MovieChat Forums > Twister (1996) Discussion > WOW this movie is nowhere near as good a...

WOW this movie is nowhere near as good as I remember it

posted 11 years ago by some_random_mofo
18 replies | jump to latest

I recently rewatched this for the first time in over 15 years with my girlfriend, a movie we both LOVED as kids. Perhaps some things enjoyed from childhood are best not revisted, because upon rewatching I've realized this movie is bad.

So many of the scenes are so unrealistic it's just plain ridiculous. I'm willing to suspend some disbelief for movies but so many scenes are such a far cry from reality that the movie becomes a farce. Notice that the Tornadoes always dissipate just after the heroes pass by the very center of it? And why are very large objects such as cows and even a goddamn fuel tanker being tossed around like rag dolls while their car is firmly on the ground, even when they are mere feet away from the tornado? Not to mention the opening scene which is already discussed in countless other threads here.

The last F5 in particular gets me along with the films sorta antagonist Jonas. He is depicted as being reckless and because he refused to listen to Bill and Jo's all-knowing advice on how to cautiously approach the storm, he is killed. But then Bill and Jo put themselves in a position where they have to escape from the storm on foot and end up right in the storm with no protection other than a leather belt tying them down. Why the hell does the film depict Jonas as the reckless, clueless fool when what Bill and Jo does is far, far worse? I have a hard time believing anyone would survive that. a small pebble picked up by that tornado would be enough to kill them and they are wide out in the open.

The acting itself is far from good as well. Hyper-tense scenes for the sake of being tense, especially the whole love triangle. God, pretty much any scene with Bill's fiance was cringe worthy.

I'm afraid to go back and watch other movies from the 90s I enjoyed as a child now. Were other films I loved in reality a cheesy pile of trash like this?

Oh and last but not least, this is my signature.

[–] brockmeeks 11 years ago

Same story here man. I'm 25. I must have been 8(?) so it was a big deal to see this. We bought a ticket to Flipper, I know right, but snuck into this.

If you pick apart the plot you will go nuts. If you live in tornado alley, eastern Midwest or the south and have these storms roll through every spring and fall you know it's just entertainment.

A few things stuck out for me last night when I re watched.

- You can't open your eyes, and see clearly in a storm because of the wind. Ok, so they had to show their prepective of the tornado. I can live with that.

- Even if the F5 could be survived by strapping yourself to well pipes, wow typing that makes it seem a bit more stupid. Wouldn't there be some serious debris in the storm? After all it had just taken a barn. Also, I don't know if you could lift it, but wouldn't you get under the GRID of the well before riding out an F5... Whatever, I know.

- The acting is bad. Even PSH wasn't that good. Jami Gertz isn't anything to write home about either, but I think Paxton is the worst. "He's in it for the money, not the science!" I was not aware that the guys with say, NOAA were bringing in some serious cash...

I'm really surprised with the money this made we didn't get a sequel.

[–] nineinchnail1981-74-611426 11 years ago

Oh come on. This movie may be far from a masterpiece of cinema, but tearing it down for being an unrealistic depiction of tornadoes is like tearing Jaws down for being an unrealistic depiction of sharks. Real life sharks don't look or act the way the shark in Jaws does, but it doesn't stop that from being a good movie. It's entertainment and in the entertainment department, Twister does its job.

[–] 11 years ago

[deleted]

[–] mrbluto-2 11 years ago

Just a fun popcorn movie.

[–] sage2112 9 years ago

No - no it's not fun. It's terrible, man.

[–] wesperkins 8 years ago

I'll say too, that I am from West Tennessee! Small world. I love Memphis 😀. I loved this movie! But at the same time, it was unrealistic and the plot was insane. It can be picked apart on a scale like Prometheus, but I can still watch it and enjoy it even today if I take it for what it is. I will also say no woman lets her man just walk away to another woman and say good luck, I'm glad you are in love with her more than me. That may be the most unrealistic part of all, and not surviving an F5 tornado in an open field lol. She would have at least keyed his truck.

[–] vestdennis 11 years ago

I agree. My grandson (who is 13) spent the weekend with me & we watched it. He had actually survived a tornado here in West TN some years back so this has always been a fascination for him. He & I have watched storm chasers shows so we know a little about how real the movie was.

It was a joke. A good popcorn movie maybe but so unrealistic it wasn't funny! Most storm chasers don't drive through one or two (at most) in a season and these people drive through about a dozen in a week or two span?

Not only that they strap themselves to some little pipes and we're to believe the F-3 wouldn't have snapped the pipes? Tornados this size/strength rip trees up from the ground, flip 18- wheelers for a mile & yet their arms were not ripped off and the pipes hold? PUH-LEZ!

Also they were within several tornados and their truck never left the ground? I'm sure real storm chasers get a laugh out of this movie. Plus, the attempt at "conflict" with the estranged wife was weak. It was obvious what they were leading up to. Not to mention no girlfriend would ever allow her boyfriend to ride in another truck alone while she rides in another vehicle.

It's a good cast but very weak movie.

[–] northernlad 11 years ago

I believe the time span of the movie is 2 days which makes it all the more ridiculous that they would run into that many tornadoes in that amount of time.

Last night as I watched the last tornado, I wondered why the hell there were belts hanging in that little shack to begin with? Why would the farmer need the belts in there? Unless that's where he took junior to give him a good thrashing.

Remember the magic words: "Please", "Thank you" and "Step off bitch!"

[–] bookwormforlife 11 years ago

It actually is possible to see that many storms in 2 days. If the weather is ripe, it can happen. Last May was good solid proof of that. The El Reno storm on May 31 was just a highlight because I talked to a friend the whole night who lives out there and saw at least 4 or 5 touch down within about two hours. Not all of this movie is realistic but would you like to go get a camera and film those tornadoes? Few people are brave enough to do so.

[–] blacknyellowsquid 10 years ago

The belts to the pipes was the worst. Let's just say, by some divine intervention, the stupid belts were actually strong enough to not break (in spite of the storm picking up 18-wheelers etc...and that they only had like three seconds to tie the knots). Wouldn't their backs maybe snap then? They'd be battered and tossed around so much, while also being stuck to a pipe...I feel like they could have snapped in half backwards or anything along those lines. But no...they just gracefully floated, with nary a scratch afterwards.

That scene was too ridiculous, even for a 'suspend your disbelief to enjoy' type of movie. They should have just made them run into an underground shelter at the last second or something....

[–] brockmeeks 10 years ago

I'm in West TN!

Remember the one in Jackson on January 17, 1999? I was in that one. It didnt level our house , but our neighbor 3 doors downs home was. Sadly she died.

I live on the South side of town, so it was only an F3 when it came through here. It had reached F4 by the time it hit Beech Bluff and I think 6 total lost their lives.

Which one was your grandson in? There was a rough one in 2008.

[–] vestdennis 10 years ago

He was in one that came through Union City. He is 13 now. I can't remember the year (guessing around 2009 or so). I'd have to ask him or his father.

[–] mel2000 10 years ago

Seems a lot of Twister viewers have gotten grumpy with age.

[–] northernlad 10 years ago

I always come to this board when I need some laughs. I know I responded here some time ago already but I reread the original post and sooo enjoyed it for pointing out the ridiculousness of this movie. It's so bad it's hilarious.

I'm worried that my guardian angel is a crack head...

[–] chandler-47 10 years ago

*beep* happens.
Well, I'm 47 and have seen the movie for the first time. It's really bad if it comes to acting and dialog. Pain in the ass. Actors like Hunt, Paxton or Hoffman are not really bad, but what they did here is not understandable.
For a young person seeing this film the other things are exciting, the tornado, the atmosphere. Do not blame yourself for liking this movie when you were young. You couldn't know how cheesy the dialog is.

[–] manofsteel4455 9 years ago

I guess there's really no point in liking any movie then, huh guys?

[–] contreraschz 9 years ago

actually it's the opposite for me

I saw it as a kid and found it boring, specially compared to Jurassic Park

then I watched it several years later and loved it

[–] indy_go_blue44 8 years ago

Perhaps some things enjoyed from childhood are best not revisited

Truer words were ne'er spoken.