Twister (1996)
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A group of storm chasers must navigate a dangerous Oklahoma tornado outbreak to deploy a revolutionary research device.
The story
In the wake of a tragic 1969 tornado, Jo Thornton becomes a dedicated meteorologist and leader of a storm-chasing team. Twenty-seven years later, she is joined by her estranged husband, Bill, who is traveling with his fiancée. The pair must navigate the dangers of a severe tornado outbreak in Oklahoma while attempting to deploy 'Dorothy,' a sophisticated research device designed to provide earlier warnings. As the team pursues a developing storm, they face life-threatening conditions and internal tensions, ultimately forced to confront the raw power of nature to achieve their scientific goals.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
The story begins in 1969, where Jo Thornton survives an F5 tornado that kills her father. In the present day, Jo leads a team of storm chasers. Her estranged husband, Bill, arrives with his fiancée, Melissa, to sign divorce papers but ends up joining the team to help deploy 'Dorothy,' a research device he conceptualized. They are pursued by a rival, Jonas Miller, who has a similar device called Dot3. During a series of dangerous chases through Oklahoma, the team faces multiple tornadoes, losing equipment and facing physical peril. Amidst the chaos, Bill and Jo's personal feelings resurface. After a series of near-misses and the destruction of several prototypes, a massive F5 tornado forms. While Jonas is killed by a tornado that sweeps his truck away, Bill and Jo make a final, desperate run. They sacrifice their vehicle to launch the final Dorothy probe. They are eventually caught in the heart of the vortex, where they are inverted in the air before the storm dissipifies, allowing them to survive and reconcile.
- First release year
- 1996
- Runtime (minutes)
- 113
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Jan de Bont
- Writers
- Michael Crichton · writer; Anne-Marie Martin · writer
- Cast and characters
- Helen Hunt · Jo; Bill Paxton · Bill; Jami Gertz · Melissa; Cary Elwes · Jonas Miller
- Genres
- disaster; road movie
- Themes
- man vs. nature; scientific discovery; reconciliation
- Tone and mood
- tense; action-packed
- Premise and plot tags
- disaster; science; romance
- Source material / true-story basis
- Original screenplay by Michael Crichton and Anne-Marie Martin
- Franchise connections
- Twisters (2024)
- Content notes
- intense depiction of very bad weather
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews from critics and was acclaimed for its visual effects.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 68% · scale: percentage · review count: 142; Metacritic · score: 68 · scale: 100 · review count: 19
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Visual Effects · nomination; Academy Award · Best Sound · nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was one of the first to be released on DVD in the United States.; The film's sound effects included lion roars, tiger growls, and camel moans.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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