A scrappy group of Oklahoma storm chasers, led by a pair of testy ex-lovers, blows through a crazy twenty-four hours of cataclysmic weather and cutthroat competition. _Twister_ isn't a film that dances around the sizzle, teasing the big spots until the climax: we get tornadoes galore, right from the first half-hour, with such pinpoint dramatic timing that they seem to start and stop on a dime. Naturally, this means that the production is extremely effects-reliant, but much of the CGI hasn't aged well and that hinders the big practical set pieces, rather than enhancing them. Everybody remembers the flying cow, of course, a quaint bit of '90s absurdity, but nowadays it just looks like a relic from the Playstation 2 era. The big storms remain ominous and convincing, the proverbial "Fingers of God," but giant, whirling clouds of black smoke aren't a very tall visual order and it doesn't take an ILM rig to make a pickup truck cabin look scary through menacing lighting effects.

The plot is secondary at best, a rudimentary vehicle to get us from one event to the next, or to introduce a sleepy little town before leveling it in the next scene. Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton's romantic subplot is telegraphed from the first word, ripped verbatim from the big book of Hollywood disaster clichés. At least the cast is a wild ride. In addition to Hunt and Paxton in those active lead roles (read: the individuals most likely to be running away from something), we get Cary Elwes, pompous corporate rival, and Philip Seymour Hoffman as a loud-mouthed, long-haired weather geek, plus at least half a dozen "I know that guy" character actors. There's a lot of talent here, and they all seem to be enjoying themselves despite all the silly things they're asked to say and do.

**_Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt chasing tornadoes on the prairie_**

When atmospheric conditions are conducive to tornadoes, a weatherman (Paxton) tracks down his separated wife (Hunt) and inadvertently joins their storm-chasing team in the Midwest because he can’t resist seeing his sensor invention finally put to use. Jami Gertz plays his new love, Cary Elwes a pompous rival and Philip Seymour Hoffman a wild team member.

“Twister” (1996) could be categorized as a disaster flick, but with the distinction that the protagonists are constantly chasing the potential disaster. The entire film takes place in the prairies or forests of the Midwest with ominous skies and intermittent destructive tornadoes. It’s called “Twister” and that’s what you get.

The writers keep things interesting by adding human interest with the, admittedly contrived, love triangle and the rival storm-chasing team that has corporate sponsors (the horror, the horror). I didn’t mind the love story. When two people belong together, they belong together. Perhaps the fiancé will realize this. Speaking of which, I’m glad they didn’t make her (Gertz) out to be an unreasonable biyatch, like in “The Parent Trap.”

At the end of the day, “Twister” gives you what you pay for. It’s not rocket science, but it’s entertaining and full of tornado-oriented thrills, which explains why it was a huge hit at the box office.

The movie runs 1 hour, 53 minutes, and was shot in Oklahoma (Guthrie and Ponca City), Iowa (Boone and Ames) and Bolton, Ontario.

GRADE: B