Under the lens takes a deep look at films by focusing in on one or two particular areas of the picture that helped to define it for better or for worse. Spoilers will be included in this review.
Twister is a 1996 disaster thriller directed by Jan de Bont and starring, Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton, Cary Elwes and Philip Seymour Hoffman. It follows the story of Bill and Jo Harding, who are storm chasers on the brink of divorce, they must then join together to create an advanced weather alert system by putting themselves in the cross-hairs of the mother of all twisters the F5.
Under The Lens: Spectacle over Science & Nature as Antagonist
Spectacle over Science: Twister is a special motion picture, it tops many lists of the greatest disaster films ever made, and has developed a massive following of fans all over the globe. The picture succeeds where many others fail because it puts spectacle over science, there is a science McGuffin that is used, but its never overly explained and even the scientists give short and brief explanations. The heart of the picture lays in the disaster spectacle, and the viewer is treated to some very inventive and at times scary scenes of nature annihilating everything. However the story is careful to not overload the viewer with pure carnage, each setpiece is carefully layered with characters we care about to experience it. For example, when a town is blown away, we see it through the lens of Helen Hunt’s characters Aunt, we feel the panic as they rush to rescue her and then see the disaster wrought on the town. We care about the town because there is a character we care about in it.
Nature as Antagonist: An unusual decision made in the picture, was to frame the Twister itself as an antagonist, less a force of nature and more a horror film villain. The Twister was even given its own opening scene where it kills Jo Harding’s father, and then a chase scene in the climax of the picture. Jo is very reminiscent of horror film heroines as she “Hunts” the monster throughout the story trying to launch a tracking system to keep it from killing others. It’s slightly cheesy, but it works! We see the Twister as a dangerous menace to be overcome and we feel the tension as our heroes evade and flee from the monster.
Highlights
Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt have great chemistry and their banter and teamwork is a major drive to the story.
The pictures effects are outstanding for the time, and still hold up very well even over 20 years later.
The cast all work together well and it’s a whose who of 90s cinema.
Quotable Quote
Rabbit: Uh… yeah, trust me. Rabbit is good, Rabbit is wise.
Something to think about
Have you ever encountered a Tornado? What would you do if you found yourself faced with a massive twister in the middle of nowhere?
Conclusion
Twister is a classic disaster picture, it showcases everything that made 90s cinema great a bevy of character actors, lots of over the top spectacle, a simple plot and witty banter between our leads. Twister holds up all these years later because it does not rely on outdated science (Man are those laptops old!) to drive the narrative but instead keeps the action focused on the cast to keep the story moving. We see this awesome force of nature through the eyes of everyday people, not super scientists as they try to stay one step ahead of the Tornados trying to kill them. It’s a very enjoyable adventure and one that is well worth watching and re-watching.