Review of Twister: Special Edition

Introduction

Twister is a film I owned on VHS after being very impressed with the film, effects and sound when it was released. Now that my video collection has been disposed of - with the proceeds being reinvested in DVD - Twister simply had to be reinstated to my collection.

Twister simply tells the story of two teams of "storm chasers" trying to provide enough data on tornados to produce an effective early warning system. There`s some love interest thrown in but this is all about the effects and the spectacular scenes. On this edition of the DVD which also features a DTS soundtrack, it`s also all about the sound.

Video

The video is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen and is faultless throughout the film.

Of course the subject matter lends itself to spectacular footage and the viewer is not left disappointed. There are plenty stunning aerial shots and some of the best special effects ever commited to film. The computer generated twisters are exceptionally good and look even better with the high resolution of DVD. Best of all they are completely seamless - you really cannot tell where reality ends and CGI takes over.

Audio

The sound on this film is quite simply fantastic. I watched the film with a DTS soundtrack and the clarity, positioning and realism of the soundtrack is an absolute delight.

You really feel as if the storm is blowing around your living room - my cat certainly thought that it was and ran off, tail between the legs! During the first storm sequence the wind actually moves round the room - this effect is even better with the infamous flying cow scene - with moos moving around the soundstage. All 5 channels and subwoofer are used throughout to great effect - the sound really is of demo quality and stands up alongside Saving Private Ryan as a standard for home cinema sound.

I also watched a couple of scenes with the Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack and switched between it and DTS for comparison. The Dolby soundtrack is also quite superb, but there is a noticeable increase in dynamic range on the DTS soundtrack, and more "power" in the storm.

Lastly, don`t turn off when the credits roll, you`ll miss some beautiful aerial photography to the superb haunting sound of a Van Halen instrumental "Respect the Wind".

Features

A couple of trailers, audio commentary, two documentaries, music video, production notes and scene access.

The two documentaries are both interesting but on the short side - and do both overlap each other.

The menus contain scenes from the film and are well animated and most importantly easy to navigate.

Conclusion

Overall, excellent picture/visuals and a superb soundtrack - to be honest should be high on the list of "must have" films for home cinema fans - especially those with a DTS sound system.

The film is also pretty good and was still very enjoyable despite having been seen quite a few times - this is helped by a very strong cast. To top if all off, there`s a good range of extra features thrown in as well.

Recommended.