Effects apart, this is dire: predictable, clichéd, sloppily written, pitifully performed and surprisingly short of real shocks and suspense.
Comment
06/24/06
Twister (1996)
55
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:47
Fresh:26
Rotten:21
Average Rating:6/10
Runtime: 3 hrs 46 mins
Genre: Action/Adventure
Synopsis: This special effects-laden blockbuster chronicles one day in the life of a band of gung-ho "storm chasers," who track and follow twisters and tornadoes. The group, led by the gutsy Jo and her... [More]
Reviews for Twister
Top CriticExtreme-weather buffs, thrill-ride junkies and anyone else in search of mindless entertainment need look no further.
11/05/08
Michael Crichton wrote the script with his wife, a former actress, Anne-Marie Martin, and it's about as dull as a prairie vista.
01/01/00
Surely the only movie to ever suggest a dumbed-down His Girl Friday, Road Runner cartoon, and The Abyss simultaneously
05/12/08
Hunt and Paxton play off each other well. We don’t learn a whole lot about their characters, but it’s impossible to not cheer for them anyway.
01/01/00
A movie with wooden performances, a color-by-numbers screenplay, and some mighty cool but hardly revolutionary special effects.
01/01/00
The story is pretty thin, but the gee-whiz effects -- especially in an auditorium with good stereo sound -- are guaranteed to knock the audience for a loop.
01/01/00
None of the individual characters draw much compassion; with uncharismatic heroes and black-and-white villains, all that's left to root for are the twisters, which are formidably rendered.
06/05/02
Never before have I experienced a picture that could have been so good and that had so much going for it, that blew it so badly.
01/01/00
Special-effects highlight this Jan DeBont-directed blockbuster that's ruined by cliched plotting and irritating characters.
01/23/06
About as much fun as watching a weather report.
08/20/05
The plot is minimal, and the character exposition full of cliches -- the scenes that don't feature tornadoes seem very long and almost unbearable to watch.
01/20/03
When it sticks to kinetically portraying the sheer oddness of the tornadic phenomenon, Twister is a breeze. When it tries to recreate Hawks, it falls gracelessly from the green sky.
05/08/08
An adrenalin-pumping thriller that leaves you with a deep respect for the terrifying power of nature.
03/15/02
No review available.
01/01/00
It's a perfect motion picture roller coaster -- fun, fast, and furious... as long as you don't think too hard.
01/01/00
What Spielberg knew back in 1975, that Crichton, Martin, and director Jan De Bont still haven't figured out, is that too much of a good thing -- no matter how spectacular it is -- will ultimately kill a movie.
02/27/01
Science aside, it's not hard to feel that these excitable characters are a wee bit berserk. But the movie works as escapism even if you do know enough to come in out of the rain.
01/01/00
Top CriticA furiously paced and fantastically fierce series of tornadoes, each one more intense and more amazing than the last, offer enough exhaustion and thrills for even the most jaded moviegoer.
05/14/03
I am going to recommend Twister for three reasons.
05/26/06
Latest News for Twister
November 05, 2008:
Michael Crichton Passes Away (1942-2008)
Best-selling author, screenwriter, and director Michael Crichton has passed away at the age of 66. The medical doctor-turned-filmmaker was best known for writing... More...
May 14, 2006:
Box Office Wrapup: "Mission: Impossible 3" Beats "Poseidon" to Remain at #1
Tom Cruise's spy sequel Mission: Impossible III remained the most popular film in North America for the second straight weekend while the big-budget disaster film Poseidon... More...
April 11, 2005:
Get Ready to Meet "MEG"!
Variety brings some news that's been long-anticipated by fans of author Steve Alten: "MEG" is officially a go project. Although Disney held onto the rights for a... More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Fresh Links
Featured
RT on YouTube 
Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.
RT on Twitter
Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.
IGN RSS Feeds