2024 rewatch- surprisingly, the 28-year-old CGI tornadoes and flying cow hold up well, on the 44-inch TV at least. I also read some trivia which explains why Twister has such an A+ supporting cast...with Bill Paxton in the lead (a great actor but he doesn't sell tickets) - turns out Tom Hanks was signed to make this movie, he even did a read-through, and Paxton's costumes were originally designed for Hanks. Hanks dropped out, and recommended his Apollo 13 costar to replace him.
I also learned that Cary Elwes' antagonist character had a larger storyline that got cut. This explains why Patrick Fischler and Anthony Rapp, among others, are on his tornado-chasing team, yet they don't have any lines?
(I saw Twister at the Maine Mall Cinema May 11, 1996; also on May 19)
About The Director Jan DeBont was a Dutch director of photography (DP) with a long and prolific career in Europe and in America who parlayed his work on two huge action blockbusters in a row (Die Hard and The Hunt for Red October) into a brief feature directing career. He had a huge hit with his debut Speed in 1994, followed by Twister, Speed 2, a misbegotten remake of The Haunting, and finally the Lara Croft: Tomb Raider sequel The Cradle Of Life. Based on his IMDb profile he may be retired.
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