Twister (Exclusive Series) (HBO Max)
- Matt Palmer
- Sep 6, 2021
- 3 min read
Initial release date: May 10, 1996
Studios: Warner Brothers/Universal Pictures/Amblin Entertainment
Tagline: The Dark Side of Nature
Go for a ride you’ll never forget!
Plot: During the approach of the most powerful storm in decades, Dr. Jo Harding and an underfunded team prepares the prototype for Dorothy, a ground-breaking tornado data-gathering device conceived by her estranged husband, Bill. When Harding tells Bill that Dorothy is ready for testing - and that their privately funded Dr. Jonas Miller has stolen the idea and built his own - Bill rejoins the team for one last mission.
Cast
Helen Hunt (Starz’ Blindspotting) - Dr. Jo Harding
Bill Paxton (The Circle; Nightcrawler) - Bill Harding
Cary Elwes (The Unholy) - Dr. Jonas Miller
Jami Gertz - Dr. Melissa Reeves
Philip Seymour Hoffman (Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2) - Dustin
Lois Smith (Tesla) - Meg Greene
Alan Ruck (Freaky) - Robert ‘Rabbit’ Nurick
Sean Whalen (3 From Hell) - Allen Sanders
Scott Thomson - Jason ‘Preacher’ Rowe
Todd Field (The Haunting) - Tim ‘Beltzer’ Lewis
Writer(s): Michael Crichton and Anne-Marie Martin
Director: Jan de Bont (Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life; The Haunting)
Rated PG-13 (113 min)
No matter how many times you have seen it, the 1996 movie ‘Twister’ will always entertain you!
There are quite a few moments that can be really thrilling and most of the visual effects are outstanding. Granted, if the movie was done today, the effects would probably look a lot better. And, honestly, I don’t know if anything can be the part of the scene that has the flying cows during the one tornado haha!
Sure, there are some moments that can be scientifically inaccurate and whatnot. But, the 1996 movie is still lots of fun to watch and the tornado sequences are still thrilling to watch even today.
‘Twister’ can currently be streamed on the HBO Max streaming service.
FYI - ‘Twister’ is 25 years old!!
Here are some interesting tidbits about ‘Twister’:
After Bill Paxton died, Spotter Network choreographed 200 storm chasers to spell out “BP” with their GPS tracker blips on a radar display to honor him. This kind of tribute had only been done five times before, and it was the first time it had been done for someone who wasn’t a storm chaser.
Filming in Oklahoma was briefly delayed due to the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995. Many of the crew went to the site to help with recovery efforts.
A recording of a camel’s moan was slowed down and used as the sound of the tornado.
With a very loud and bass-heavy surround channel, this movie was notorious for destroying surround speakers in theaters worldwide.
This was the first movie released on DVD and the last released on HD DVD.
A jet engine from a Boeing 707 was used to generate wind in some scenes.
The explosion of the oil tanker was originally mistimed and wasn’t caught on film. De Bont decided not to tell the studio immediately and the stunt was reset and filmed again, costing a rumored $500,000.
Michael Crichton and his wife Anne-Marie Martin were paid $2 million for their script, which at the time made it the single most expensive screenplay ever purchased.
Shot over a period of 95 days.
“It sucks” was originally going to be used as one of the taglines for the film, but the producers felt that it worked too much to the advantage of disappointed audiences and critics.
Although Amblin Entertainment has collaborated with both Warner Bros. and Universal on many occasions (Amblin co-founder Steven Spielberg directed films for both studios), as of 2021, this film marks the only time Amblin collaborated with both studios on the same film.
At the end of the movie Bill remarks that the tornado didn’t take the house. In fact, it was originally supposed to. The Hardin County, Iowa, Historical Society and many citizens objected to the house being blown up so it was spared. The area is now a tourist attraction as the rubble from the barn and fences are still there exactly as it was in the movie.
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