Twister

When I was in first grade I lived in Florida next to perhaps the most annoying kid on the planet. Every day he would ride up and down the streets as fast as he could on his bike shouting, “Watch out for the Twister! There is an F-5 right behind yooou!” He even wore a red siren thing on his helmet and would blow his horn. I really wanted to punch that kid in the face at times. Why was he obsessed with tornadoes? Why couldn’t he just play with a Stretch Armstrong like the rest of us? It was because in 1996 Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton were in an iconic movie called Twister. This movie was so famous it spawned a Universal Movie ride called, Twister: Ride it Out! Was the movie really worth all the hype? Should you drop what you are doing and go pick up a copy right now? You are about to find out.

If one were to ask me what the story behind Twister was, I would probably smack them upside the head. It’s. About. Twisters. You with me so far? That’s all you need to know about this movie. Nothing else really matters. Okay, so it’s about tornadoes in Oklahoma. A storm chasing team led by Dr. Jo Harding (Helen Hunt) is trying to implement a new device that, if works correctly, would measure the insides of a tornado which would increase warning system times tremendously. Meanwhile, Bill Harding (Bill Paxton), a former leader of the storm chasing team, meets with Jo in order to finalize their divorce. He finds out they actually built the device that he designed, and he decides to go along for the ride with his fiancé. Insanity ensues, tornadoes hit, and cows are thrown around. Overall, it’s a decent flick. Don’t go into this movie saying, “I hope there is a delicate plot with a surprise ending”, cause you will be disappointed. In fact, if you watch this movie for any other intent except to see the amazing tornado scenes, you should probably get yourself admitted.

Although this movie was epic in the 90s, it really isn’t up for today’s standards. Movies should be built on good plots and great acting. Plus, there are problems with the logic of the ending of the movie, but hey: it’s tornado smashin’. I would recommend this movie as a $5 bin buy. It had great special effects for its day, and it still is fun to watch…once every 3 years or so. This critic gives Twister 3 out of 5.

Content Advisory

Sex/Nudity

Nothing is really seen. Helen Hunt has a shower scene, but nothing below the neck is shown. There is also making out, but nothing to graphic.

Violence & Gore

Ok. It’s a twister movie. There are bound to be some instances of violence. You won’t see a pole through someone’s torso, but there are some injuries, explosions, and deaths. Nothing too crazy, but all the same just for the head’s up.

Profanity

Language is kinda crazy. F-Bomb is dropped once (quickly), and other words are used frequently throughout the movie. Also there is talk of a certain reproductive organ of a man and why a woman married it…yeahh, it happens. But it is only one scene. In any case, there is a reason why it is PG-13, and not just because of the intense tornadoes.

Frightening/Intense scenes

Once again, tornado movie. Bound to be some frightening scenes. Surprisingly, every intense scene is somehow connected with a tornado. I know, it shocks me too, but still…These scenes are done well and it may leave the younger ones with dampened pants. May want to pop in Power Rangers for them while you watch this movie