'Twister' is Warner Home Video’s first THX-produced disc, and though some of their titles over the past two years have been THX-worthy, this is the first time Warner has actually certified their title through the THX program (read: Steven Spielberg, 'Twister' producer, is friends with George Lucas, originator of THX and founder of Industrial Light and Magic, the effects facility that dreamt up the magnificent, malevolent tornadoes that are this film’s real stars. Somehow, I smell a contractual obligation.).
Warner has issued two versions of 'Twister'—both letterboxed for the anamorphic 2.35:1 aspect ratio, both THX, both in Dolby Digital AC-3. One is a single-disc CLV version, with a rather intrusive side break (the break would have been better timed if it occurred 45 seconds sooner); the other is a 2-disc CAV version, with an additional 2 side breaks (and they’re even more jarring than the single-disc break). The CAV version provides for crystal-clear freeze frames to dissect and analyze the visual effects. The picture and sound quality on the CLV version is identical to the CAV version, so fans will have to juggle their desire to pick apart the twisters frame-by-frame with their desire to watch the movie with fewer interruptions.
The letterbox ratio could have been a tad wider for my tastes (the ratio isn’t quite the full 2.35:1), but the framing is satisfactory throughout. The picture is razor-sharp and the sound, well, the sound is simply thunderous!
My only complaint is an unusually high frequency of dropouts (picture artifacts, or defects, that appear as white speckles over the image and letterboxing borders). I’ve been hearing a lot of complaints about this, and most alarming is that there’s not necessarily any consistency to the number of instances and their locations on the discs. This means, quite simply, that too many of these discs may have been rushed into production and hastily pressed. Unfortunately, there seem to be a lot of speckled 'Twister' discs blowing around out there, and my only suggestion is to keep exchanging a defective copy for one that may be unblemished, either amongst the initial pressing run, or in a subsequent second-pressing batch. My only other gripe is that during the closing credits the music—momentarily—gets a bit distorted, with an annoying "scratchy" quality.
Both versions open with the intense theatrical teaser and close with the longer trailer, both highlighted by the signature tractor-flying-into-the-camera shot that was never actually used in the finished film.
Vital statistics: Warner Home Video; CLV (2 sides) or CAV (4 sides, 2 discs); Anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1); Dolby Surround; Dolby Digital AC-3; THX; Chapter stops; Closed captioned; $34.95 (CLV) or $49.95 (CAV)
S. Damien Segal.
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