Twister (1996)

59% of critics liked it
(51 reviews)
62% of users liked it
(825,568 ratings)

Bill Paxton, Helen Hunt and Carey Elwes may be billed as the stars of Twister, but the film's real attractions are the cyclones themselves. Best experienced in a theater, the nail-biting, blow-the-audience-out-of-their-seats computer generated graphics, cutting edge sound and other special effects… More Bill Paxton, Helen Hunt and Carey Elwes may be billed as the stars of Twister, but the film's real attractions are the cyclones themselves. Best experienced in a theater, the nail-biting, blow-the-audience-out-of-their-seats computer generated graphics, cutting edge sound and other special effects are designed to take viewers straight into the roaring funnel of a gigantic tornado. In order to focus on special effects and action, the story is simple and the characters are drawn in broad strokes with little depth. Jo Harding (Hunt) became a storm chaser (a meteorologist who photographs and scientifically studies tornadoes in the field) after a large twister sucked her hapless daddy into oblivion when she was a girl. Bill (Paxton) was a storm chaser too, but left to become a successful weatherman. His change of profession ruined his marriage to Jo. Before separating, the Hardings invented DOROTHY, a gizmo designed to release thousands of tiny sensors when a tornado passes over it. The Hardings hope the information transmitted by the sensors will provide insight into the nature of the whirling windstorms. Backed by a large corporation, the villainous Dr. Jonas Miller (Elwes) has created a similar machine. Neither gadget has been field tested and both groups of storm chasers are anxious to find tornadoes. At the peak of the worst twister season in decades, Bill shows up at Jo's truck with his prissy fiancee Melissa (Jami Gertz) so Jo can sign divorce papers. Suddenly a twister is spotted. With little hesitation, Bill rejoins the mad rush to reach it in time to activate DOROTHY. Jonas and his team are right behind them. Throughout the day the storms become worse and the rivalrous race becomes more intense. As they continue facing incredible dangers together Jo and Bill find renewed love while poor Melissa finds only an intense desire to get away from these storm-obsessed lunatics. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 53 min.
Directed By: Jan de Bont
Written By: Michael Crichton, Anne-Marie Martin
Genres: Drama, Action & Adventure

In Theaters: May 10, 1996 Wide
On DVD: Jun 6, 2000
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures

Critic Reviews

Richard Schickel, TIME Magazine
You know a movie is in trouble when a cow provides its only moment of authentic human interest.
Todd McCarthy, Variety
Even more than with most of Michael Crichton's concoctions, this one conveys the overwhelming impression of a mechanical entertainment, a very high concept in which the characters and their problems seem like utterly arbitrary creations.
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
It looks real, and Director Jan De Bont keeps the action coming so fast there's no time to question it.
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
An expert in making audiences squirm and twist, at making us feel the rush of experience right along with the actors, De Bont choreographs action and suspense so beautifully he makes it seem like a snap.
Mike Clark, USA Today
A summer crowd-pleaser worthy of its wind.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
The movie is wall-to-wall with special effects, and they're all convincing, although it's impossible for me to explain how Bill and Jo escape serious injury while staring right up into the Suck Zone of the Finger of God.
M. Faust, Common Sense Media
Decent disaster movie for teens.
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
Extreme-weather buffs, thrill-ride junkies and anyone else in search of mindless entertainment need look no further.
Steve Biodrowski, ESplatter
The action starts in the opening frame and never lets up.
Bill Gibron, DVDTalk.com
Twister has to be one of the most unlikely blockbusters ever, a mediocre movie dressed up in the then novel element of CGI to become all spectacle and no substance.
Peter Canavese, Groucho Reviews
It may not be fashionable to like Twister, but darn if it isn't an entertaining electro-shock of action cinema.
Bill Chambers, Film Freak Central
Surely the only movie to ever suggest a dumbed-down His Girl Friday, Road Runner cartoon, and The Abyss simultaneously
Eric Henderson, Slant Magazine
An anorexic premise could've been a great and unusual disaster film if only Twister had taken the courage to keep everything pared down.
Eric Henderson, Slant Magazine
When it sticks to kinetically portraying the sheer oddness of the tornadic phenomenon, Twister is a breeze. When it tries to recreate Hawks, it falls gracelessly from the green sky.
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
...to quibble about the plot of Twister is to miss the whole point of the film. This one is all about looking and listening. (Two-Disc Special Edition)
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
The plot is thin and the characters are shallow. But who cares! The picture and sound are knockouts.
Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com
Twister isn't the brilliant machine that Speed was, but it often packs a comparable wallop.
Geoff Andrew, Time Out
Effects apart, this is dire: predictable, clichéd, sloppily written, pitifully performed and surprisingly short of real shocks and suspense.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
I am going to recommend Twister for three reasons.
JoBlo, JoBlo's Movie Emporium
Ugh. Not even a passable popcorn pic, I'm afraid.

Read all 20 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Alexander D

TWISTER surely is not the best disaster film (come on, rarely does one ever get really good), but it does not deserve all the critical hate it gets, as it is quite decent. If it were just Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton, Cary Elwes, and no cyclones, this would be one hell of a bad film. The… More
TWISTER surely is not the best disaster film (come on, rarely does one ever get really good), but it does not deserve all the critical hate it gets, as it is quite decent. If it were just Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton, Cary Elwes, and no cyclones, this would be one hell of a bad film. The acting is terrible, and the three main cast members, who portray "storm-chasers", need to go to acting school. On the other hand, the disaster SFX that this film generously offers are amazingly realistic and well-accomplished. If it weren't for the poorly-made opening scene, it would be easy to say that the effects were put to a good use at all costs. But cows? "We have cows!" (?) That is the most ridiculous film quote mankind has ever come access. Especially for a disaster film. And all the urban legends sparked by TWISTER...don't even make me go there.
Eric A

Disaster movie made for teens.
Brad W

Twister is not a good movie, but if was fun to watch. The plot was really boring and dumb, but so are most summer blockbusters like this. The cast was okay, i had no complaibnts really, but I guess they did okay. The effects were really cheesy and bad, but if some people liked them… More
Twister is not a good movie, but if was fun to watch. The plot was really boring and dumb, but so are most summer blockbusters like this. The cast was okay, i had no complaibnts really, but I guess they did okay. The effects were really cheesy and bad, but if some people liked them thats up to them. This movie was fun to watch if your in to these movies, but overall it bored the hell outta me.
Jeff "

Aside from Speed 2: Cruise Control this is director Jan de Bont's worst film. I've seen a few times when I was younger, and with each viewing I found something that I hated about this film. I thought the story was way too thin for my liking, and the cast was wasted here. Not… More
Aside from Speed 2: Cruise Control this is director Jan de Bont's worst film. I've seen a few times when I was younger, and with each viewing I found something that I hated about this film. I thought the story was way too thin for my liking, and the cast was wasted here. Not that it matters, because of these"actors" are terrible anyway. Twister is a special effects extravaganza and uses those special effects to create its story. Unfortunately for this film, the story itself is almost absent. or poorly developed. Twister is a poorly stitched together disaster film, and I'd say its one of the worst that I've seen. The acting is way too over the top, very laughable and you're just hoping that a Tornado will drive right through this mess of a film. The only thing that's fun about this film is the number of goofs. In one scene, you see a chaotic tornado scene, and in the corner you see very well it was filmed on a back lot because you see cars driving along the road as if everything is casual. I hated this film, and I thought it was a pointless film with absolutely no entertainment value whatsoever. The film enters the disaster movie category because it deals with tornados and such. But I'd say it's a disaster movie because nothing works in this horrid picture, and everything about is laughable. Avoid if you're looking for a good disaster film.
Melvin W

Melissa: I gotta go Julia, we got cows. Twister is a mindless yet very exciting and entertaining disaster film. Fans of the genre know this one well and like it. Those who hate the disaster genre hate this movie. So before going in, you should already have a pretty good idea… More
Melissa: I gotta go Julia, we got cows. Twister is a mindless yet very exciting and entertaining disaster film. Fans of the genre know this one well and like it. Those who hate the disaster genre hate this movie. So before going in, you should already have a pretty good idea wheather you are going to like it or not. I had a pretty good idea I was going to like it and I got out of it exactly what I expected. The special effects are outstanding and there are a few scenes that absolutely mesmerizing. As for the acting, it's horrible. No one is good besides Philip Seymour Hoffman, but he's not even that good. I just always enjoy watching Hoffman in anything doing anything. But it really doesn't matter that the acting is bad. The movies called Twister and the tornadoes are awesome. Well worth a watch if you are a fan of disaster movies. Dusty: Jo, Bill, it's coming! It's headed right for us! Bill: It's already here!
AJ V

This movie was huge when it came out, and it's still an exciting movie. The special effects are cool, the actors are good, and it's got the right balance of story and action. This is the best movie about tornadoes I've seen.
Bethany M

Always been fasinated with the weather so this was a good film for me!
Richard C

gets boring every now and then, it's okay. C+
KJ P

I absolutely get sucked into the vortex of this film every time I watch it! It gives me chills thinking about, what if I was there! This is a fine piece of work!
Conner R

A very, very dumb movie that attempted to be very, very smart. The fast dialogue doesn't make a movie intelligent. Sometimes it can reveal it for being what it really is, a movie trying to cash in on natural disasters. The cast is second rate for the most part, especially for the… More
A very, very dumb movie that attempted to be very, very smart. The fast dialogue doesn't make a movie intelligent. Sometimes it can reveal it for being what it really is, a movie trying to cash in on natural disasters. The cast is second rate for the most part, especially for the time. I have no idea what Philip Seymour Hoffman was doing here, he should have known better. The effects were terribly and looked obviously computerized, something that an effects thriller should not have. Just all around bad.
Jennifer D

Sweet. Let's go try this in real life!!
Anthony L

Not enough people die in this film. Hunt and Paxton are in the lead roles, I'm guessing because you don't want good acting to over shadow the expensive special effects, but isn't that overkill?
Jason O

I still remember seeing "Twister" in the theatres a few years ago and how amazed I was at the great special effects. A lot of the critics scorn this movie because they say there's not much of a plot to it. Sure, it does have a choppy plot and it cycles between chasing… More
I still remember seeing "Twister" in the theatres a few years ago and how amazed I was at the great special effects. A lot of the critics scorn this movie because they say there's not much of a plot to it. Sure, it does have a choppy plot and it cycles between chasing tornadoes and the love affair between Bill and Jo Harding (Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt), but you shouldn't pay much attention to that. The best thing about "Twister" is definitely the special effects. You'll be amazed when you see how realistic the tornadoes look and some of the effects, such as a live cow flying through the air. Since I was a kid, I've always been fascinated by weather, especially tornadoes. Therefore, "Twister" became one of my favorite movies. This movie revolutionized special effects, and in my opinion, it's not that bad of a movie. I recommend anybody who likes movies with great special effects to get "Twister," it'll blow you away. NOTE: That was my review from the year 2000. Still an all time favorite of this weather freak.
Thomas B

lacks substance
Mike S

Don't ask me why, but I've always had a real soft spot for these kind of movies. There's just something about the force of nature, and the destruction and mayhem its capable of, that I find wildly fascinating and exciting. Add a really cool story to that, with some… More
Don't ask me why, but I've always had a real soft spot for these kind of movies. There's just something about the force of nature, and the destruction and mayhem its capable of, that I find wildly fascinating and exciting. Add a really cool story to that, with some great special effects, and it all amounts to being one of my top three favourite disaster flicks. In short, I love it!
Bruce B

I picked up this movie because I thought Suzy Amis was in it, after watching this movie and not being able to find Suzy, because she is in the 1989 movie called twister which is totally different then this movie. Anyway this is the movie that I fell in love with Helen Hunt. I remember… More
I picked up this movie because I thought Suzy Amis was in it, after watching this movie and not being able to find Suzy, because she is in the 1989 movie called twister which is totally different then this movie. Anyway this is the movie that I fell in love with Helen Hunt. I remember when this came out and I saw it on the big screen and the sound it was WOW. And each time I watch it I am amazed that they captured what they did and what one would know to be real if they have gone through a twister. And having been through one or two I can speak with experience. This is a must see movie, Helen you got 5 stars plus from my heart, but the movie Well its 4 stars. Full of action, you will not fall asleep.
Lorenzo v

"The Dark Side of Nature." TV weatherman Bill Harding is trying to get his tornado-hunter wife, Jo, to sign divorce papers so he can marry his girlfriend Melissa. But Mother Nature, in the form of a series of intense storms sweeping across Oklahoma, has… More
"The Dark Side of Nature." TV weatherman Bill Harding is trying to get his tornado-hunter wife, Jo, to sign divorce papers so he can marry his girlfriend Melissa. But Mother Nature, in the form of a series of intense storms sweeping across Oklahoma, has other plans. Soon the three have joined the team of stormchasers as they attempt to insert a revolutionary measuring device into the very heart of several extremely violent tornados. Review This movie was made at about the time when CGI was still impressive in and of itself in film-making. When Hollywood could shove at us eye popping visuals while ignoring plot, depth and emotion and we'd "ooh and ahhh". And this shows in Twister. The movie is rife with sappy clichés, sub-par acting and corny moments. The meat of this film is it's CGI created Tornadoes, which for the most part served their purpose in the context of a film of this nature. However even a layman couldn't ignore the ridiculous moments regarding the behavior of the Tornadoes in this film. For example at one point the first tornado the storm chasers encounter gets close enough to them to suck their truck up in the air and the boards above the flimsy shelter they're hiding under, but leaves them miraculously unharmed. Several times tornadoes in the film dissipate at all too convenient moments including the last one, a monster of a tornado that they actually get stuck inside, but survive somehow strapped to drainage pipes despite the tornado being strong enough to pick up an 18 wheeler, roll a house and make huge tractors fly. Yet for some reason this film is highly watchable. Twister achieved what it set out to achieve. It's mindless entertainment but it is indeed entertaining. It's almost like the really embarrassing moments of this film and there are plenty of those, make the film fun to watch. There's something innocent about this film that excuses all the bad aspects of it. Twister has been on cable a lot recently. I recommend watching it if you haven't yet. It's not award winning by any means but then again some films that have won academy awards have sucked so I leave it up to you to decide.
Sanjaya &

It's been a pretty good story about the tornado chaser... The story just simple, a tornado will come and there are some scientist trying to chase that tornado to test the invention that they made before... Even there are pretty many conversation which is pretty confusing, this… More
It's been a pretty good story about the tornado chaser... The story just simple, a tornado will come and there are some scientist trying to chase that tornado to test the invention that they made before... Even there are pretty many conversation which is pretty confusing, this movie still thrills me... Especially when the main character approximately just few miles away from the tornado, it really thrills... The effects for the twister thing were great I think, it just makes you feel that you're sucked into that twister... But one problems is the twister got ends to quickly... Mostly, the twister ends after the main character got really near to the twister... But after all, it's been a pretty good movie to watch... Another great disaster movie...
Lady D

Great effects with an ok storyline.
Ginny

One of my favorite movies! I totally found this really awesome during highschool! I wanna buy a copy of this! :D

Read all 20 featured audience ratings

Cast

            Helen Hunt as Jo Harding

            Bill Paxton as Bill Harding

            Cary Elwes as Dr. Jonas Miller

            Jami Gertz as Melissa

            Lois Smith as Aunt Meg

            Alan Ruck as Rabbit

            Jake Busey as Mobile Lab Technician

            Todd Field as Beltzer

            Taylor Gilbert as Bryce NSSL Scientist

            Zach Grenier as Eddie

            Philip Seymour Hoffman as Dusty

            Richard Lineback as Father

            Anthony Rapp as Tony

            Nicholas Sadler as Kubrick

            Rusty Schwimmer as Mother

            Gregory Sporleder as Willie

            Scott Thomson as Preacher

            Sean Whalen as Sanders

            Abraham Benrubi as Bubba

            Jeremy Davies as Laurence

            Ben Weber as Stanley

            Joey Slotnick as Joey

            Alexa Vega as Jo 5 Years Old

            Eric LaRay Harvey as Eric

            Wendle Josepher as Haynes

            Patrick Fischler as The Communicator

            Anneke De Bont as Farm Girl

            Paul Douglas as Bodger

            Gary England as TV Meteorologist

            Jennifer L. Hamilton as Drive-In Girl

            Melanie Hoopes as Patty

            Dan Kelpine as Diner Mechanic

            Jeff Lazalier as TV Meteorologist

            J. Dean Lindsay as Dean

            Samantha McDonald as Drive-In Girl

            Rick Mitchell as TV Meteorologist

            Sharonlyn Morrow as Waitress

            John Thomas Rhyne as Paramedic

            Bruce Wright as Murphy NSSL Scientist

            William S. Burroughs
            
See full cast