart-pounding action. Two straight hours of that would give the audience a heart attack. Thankfully, Twister implements several comedic bits to catch your breath and relax. The flying cow is probably the signature moment of the film. It also features the funniest line reading of “cow” ever recorded on screen.
Every single thing Hoffman does is comedy gold like explaining the “suck zone,” saying “greenage,” marveling at “the wonder of nature, baby,” and saying “Bill. She just missed the truck. Exquisite.” Hoffman somehow makes you laugh even while pouring gravy on mashed potatoes. There is a reason why he was the greatest character actor of his generation. Maybe ever. May he rest in peace.
That crowd-pleasing final act
Twister (1996): The F5 Tornado Scene
Don’t let anyone tell you that happy endings are overrated. 90% of summer blockbusters should be crowd-pleasing and end positively. Thankfully, Twister follows suit. Once Jo realizes how Dorothy can fly, the stage is set for the showdown with an F5 tornado. The final storm chase is an exhilarating sequence that features Jo and Bill on the verge of death, avoiding an oil tanker, and driving through a destroyed house to reach the tornado’s peak.
Twister does a clever thing in the final moments. The emotional climax happens when Dorothy III flies inside the tornado, giving the characters (and the audience) a sense of relief. It’s short-lived, though, as Jo and Bill must run for their lives, culminating with the couple hanging from a pipe inside the tornado. This edge-of-your-seat moment is the perfect way to end a blockbuster.
