Review of Twister: Special Edition

Introduction

This movie has been knocking about on DVD for a couple of years now as it was one of the first titles to appear on the DVD format. To be honest the release was a real disappointment in both quality and lack of extras. Warner have recently announced that they are revisiting some of their more popular back catalogue titles and Twister was one of those titles. Bascially it looks as if Warner are attempting to make good this time around with a new transfer and a DTS soundtrack along with a whole brace of extras.

This is one of those films that really doesn’t need allot of introduction, most of you will already know all about it. It’s an all action special effects tour de force from director Jan De Bont (Speed, Die Hard). The movie did very well at the box office and has long been one of my favourites films. Admittedly it’s all about the effects and the action but that’s just fine with me. When I first saw this movie at the cinema in 1996 one thing blew me away (pardon the pun) more than anything else and that was the sound. I was lucky enough to see it on a screen equipped with DTS sound and boy did it sound fantastic. I was so impressed with the whole experience that I went back on a couple of occasions to see it again.

Imagine my delight when I heard that the re-release of Twister was sporting the same DTS soundtrack!

Video

What we have here is a top quality 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer. It really is great stuff and I couldn’t find any fault with it at all. Even the effects sequences look perfect under the scrutiny of a sharp image. The disc has a great animated menu that shows scenes form the movie as though filmed with a video camera. It reminded me of the animated menu on Godzilla and is just as nice.

I have mentioned the effects but they really are terrific. The way they have created twisters and then given them an almost animalistic quality so that they take on a life of their own is amazing. At every point the visuals are realistic and totally believable, top stuff. If ever there was an example of how much computer effects can add to a movie this must be it.

Audio

Now this is what it’s all about. I was hoping the DTS soundtrack would be good but it’s even better than I expected, it’s simply fantastic. Right from the opening sequence you know this is going to be something special. Be warned though, this soundtrack is extremely loud and dynamic so your neighbours may hate you afterwards (if they don’t already :P).

The roar of the twisters is superb and really does allot to impart a feeling of terror. The sound was actually made from samples of different animals and this works to great effect, imparting a real beastly and powerful quality to it. The rear channels get a great workout and really immerse you in sound. The front channels likewise are used to excellent effect and the dialogue from the centre is clear and focused even amongst the chaos of the twisters. It’s not just the twisters that sound fantastic, the ambient sounds are simply superb as well.

Along with the excellent audio effects you also get a great score from Mark Mancina (Speed, Speed2, Con Air). It all adds to the atmosphere of the whole movie and again is great stuff.

I can’t fault this at all, it’s definitely one of the best soundtracks I can ever remember hearing. If there was ever a disc to sell DTS with it is this one.

For non DTS listeners there is a very good Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack as well that is almost as good, but not quite :).

Features

This time around Warner have actually included some extras!! You get 2 trailers, cast and crew bios, “Making of Twister” documentary, “Anatomy of a twister” documentary, Van Halen music video and a feature length commentary with director Jan De Bont and effects supervisor Stefen Fangmeier.

The behind the scenes information is quite interesting. The “Making of Twister” gives you a 14 minute look into how they made the movie, from the live action sequences to the CGI effects. The “Anatomy of a twister” is pretty much more of the same behind the scenes documentary taking a closer look at how the twisters were actually created, clocking in at 9 minutes.

The star of the extras (as usual) has to be the commentary. It’s really very interesting to hear the director talk about his movie. Jan De Bont really knows his stuff and has a real passion for his craft, which I think shows throughout this film.

There could have been more extras. I would have loved a commentary track featuring the 2 main stars and maybe some deleted scenes?? What`s here is good though, I just wanted a little more from a DVD listed as a "Special Edition".

Conclusion

The movie charts the antics of a group of storm chasers who are attempting to launch small probes into a tornado to get information about it in order to develop a more advanced early warning system.

Bill Paxton plays Bill Harding (must be handy playing a character with the same first name), an ex storm chaser who left the for a regular life as a weatherman. He has settled down with a new fiancé (Jami Gertz) and has come to find his soon to be ex-wife Jo Harding (played by the gorgeous Helen Hunt) to get the divorce papers signed. Of course he then gets dragged into chasing the largest series of tornados seen in 50 years and this leads to the usual close shaves and rekindling of past loves etc. The cast all do a great job, from the stars to the supporting members of the storm chasing teams. The performances are very easily overlooked but without them the movie wouldn’t work. There is also the odd humorous moment and some really amusing character interaction.

Jan De Bont knows how to direct action movies. With a pedigree including Speed and Die Hard you know that this guy can do the business and this, for me, is one of his best. The atmosphere is handled excellently and you never lose track of what’s going on in the action scenes. The characters are also handled very well and integrate with the action and effects seamlessly.

So to sum up . . . this is a great DVD and one that every self respecting home cinema fan should own. Top quality visuals, EXCELLENT sound, good extras and a great movie.

A must buy!!