Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		2.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		2.0

Twister's Revenge! Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 15, 2021

Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of Weird Wisconsin: The Bill Rebane Collection.

Somewhat hilariously considering the geographical focus of this collection, I have previously disclosed that I discovered some time ago that undeniably weird Wisconsin is evidently the presumed center of the universe. That is a conclusion I not so coincidentally came to after I married a woman from that state, but it's a sentiment which has been regularly reinforced by a truly gobsmacking number of Wisconsin set films that have crossed my path in various ways in the time since I said "I do". There have also been an unusually high number of Wisconsin-centered or actually filmed titles that have as a matter of fact entered my queue to write about over the years, and though not part of my official reviewing duties, two wildly disparate films, American Movie and Dr. Bronner's Magic Soapbox, actually have a more or less direct connection to the tiny town my wife grew up in, Menomonee Falls. As if to make the circle complete, one of American Movie's aspiring filmmakers shows up as a talking head in the documentary about Bill Rebane included in this set. That documentary starts off with a kind of joke where a critic is asked to sum up the impact of "someone like Bill Rebane", to which the critic may understandably respond, "Who is Bill Rebane?" For those who are either unacquainted with this kind of delirious "regional" filmmaker, or in fact for those who have already fallen under the sway of "classics" (?) like Monster A Go-Go!, this new collection from Arrow provides a nice selection of Rebane's work, with the typically broad and deep assortment of supplementary material that has become Arrow's stock in trade.

It is probably not that churlish to suggest that a good many of Bill Rebane's films provoke unintentional laughter, but Twister's Revenge is an actual broad comedy that is kind of like The Dukes of Hazzard meets Knight Rider. An apparently sentient monster truck is the focus of a trio of hapless bad guy mechanics, with hilarity ostensibly ensuing. The film is filled with silly sight gags, and there's little doubt that completely over the top sequences like a monster truck being attacked by an M80 tank give Twister's Revenge a deliberately peculiar ambience. For those who like to see monster trucks crush lines of old junkers, Twister's Revenge provides ample screen time to such pursuits.

Twister's Revenge! Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Twister's Revenge is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. The hardback book included with this limited edition contains both an initial overall disclaimer about video quality, along with subsequent detailed information on the transfer, as follows:

All the films included in this collection have been restored by Arrow Films from the best available materials. While every effort has been made to deliver the best possible presentations, the results inevitably vary according to the condition of the source materials, some of which were in poor shape.

We hope that this does not affect your enjoyment of the films.

Twister's Revenge is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 with mono audio. A 35mm print was scanned in 2K resolution at Company 3. The film was graded on Digital Vision's Nucoda Film Master and restored at R3Store Studios in London. The mono mix was remastered from the print's soundtrack at Deluxe Audio Services.

Twister's Revenge suffers from a somewhat faded and at times pretty anemic looking palette, one which looks skewed slightly toward brown tones and where dark or nighttime scenes can be hard to make out. Perhaps due at least in part to this being sourced from a print, there's more of a "dupey" look to this presentation than some of the others in this set, with a grayish looking gritty grainfield that probably only further exacerbates the perception of less than vivid suffusion. Detail levels are at least decent in midrange and close-ups, but can definitely falter in wider framings.

Twister's Revenge! Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Twister's Revenge has a DTS-HD Master Audio Mono track that, like many others in this set, can vary between relatively decent, full bodied, sound, and more of a muffled, less clear, sound. This duality pertains to both music and dialogue, though quite a bit of the effects work comes across as reasonably energetic. Optional English subtitles are available.

Twister's Revenge! Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Game and Twister's Revenge share the same disc, which offers the following supplements:

• Straight Shooter: Bill Rebane on The Game (HD; 6:57)


• Straight Shooter: Bill Rebane on Twister's Revenge (HD; 8:10)


• Discovering Bill Rebane (HD; 28:16) is an online lecture by historian and critic Stephen R. Bissette, who recounts his history with Rebane's films.


• Trailers

  The Game (HD; 1:27)

  
  

  Twister's Revenge (HD; 3:39)

• Image Gallery (HD; 2:50)

Twister's Revenge! Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Twister's Revenge is just unabashedly silly most of the time, and perhaps for that reason, it may be easier to look past "not quite ready for prime time" performances and less than Oscar worthy production values. The film does feature some well staged scenes of the titular monster truck destroying lesser vehicles. Technical merits are once again limited by less than optimal source elements, but as with the other films in this set, Arrow has provided some enjoyable supplements, for those who are considering a purchase.