When Twister took over multiplexes (and drive-ins…) in 1996, its effects blew audiences away, making it one of the most impressive and exhilarating movies of the middle part of the decade. And it’s these visuals — particularly those that are practical — that Twister’s director, Jan de Bont, thinks make it remake-proof.
Speaking with Inverse, Jan de Bont said the practical work in Twister heightens the thrills of the blockbuster. “When things fell from the sky, there were real things falling from a helicopter…If you film a car escaping a tornado in a hail storm, it was real ice that came at us. It’s a movie that cannot be remade…That would never, ever happen again.” And that’s partly why de Bont is so skeptical of the upcoming sequel – uh, we mean “new chapter” – to Twister, saying he’ll have someone else watch Twisters for him when it opens next July.
Still, undoubtedly Twister wouldn’t be what it was without its computer effects, either. “Every shot was a fortune…It would take three days to transfer all that information onto film. Right now it’s fast, but in the beginning, it was super slow. And we had to be so careful to get the shots done before the movie opened.”
The movie and its VFX had such an impact that it led to the Universal Studios Florida attraction Twister…Ride It Out, putting guests in the path of a tornado while also showing just how powerful the VFX were. Twister would end up being nominated for the Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects and Best Sound, losing the former to Independence Day. The movie would take the top spot at the box office for two consecutive weeks, going on to make more than $240 million and being the second highest-grossing movie of the year, being edged out yet again by Will Smith whooping some alien ass.
Do you think the effects of Twister hold up more than 25 years after its release? What are your memories of seeing the natural disaster actioner? Personally, I can’t help but tie it to my school days, when it somehow became the go-to “movie day” VHS.
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