Twister is a 1996 American disaster drama film that follows a group of storm chasers who attempt to study and track tornadoes using a specially designed device. The film stars Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt as Bill and Jo Harding, a married couple who are on the verge of divorce but still share a passion for tornado research. The film also features Jami Gertz, Cary Elwes, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Lois Smith, and Alan Ruck in supporting roles.
The film was directed by Jan de Bont, who had previously made his directorial debut with the hit action thriller Speed (1994). The screenplay was written by Michael Crichton and Anne-Marie Martin, based on a story by Crichton and his wife. The film was produced by Crichton, Kathleen Kennedy, and Ian Bryce, with Steven Spielberg, Walter Parkes, Laurie MacDonald, and Gerald R. Molen serving as executive producers. The film was a joint production of Warner Bros. and Universal Pictures, with Amblin Entertainment as the primary production company.
Twister was released in theaters on May 10, 1996, and was a commercial success, grossing $495.7 million worldwide against a budget of $88–92 million. It was the second-highest-grossing film of 1996, behind Independence Day, and sold an estimated 54.7 million tickets in the US. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised its visual effects, sound design, and action sequences, but criticized its thin plot and characters. The film was nominated for two Academy Awards, for Best Visual Effects and Best Sound, but lost to Independence Day and The English Patient, respectively.
Twister is notable for being both the first Hollywood feature film to be released on DVD format and one of the last to be released on HD DVD. The film has since been released on Blu-ray Disc and other home media formats. The film has also spawned a number of spin-offs, including a theme park attraction, a video game, and a sequel, Twisters, which is set to be released in July 2024.
Plot[]
The film's plot is loosely based on the real-life research projects of the National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL), such as VORTEX, which aimed to improve the understanding and prediction of tornadoes. The film's main device, Dorothy, is a fictionalized version of TOTO, a metal drum filled with sensors that was used by NSSL in the 1980s to collect data from inside tornadoes. The film also depicts some of the dangers and challenges faced by storm chasers, such as flying debris, traffic jams, rivalries, and equipment failures.
The film's main characters are Bill and Jo Harding, who are both meteorologists and storm chasers. Bill was once a renowned tornado researcher, but left the field to become a TV weatherman and marry his fiancée, Melissa, a therapist. Jo is still obsessed with tornadoes and leads a team of eccentric storm chasers, who have built four versions of Dorothy, a device that can release hundreds of sensors into a tornado's funnel and transmit valuable information. Bill visits Jo to finalize their divorce, but discovers that she has not signed the papers and that she has used his design for Dorothy. He agrees to help her deploy Dorothy, hoping to get the papers signed, but also to relive his old thrill of chasing storms. Melissa accompanies him, but soon realizes that he still has feelings for Jo.
The film also introduces Jonas Miller, a former colleague and rival of Bill, who has a similar device to Dorothy, called D.O.T. 3, which he stole from Bill's original idea. Jonas is a more opportunistic and less ethical storm chaser, who has corporate sponsorship and a fleet of black vehicles. He also has access to Bill's radio frequency, and tries to beat him to the tornadoes and deploy his device first. Bill and Jo have a personal and professional animosity towards Jonas, and try to outsmart him and his team.
The film takes place over the course of one day, during which a series of powerful tornadoes strike across Oklahoma. Bill and Jo's team encounter several twisters of varying intensity and size, and attempt to launch Dorothy into their paths, but face various obstacles and setbacks. Along the way, they also rekindle their romance, while Melissa realizes that she and Bill are not compatible and breaks up with him. The film culminates in a confrontation with a massive F5 tornado, the strongest and rarest category, which destroys a town and threatens the lives of Bill and Jo. They manage to successfully deploy the last Dorothy into the tornado, and survive by tying themselves to a pipe that goes deep into the ground. They emerge from the wreckage, and embrace as they see the sensors flying around the tornado, sending back unprecedented data. They decide to stay together, and celebrate with their team. The film ends with a shot of the tornado dissipating, and the sun setting over the horizon.