7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 4.4 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Two storm chasers on the brink of divorce must join together to create an advanced weather alert system that puts them in the cross-hairs of extremely violent tornadoes.
Starring: Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton, Jami Gertz, Cary Elwes, Lois SmithAction | 100% |
Adventure | 68% |
Thriller | 65% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: VC-1
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.42:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: DTS 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
German: DTS 5.1
Italian: DTS 5.1
Spanish: DTS 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Japanese: DTS 5.1
English SDH, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Greek, Korean, Mandarin (Traditional), Norwegian, Swedish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Written by Michael Crichton and Anne-Marie Martin, Jan de Bont's "Twister" (1996) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Universal-UK. The supplemental features on the disc include an audio commentary with director Jan de Bont and visual effects supervisor Stefen Fangmeier; "The Making of Twister"; "Anatomy of a Twister" - on-site footage from the shooting of the film; "Nature Tech: Tornadoes" - a History Channel episode about the progress scientists have made in predicting dangerous storms; Van Halen's "Humans Being"; and the original theatrical trailer for the film. With optional English, Japanese, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Dutch, Danish, Finnish, Greek, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Swedish, or Chinese subtitles. Region-Free.
The Big One
Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.42:1, encoded with VC-1 and granted a 1080p transfer, Jan de Bont's Twister arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Universal-UK.
I have two complaints about this high-definition transfer. The first one has to do with the use of noise reduction, which is quite distracting at times. There are key scene throughout the film where fine object detail and clarity are obviously affected by it. I think that the larger your screen is, the easier it would be for you to notice it (the noise reduction). Second, it is the mild to moderate edge-enhancement. Unlike the noise reduction, the edge-enhancement is actually a lot easier to tolerate, but it is there, and I have no doubts that the more sensitive amongst you would be irritated by its presence. This said, the film's color-scheme is mostly convincing. Reds, blues, greens, yellows, browns and blacks look natural, though not always rich and well saturated. There are no serious stability issues to report. I did not spot any heavy background flickering to report either. Finally, aside from a few minor flecks, the high-definition transfer appears to be in a relatively healthy condition. (This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location. Also, please note that the main menu could be set in one of the following languages: English, Japanese, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Dutch, Danish, Finnish, Greek, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Swedish, or Chinese).
Note: I was specifically asked to comment on how this UK release of Twister, courtesy of Universal, compares to the North American one, courtesy of Warner. After carefully comparing select scenes from the two, I've come to the conclusion that I prefer the look of the UK release. During many of the close-ups, I felt that detail is slightly better on the UK release; not by much, but there were a number of close-ups with Helen Hunt's face, for example, that were slightly better looking on the UK disc (which is why I have included a capture of her face below).
This Blu-ray disc contains the following audio tracks: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French DTS 5.1, German DTS 5.1, Italian DTS 5.1, Spanish DTS 5.1, and Japanese DTS 5.1. For the record, Universal have provided optional English SDH, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Chinese (Traditional), Japanese, and Korean subtitles for the main feature.
The English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (24-bit) sounds good. The low frequencies, in particular, are very effective, I'd even say that they are some of the very best I have encountered since Blu-ray arrived. There are a number of key scenes with the giant twisters that could easily be used to test the muscles of one's audio equipment. The high frequencies, however, probably won't impress serious audiophiles as they fluctuate quite a bit. On the other hand, the dialog is crisp, clean and very easy to follow. I also did not detect any problematic pops, cracks, clicks, or hiss.
Note: All of the supplemental features on this Blu-ray disc are perfectly playable on North American PS3s and SAs.
The Making of Twister - the standard featurette recaptures the production history of the film. Cast and crew members also discuss their roles and work on the film. In English, with optional Japanese, English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Dutch, Danish, Finnish, Greek, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese and Swedish. (480/60i, 14 min).
Anatomy of a Twister - on-site footage from the shooting of the film, containing comments from the cast and crew addressing the unpredictable nature of tornadoes. The F5 tornado creation is particularly interesting. In English, with optional Japanese, English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Dutch, Danish, Finnish, Greek, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese and Swedish.(480/60i, 9 min).
Nature Tech: Tornadoes - a History Channel episode about the progress scientists have made in predicting dangerous storms. In English, with optional Japanese, English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Dutch, Danish, Finnish, Greek, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese and Swedish. (46 min, 480/60i).
Music Video - Van Halen's "Humans Being". (4 min, 480/60i).
Trailer - the theatrical trailer for Twister. In English, with optional Japanese, English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Dutch, Danish, Finnish, Greek, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese and Swedish. (3 min, 480/60i).
Commentary - an audio commentary with director Jan de Bont and visual Effects supervisor Stefen Fangmeier. This is a very informative, technical commentary in which the two gentlemen explain how many of the most thrilling scenes in Twister were done, the technical and logistic challenges the film crew had to overcome, etc. In English.
If you are a fan of Jan de Bont's Twister and have not yet purchased it on Blu-ray, I would suggest that you opt for the UK release herein reviewed. In my opinion, it offers some marginal improvements over the U.S. release. The disc is Region-Free, and all of the supplemental features on it are perfectly playable on Region-A PS3s and SAs. Recommended.
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