The Plot:
Hoping to get his soon to be ex-wife to finally sign their divorce papers, former scientist (and current TV weatherman) Bill Harding travels to Oklahoma with current girlfriend, reproduction therapist Dr. Melissa Reeves to confront his former spouse. There he finds the dedicated Dr. Jo Harding and her team of storm chasers hot on the trail of some tornados. Even better, the crew has got Dorothy, Bill's long dormant project to put tiny probes inside a storm, up and running. Intrigued by the prospect of seeing his invention finally work, he hangs around for a couple of thunderclaps. Soon, he's embroiled in a battle with fellow scientist Dr. Jonas Miller. Apparently, the jerk has stolen Bill's idea and wants to guarantee that his group gets all the lucrative contracts that will follow after a successful test run. In the meantime, Bill and Jo argue and acquiesce, suggesting their relationship might not be over after all. Oh, and it gets real windy once in a while.

The DVD:
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. Don't believe it? Quick - what is the main narrative conflict, and between whom? Even better, name the main characters, their relationship, and their occupations without resorting to a quick glimpse at the IMDb (or the above plot paragraph). See? Not much there, right? As a product of several success-oriented factors - director Jan de Bont had just helmed the hit Speed, while co-scripter Michael Crichton was also on a hot streak, having just given Jurassic Park its box office spark - there was no doubt this film would be big. Even better, the public was just learning the limits of the newest technological tweaks, and they liked them quite a bit. This movie could have put mindless eye candy on the screen and a cinematically starved viewership would drink it in like ADD-addled grade schoolers. Making $241 million back in the days when $100 million was still a valid goal, it just goes to show you that Twister touched a nerve that has long since gone stale and enfeebled.

There are so many negatives to this otherwise mindless piffle that it's hard to point to one or two - but let's try. First up, Helen Hunt is a horrible lead. Granted, the woman has an Oscar, but so does Julia Roberts and Halle Berry, so that doesn't mean much. Here, she's trying to be a steely gal of action, but she just looks uncomfortable in her wife-beater t-shirt and cargo pants. She's like a GAP ads idea of what a stormchaser would look like. Oh, and she's a doctor too. Right. Similarly, Bill Paxton is a weather warrior turned TV meteorologist who looks incapable of completing either task. He has no chemistry with Hunt - we can't believe they were cast together in the same movie, let alone an ex-couple capable of rekindling their romance - and seems more like a bystander in his own scientific scenario. Among their company of twisted tornado enthusiasts are future A-listers like Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Todd Field, so there's some talent backing this blank pair. Yet it's clear that Crichton's script doesn't care much about character. Even the token villain, Carey Elwes, comes across as lifted from an outline of the project, not an actual script.

But the biggest problem facing Twister, some 12 years after its release, is the unimpressive F/X the film trades in. When movies like X-Men 2 and The Day After Tomorrow can trump your tornado fu, you need something more than wind machines to keep audiences engaged. What appeared cutting edge during the era of grunge now looks like something you'd see on the Sci-Fi Channel. There are some who still find the iconic flying cows fun, and if you didn't know that outrunning a Category 5 storm was next to impossible, you might even experience some suspense in our characters' last act confrontation with Mother Nature. But Twister frequently feels like a Discovery Channel documentary gone ditzy, piling on the tech speak without giving a single consideration to individual involvement or entertainment value. The film will always hold a place in the history of CG's fledgling development, probably now known for creating some important vector pattern or bitrate mapping dynamic for suggesting airflow. Who knows? All that's important is that Twister told the truth about Jan de Bont's staying power behind the lens. He went on to make Speed 2: Cruise Control and the awful Haunting remake before fading into Laura Croft sequel oblivion. Talk about just desserts.

The Video:
Okay fans and format purists - since you could clearly care less about what some stuffed shirt critic says about your fave rave film, let's address the newest tech specs, shall we? The cover art proclaims that this latest version of the film is "remastered", and from the looks of it, those claims appear to be true. The 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen image is impressive, with vibrant colors, a nice level of detail, and minimal to no defects. Some of the animation is now pretty obvious (take the famed cow, for example) but for its time, the transfer renders the F/X rather seamless.

The Audio:
Sadly, the previously available DTS track is not included here. Instead, we are treated to an impressive and quite immersive Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround track that really kicks into high gear once the tornados touch down. The dialogue is always discernible, and Mark Mancina's score also gives the speakers a wonderful workout. Overall, even absent the high end sonics, this is a solid aural effort.

The Extras:
The highly touted Special Edition is really nothing more than a new documentary (on Disc 2) followed by a few bonus features ported over from previous DVD versions of the title. The commentary track, featuring the fawning pair of de Bont and visual effects supervisor Stefen Fangmeier comes from the 2000 presentation, and is actually pretty good. If you can get past the endless backslapping and self-congratulation, you will learn a lot about this production. Granted, any filmmaker who pines for Helen Hunt to be in all his movies must have some kind of screw loose, but de Bont does defend his choices well. The rest of Disc 1 is merely trailers.

Disc 2 contains the newly minted Chasing the Storm: Twister Revisted. De Bont is back, as is Fangmeier, with Bill Paxton the only cast member showing up to speak. We also get input from special effects supervisor John Frazier and stunt coordinator Mic Rogers. It's a decent 29 minutes, covering some of the information discussed in the commentary as well as revealing some new facts about the movie. Aside from a History Channel special on storms, everything else comes via a 2004 release - a Van Halen video, an HBO preview entitled The Making of Twister and another featurette called The Anatomy of a Twister. Honestly, all of these extras are EPK level entries at best - insightful but only in the most Entertainment Tonight kind of way.

Final Thoughts:
This critic was one of the first people ever to see Twister when in bowed back in 1996. He was sitting in an aisle seat, bunched in with a couple hundred other members of the moviegoing rabble on the sold out Friday the film opened. Snacks in hand and anticipation at a maximum, the resulting 113 minutes was a series of so-so spectacles followed by long bouts of boring character-less conversations. Back then, he would have offered a rating of Rent It, and that's not going to change now. As a matter of fact, Twister seems even more dated than the disaster duds made by Irwin Allen toward the end of his amazing '70s run. This definitely feels like the Swarm of high concept actioners, a brainless combination of supposedly big name talent and low brow thrills. Maybe future generations will discover some heretofore unknown artistry in this otherwise pedestrian popcorn entry. Like the storms it celebrates, Twister is more hot air than hefty entertainment.

Want more Gibron Goodness? Come to Bill's TINSEL TORN REBORN Blog (Updated Frequently) and Enjoy! Click Here