Product Details

• Actors: Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton, Cary Elwes, Jami Gertz, Philip Seymour Hoffman
• Directors: Jan de Bont
• Writers: Anne-Marie Martin, Michael Crichton
• Producers: Gerald R. Molen, Glenn Salloum, Ian Bryce, Kathleen Kennedy, Laurie MacDonald
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Subtitled, NTSC
• Subtitles: Spanish
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• VHS Release Date: October 1, 1996
• Run Time: 113 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (387 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6304184794
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #627,084 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Twister was a mega-million-dollar blockbuster--helmed by a director (Dutchman Jan de Bont) hot off another scorcher hit (Speed)--that flaunted state-of-the-art digital effects and featured a popular leading actress (Helen Hunt) who would win an Academy Award for her next film (As Good As It Gets). But ask anybody who's seen it and they'll tell you who the real star of Twister is: the cow. Not to give anything away, but the cow is one of those inspired little touches (like, say, Bronson Pinchot's career-making cameo in Beverly Hills Cop) that adds a touch of personality to a gigantic Hollywood production. The story is blown out the window after an impressive prologue in which Hunt's character, as a little girl, witnesses her daddy being sucked into a tornado. Basically, Hunt and Bill Paxton are thrill-seeking meteorologists chasing twisters in order to study them (and help warn people of them, of course) with a new technology they've developed. If you thought the Kansas tornado in The Wizard of Oz was every bit as scary as the Wicked Witch of the West, then this may be the movie for you. --Jim Emerson

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Stunning Dolby 5.1 sound and Visual Effects, October 31, 1999

By 

David S Smith (Richmond, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Twister (DVD)

This is the best sounding 5.1 channel DVD that I have heard so far! The thunderstorms sound like the real thing and the dialog is always crisp and clear. This disc includes both widescreen and full screen versions of the movie. Unfortunately, there aren't any good special features on this disc (thats why only 4 stars instead of 5). I would have liked to have seen some behind the scenes info. This film has stunning visual effects and it would be nice to watch the computer art gurus in action! Even without special features, this disc is worth the money. It will squeeze every drop of performance out of your home theater!

34 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hang on!, April 4, 2003

By 

D. Mikels "It's always Happy Hour here" (Skunk Holler) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Twister [VHS] (VHS Tape)

If ever a film was made to perpetuate the stereotype of Oklahoma as a state mercilessly and relentlessly ravaged by tornadoes, TWISTER is it. As a resident of Oklahoma, I can assure the readers of this review of two things: 1) tornadoes do on occasion occur here; and 2) tornadoes do not come in endless waves, one after another, like some sort of demented assembly line.

Having said this, TWISTER is a remarkably entertaining film. It's a fasten-your-seatbelt, get-ready-to-duck, leave-both-hands-inside-the-car rollercoaster ride, complete with eye-popping, hair-raising special effects. This movie is a vivid feast for the eyes: menacing, swirling tornadoes of various shapes and sizes; flying cows; and an endless assortment of storm debris to block the path of our protagonists, from tractors to tanker trucks--even houses.

The plot plays second fiddle to the action and special effects. Thank goodness: if the plot had to carry this film, the movie would have collapsed into a sappy and contrived love story. From the very beginning of the film, when meteorologist Bill Harding (Bill Paxton) locates his estranged stormchasing wife Dr. JoAnne Thornton-Harding (Helen Hunt) out on the northern Oklahoma plains and asks her to sign divorce papers, the viewer instantly realizes: the couple, eventually, will get back together. Thankfully, Mother Nature takes over and the film takes off. Paxton and Hunt are solid in their performances, yet Philip Seymour Hoffman steals the show, as techno-goofy, slightly off-center Dusty Davis, a member of JoAnne's stormchasing team. If anyone can have a good time in the face of oncoming disaster, it's Dusty (who refers to a tornado's swath of destruction as "the suck zone").

Director Jan de Bont delivers nonstop action like a swirling wall cloud; TWISTER is nervous energy unleashed, a cacophony of sights and sounds that keeps the adrenaline flowing.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Twister, March 10, 2008

By 

Kelly "Reviewer for The Sinfully Sensuous" (Littleton, Colorado) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Twister (DVD)

Probably the best disaster movie made about tornadoes/twisters. The special effects were really exciting if you can overlook the inaccurate scenes enhanced for dramatic effect. It was a good balance between the story and the action. Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton were really good - actually the whole cast was wonderful.